Professorship in the joint research areas psychosocial work environment and safety culture and occupational accidents

The National Research Centre for the Working Environment (NFA) is announcing a full professorship within the research programmes; Psychosocial Working Environment and Safety Culture and Occupational Accidents.

Job description

There are five overarching research programme within NFA. This position is pertains the "Psychosocial working environment" and "Safety Culture and Occupational Accidents" research programmes. The two research programmes are organised under a joint research unit. We expect that the professor will lead our Working Hours Research Group within this unit, and the professor must therefore have extensive research experience in this field. This includes a strong Danish, Nordic as well as international network with documented collaboration and publication track record within the field. The professor will be responsible for further raising the academic profile of the area and building an even stronger interdisciplinary research environment within NFA's strategic framework. Additionally, it is expected that the successful candidate is able to meet the stipulated requirements for winning research grants for their own research and that of their research area.

The professor is also expected to play an important role in the Safety Culture and Occupational Accidents Research Group's strategic goal to conduct research on the causes of occupational accidents using relevant methods, including quantitative methods by further developing the research methods of the Research Group in collaboration with its members. The professor is expected to contribute to further strengthening and developing NFA's interdisciplinary research on the prevention of challenges related to working environments, including in relation to work organisation.

The research will be conducted in close collaboration with the NFA's other researchers in the Psychosocial and Safety Culture and Occupational Accidents unit.

The professor is expected to take part in the research management team of the unit along with the unit's Head of Research and a number of senior colleagues. The research management team is joint for the two research programmes. The professor is expected to be especially involved in the research management of the working hours Research Group and also play a role in the daily management of the Safety Culture and Occupational Accidents Research Group along with senior members.

In collaboration with the other members of the research management team and the staff, the professor will supervise PhD students and early career researchers, and the professor will be actively involved in the NFA's broad dissemination of research to relevant working environment stakeholders as well as occasional teaching at universities. The professor is also expected to contribute to expanding NFA's collaboration with leading national and international research institutes with a particular focus on the collaborations for both the Psychosocial Work Environment and Safety Culture and Occupational Accidents Research Groups.

Your qualifications

The National Research Centre for the Working Environment's ambition is to produce applied research about Danish working environments based on a solid evidentiary foundation and which results in a relevant social impact. We are looking for an applicant with:

• Extensive research experience within the overarching field psychosocial work environment, especially within the physiological effects and health-related effects of long working hours, shift work, and night work. All research conducted at NFA must be documented through publishing in scientific journals at a high international level.
• A recognised international position within their own specific focus areas.
• The ability to raise the profile of the NFA in several strategically important areas including research on the causes of occupational accidents using quantitative methods.
• Substantial prior contributions to the subject area.
• Experience with initiating and participating in interdisciplinary research programs.
• Experience with handling major sector-specific assignments, including advising authorities, the social partners and other stakeholders as well as tailored dissemination of research results in Danish to a wide range of users of scientific knowledge on occupational safety and health.
• Documented extensive collaboration with relevant stakeholders in the occupational safety and health field.
• Documented significant experience with research supervision and participation in strong Nordic and international research networks.
• Documented societal impact.

Salary and terms of employment

This is a full-time position. We would like you to start May 1st 2026 or at earliest convenience. The appointment is made in accordance with the agreement between the Danish Ministry of Finance and the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations (AC) as well as the position structure for scientific staff with research assignments in sector research institutions. Remuneration consists of a basic salary according to the AC scale and with a negotiated pensionable supplement.

Questions and application

If you have any questions regarding this vacancy, please contact Head of Research Jens Olav Dahlgaard by e-mail ) or phone

If you have any questions about salary and terms of employment, please contact HR partner Rikke Dahl Ledertoug at the Danish Ministry of Employment's HR department by by e-mail ) phone on

All interested applicants are encouraged to apply regardless of age, gender, disability, religion or ethnicity.

Submit your application electronically via the link below. The deadline for submitting your application, CV, exam papers, list of publications, and documentation for research-related, sector-specific and teaching-related experience as well your 10 most relevant publications is Sunday January 4th 2026.

NFA reserves the right to select candidates for evaluation by the committee based on the criteria listed in the posting. A committee of experts will assess the selected applicants. The National Research Centre for the Working Environment will subsequently decide which of the qualified applicants with a positive evaluation will be best suited for the position.

We contribute to a healthy and dynamic labour market

At the National Research Centre for the Working Environment, we conduct research on topics that affect working environments and occupational health today and in the future. As a sector research institution under the auspices of the Danish Ministry of Employment, our mission is also to monitor and evaluate developments related to working environments and identify new risks. We train new researchers and disseminate our research results in recognised journals. We disseminate our research-based knowledge to workplaces, authorities, the social partners and advisors in the field of working environment. In doing so, we contribute to improving the working environment in Denmark.

You can read more about us

---