The Faculty of Law at the University of Copenhagen is inviting applications for 2 postdoctoral positions available from 1 February 2027, for a duration of 2-3 years. Successful candidates will join the Avant-Courts project at iCourts, Centre of Excellence for International Courts and Governance.

About the project
Avant-Courts - Decentring Legal Power: Avantgarde Courts at the Frontiers of the Global Economy
The project is led by Professor Mikael Rask Madsen and investigates the transformation of the global legal order caused by the rise of new hybrid courts at the frontiers of the global economy. It focuses on jurisdictional battles and legal knowledge exchanges between Western courts and new challengers, analysing how new litigation hubs are disrupting traditional legal institutions. The project starts out by examining avantgarde courts in three distinct legal spaces: new economic spaces, outer space, and virtual spaces. Other empirical sites may also be considered.

The postdoc projects are expected to contribute to Avant-Courts’ exploration of virtual courts or space adjudication. We, however, also welcome applications that develop projects that explores adjacent fields of international and transnational adjudication to those identified by Avant-Courts.

More information about the research project and its aims and methods may be found here: https://jura.ku.dk/icourts/research/avant-courts/

About iCourts
iCourts, Centre of Excellence for International Courts and Governance was originally set up as a research centre dedicated to the study of international courts. Today the centre engages a broader agenda concerning courts and legal governance at the international, transnational and national levels. This includes questions related to innovation in legal governance in society, ranging from the creation of new courts to AI and legal decision-making to the public engagement with courts and legal governance. The centre’s mission is to provide basic science explorations the role of law and courts in governing society. The centre often employs interdisciplinary and empirical methods to attain its objectives.

The postdoc projects are expected to contribute to Avant-Courts’ exploration of virtual courts or space adjudication. We, however, also welcome applications that develop projects that explore adjacent fields of international and transnational adjudication to those identified by Avant-Courts.

About the positions
Successful candidates will be required to:

• Conduct and deliver independent, high-quality peer-reviewed research related to their project.
• Actively engage in the research environment at the University of Copenhagen.
• Participate in international conferences, courses, and meetings relevant to their research.
• Conduct research stays abroad.
• Contribute to teaching undergraduate and graduate courses in Danish or English at the Faculty of Law.

Applicants are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the faculty’s research areas and education programmes by visiting the Faculty’s website: www.jura.ku.dk. The Faculty supports efforts to learn Danish.

Required qualifications
Applicants must hold a PhD, JSD, or equivalent degree in law or social sciences (e.g., political science, sociology, international relations). Candidates should either have obtained or expect to obtain the required degree by the starting date. Proficiency in English (written and spoken) is essential. Successful candidates will demonstrate a track record or clear potential for high-quality peer-reviewed research publications in top international outlets.

The overall assessment will emphasize the applicant’s research and teaching experience and potential, with special attention to their track record of excellence and interest in developing impactful research ideas. Experience in collaborative research and teaching activities is also valued.

Salary and terms of employment
The appointment is temporary and will be made in accordance with the agreement between the Danish Ministry of Finance and the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations (Akademikernes Centralorganisation, AC). In addition to the basic salary, you will receive an annual supplement per month and a total contribution to your pension fund equal 18,07 % of your salary and annual supplement is paid. It is possible to negotiate further salary supplements.

Application
Letter of motivation, appendices and the submitted research publications (including papers, articles and books), must be written in English. Applicants should clearly indicate which of the research projects they are applying for. The application will be rejected if not all the required documents are submitted.

It is essential that you fill out all the mandatory fields in the electronic application even though the info is already stated in your CV, application, publication or other material you may find relevant to upload. The completed fields will be screened during the shortlisting and assessment process and in order to generate your final assessment, which we will send to you after the assessment work is finalized.

