Two-year postdoc in the cultural history of agriculture - The Green Museum

The Green Museum is advertising a two-year postdoc position in agricultural cultural history. The position is part of the research project 'Livestock in Distress', which is funded by the Augustinus Foundation and anchored at the Green Museum. The project is conducted in collaboration with the University of Southern Denmark and Aarhus University.

Research project

There have never been more livestock in Denmark, but the distance between humans and animals has never been greater either. At the same time, the production of animal-based foods places a burden on both climate and nature, and the conditions in the stables frequently face criticism.

How did we end up here?

'Livestock in Distress' examines the industrialization of milk and pig production and the driving forces that shaped this development. Although industrialization has left marked imprints on both food production and society, we still know surprisingly little about its historical course and consequences.

With an interdisciplinary and methodologically innovative approach that combines cultural history, economic history and animal science, the project highlights how the conditions of the animals and the human–animal relations were changed, and how industrialization altered the cultural understanding of livestock and their status as living cultural heritage.

The project is organized into three work packages with their own research questions

Work package 1 investigates how the industrialization of Danish dairy cattle and pig production was carried out and which driving forces lay behind the development.

Work package 2 investigates the consequences of the industrialization of milk and pig production for the animals and their living conditions, as well as for the relationship between humans and animals in production.

Work package 3 investigates how the industrialization of dairy cows and pig husbandry affected the cultural perception of these livestock in society and their status as cultural heritage.

For an in-depth project description, see Livestock in Distress: Industrialization in the Stable and Livestock as Living Cultural Heritage in Change.

The position

As a postdoc, you will contribute to all three work packages, with particular focus on work packages 2 and 3. You will have the opportunity to define your own project across the work packages or with special emphasis on one of them.

The position will also include administrative tasks related to the project, including organizing meetings, workshops and seminars.

You will be employed at the Green Museum and attached to the museum's Research and Collections Department. The museum houses a large research library, and a substantial portion of the source material is found in the museum's collections.

You will have an office space at the museum, and it is expected that you will regularly be present at the museum. It is also expected that you, drawing on the project results, contribute with reflections on and collection of documentation, reports, interviews and objects from the history of industrialized livestock farming for the museum's collections.

In addition to close collaboration with the Museum's Research and Collections Manager and Senior Researcher in agricultural history, you will collaborate closely with researchers from the University of Southern Denmark and Aarhus University, and to some extent have the opportunity to participate in the research environments at both institutions.

The position also entails expectations that you

• present research results at conferences
• publish in relevant scientific journals
• contribute with your own publications and participate in joint publications with the research group
• assist in the preparation of grant applications for new research projects within related topics

Our expectations and priorities

• Qualifications Appointment as a postdoc requires scientific qualifications at PhD level within relevant cultural historical fields in a broad sense such as history, anthropology or ethnology. It is additionally an advantage that:
• You have an interest in agricultural and animal history and experience with research in these or related environmental historical and humanities fields
• You have experience with interview research and analysis
• You have good collaboration skills and experience with research coordination and organization
• You can work independently and in a structured manner
• You have an interest in or experience with collection and documentation
• You have a valid category B driving license, as driving may be expected during working hours

Due to the project’s empirical focus and source material, it is necessary that you can read and understand Danish at a high level.

Application and application process

The application must include

• A motivated application, in which you describe your motivation to apply for the position and your qualifications in relation to the announcement (max. 2 pages)
• A brief description of which aspects of the project you expect to focus on, and how you would approach the research work (max. 2 pages)
• CV (max. 2 pages)
• A copy of your master's certificate and PhD certificate
• Publication list indicating the attached publications to be considered in the assessment
• Maximum 2 attached publications for assessment. Publications as a co-author require a co-author statement (use this template)
• References and/or recommendations

Application deadline: 15 May 2026

Expected starting date: 1 September 2026 or as soon as possible thereafter.

Applicants' professional qualifications will be assessed by a panel of experts. Based on the assessments, the museum's leaders will invite one or more candidates to an interview.

Salary and employment terms

Salary and employment terms are set in accordance with the collective agreement for academics in the state and the executive order of 30 October 2015 on the job structure for scientific staff with research tasks at archives, libraries, museums, etc., under the Ministry of Culture. The position is 37 hours per week. The primary place of work is the Green Museum in the Research and Collections Department.

Questions may be directed to the museum's Research and Collections Manager, Esben Bøgh Sørensen, tel. +45 20 80 31 24

The Green Museum encourages all qualified applicants, regardless of personal background, to apply for the position.

The Green Museum is the national museum of hunting, forestry, agriculture and food – with a focus on humans' interaction with nature and the cultural landscape. The museum is located in a wonderful manor landscape with farming, a kitchen garden, livestock – and with the forest as a neighbor. We employ about 30 staff and around 300 active volunteers who help keep the museum alive. The museum is visited by about 80,000 guests annually.

Submit your application