The application MUST include the following nine (9) elements:

1. Letter of motivation (a one-page document explaining the reasons for applying)
2. Curriculum vitae
3. Research project. Applications should include a proposal for a research project to be completed during the post-doctoral period. Proposals should be no more than four pages long. The proposal should demonstrate the capacity to develop a postdoctoral project, identifying the relevant methodological tools to achieve the outlined project.
4. Diplomas, PhD or JSD diploma or alternatively a document showing that the applicant submitted or will submit a dissertation
5. Publication list. (Complete, numbered list of publications)
6. Teaching portfolio, including documentation for teaching qualifications as well as a brief statement of the applicant's teaching visions within the research area. For more information regarding the teaching portfolio, please see the related guidelines
7. Academic references, if available (please upload under “other relevant material”)
8. A maximum of five (5) scientific publications that the applicant wishes to have included in the assessment, of which no more than one (1) may be a monograph. Applicants, who have written a PhD or JSD thesis or equivalent, must always submit the complete thesis (if the thesis is written in Danish, English, Swedish or Norwegian) and the written assessment of the thesis as a part of submitted publications.
9. If citing work where the applicant has been a co-author, a co-author declaration, which addresses the applicant's share of these works, must be submitted. Material that has not yet been published can be submitted. However, please indicate if this is the case.

In addition to the material which the applicant wishes to be included in the assessment, the Assessment Committee may require further material to assess the applicant. It is the applicant’s responsibility to provide such supplementary material, should this be requested.

Application procedure
Upload letter of motivation, appendices and the research publications electronically using the link below. We advise you to have the above mentioned documents ready before you begin to fill out your online application, and it is essential that all required documents are enclosed.

Applications must be addressed to the Associate Dean of Research and uploaded electronically.

An automatically generated message is sent out acknowledging receipt of the uploaded application.

Applicants will be kept informed about the process of the application procedure on a regular basis via email.

Recruitment Process
After the application deadline, the Associate Dean of Research selects applicants for assessment on the advice of the Appointment Committee. All applicants are notified whether their application has been accepted for assessment. The Associate Dean of Research subsequently appoints an expert assessment committee tasked with carrying out an assessment of the selected applicants for the specific post. Selected applicants are notified of the composition of the committee. Applicants are ultimately offered the opportunity of commenting on the part of the assessment relating to themselves before the appointment is finalised.

You can find further information on our recruitment process at: Recruitment process.

As an applicant to the University of Copenhagen, you should be prepared to undergo a security screening related to international research collaboration as part of the recruitment process. The security screening will be conducted in cases where the University deems it appropriate based on an overall assessment.

International Applicant?
The University of Copenhagen offers a broad variety of services for international researchers and accompanying families, including support before and during your relocation and career counselling to expat partners. Please find more information about our services at: For international researchers at the University of Copenhagen.

An Equal Opportunity Workplace
The University of Copenhagen is committed in its pursuit of academic excellence to equality of opportunity and to creating an inclusive working environment and therefore encourages all interested parties regardless of personal background to apply for the position.

To learn more about our diverse workplace and our participation in the HRS4R HR Excellence in Research, please visit HR Excellence in Research.

Contact Information
Questions about the Avant-Courts project may be addressed to PI Mikael Rask Madsen at [email protected].

Further information about the recruitment process is available from HR, e-mail: [email protected]. Please refer to ID number 211-2640/26-2I #2.
The application deadline is 15 September 2026, 23:59 (CEST).

Applications received after the deadline has expired will not be accepted.

Any applications or additional material submitted after the deadline will not be considered. However, changes may be made to the submitted application right up until the deadline.

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The Faculty of Law is one of six faculties at the University of Copenhagen. The Faculty carries out research, education and knowledge dissemination within the area of law. Research is partly organized in research centres and groups with focus on thematic areas of interest. The Faculty employs about 80 full time researchers and approx. 50 PhD students as well as approx. 70 administrative staff members. In addition, approx. 450 part-time lecturers teach on the legal programmes on which approx. 4,500 students are enrolled. See the Faculty website: https://jura.ku.dk/english for more information.

Københavns Universitet giver sine knap 10.000 medarbejdere muligheder for at udnytte deres talent fuldt ud i et ambitiøst, uformelt miljø. Vi sikrer traditionsrige og moderne rammer om uddannelser og fri forskning på højt internationalt niveau. Vi søger svar og løsninger på fælles problemer og gør ny viden tilgængelig og nyttig for andre.

Kontakt
Mikael Rask Madsen
E-mail: [email protected]

Info
Ansøgningsfrist: 15-09-2026

Ansættelsesdato: 01-02-2027

Afdeling/Sted: iCourts, Faculty of Law