Professor of Psychology and Placebo Effects in Pain and Neurological Disorders

The Department of Clinical Medicine at Faculty of Health at Aarhus University invites applications for a position as Professor in the field of psychology and placebo effects as per 1 August 2026 or as soon as possible thereafter. The position is a permanent full-time position.

As a professor at the Department of Clinical Medicine, you will be part of what is probably the largest health science research department in Denmark. Our clinical research covers all the medical specialities and takes place in close collaboration with the university hospital and the regional hospitals in the Central Denmark Region. We have approx. 30,000 square metres of modern research facilities for experimental surgery and medicine, animal facilities and also advanced scanners at our disposal. The department has overall responsibility for the Master's degree programs in medicine and in molecular medicine. At the department we are approx. 425 academic employees and the same number of PhD students cooperating across disciplines. As a professor, you will be working at the Danish Pain Research Center, which is a unit under Department of Clinical Medicine placed at Aarhus University Hospital. The Pain center is a multidisciplinary clinic research center with the aim to study chronic pain, in particular to understand the mechanisms and improve the treatment of neuropathic pain.

Your job responsibilities

As Professor of Psychology and placebo effects in pain and neurological disorders, you will have joint responsibility for the development of the department's research and teaching environment, and you will contribute to the implementation of the faculty's overall research strategy. You are expected to contribute – both independently and in collaboration with others – to the development of the department by leading research of high international quality and contributing to ensuring a high academic and didactic standard in teaching. Qua your excellent collaborative skills and a broad academic network, you contribute to the academic development at Aarhus University and to the university’s profile both nationally and internationally.

Your main tasks will consist of:

• Research of high international quality, including publication in top international journals and communicating your research in national and international academic networks.
• Teaching, supervision and examination of Bachelor’s and Master's degree students.
• To contribute to the funding of your own research group with the help of external research funding.
• Supervision of PhD students and contributing to the development of the faculty's PhD courses.
• Assessment and committee work at Aarhus University.
• Research-based collaboration with private and public-sector stakeholders as well as research-based consultancy.
• Dissemination of your research to the outside world.
• Leading an internationally competitive research program in pain and placebo research, with a focus on experimental mechanistic studies and clinical trials in chronic pain and neurological patient populations.
• Advancing psychological research at the intersection of psychology and medicine, examining how psychological profiles, cognitions and emotions contribute to the reporting and processing of pain and illness at central and peripheral levels.
• Contributing to the department’s teaching and supervision of students at undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral levels, including courses on theory of science, health psychology, and communication.
• Contributing to the department’s strategic focus on mechanistic understanding of disease and developing methods for detecting effective treatments across pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions, in collaboration with national and international research consortia and networks.

You will report to the Professor and head of Danish Pain Research Center, Nanna Brix Finnerup.

Your competences

You have an excellent track record in pain and placebo research, and you have established yourself as a prominent researcher. You possess solid research and teaching qualifications at a high international level. You have broad international cooperative partnerships and great experience of research partnerships with private and public-sector stakeholders. You have also a documented ability to attract significant competitive research funding from national and international funding bodies. A background in psychology, health psychology or clinical neuroscience with a focus on placebo mechanisms in pain and neurological disorders is preferred. Experience in designing, coordinating, and executing experimental studies on psycho-neuro-biological mechanisms in patient populations—such as psychological testing, quantitative sensory testing, and pharmacological agonist/antagonist challenges—and integrating these insights with clinical trials and patient-relevant outcomes across pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatments is considered a major advantage. A successful track record in developing lecture series in health psychology and clinical neuroscience, as well as teaching and supervising students at undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral levels, will be considered an asset.

As a person, you are a helpful and motivational leader who inspires other researchers and builds trusting relationships with students, colleagues and partners. As a lecturer you communicate the newest and relevant knowledge in a committed, clear and comprehensible manner. As a supervisor you are competent, inspiring, supportive and responsible.

You are ready to take co-responsibility for the development of the department's research and education at the highest international level and for ensuring that we maintain a good work environment. You naturally involve yourself in interdisciplinary collaboration at departmental, faculty and university level as well as nationally and internationally.

We expect you to be fluent in oral and written English. International applicants are expected to learn Danish within two-three years, and Aarhus University arranges Danish teaching.

Application

Your application must include the following:

• Motivated application
• Curriculum Vitae
• Diploma
• Template for applicant - professor
• A list of publications
• A teaching portfolio. We refer to Guideline on the use of teaching portfolios
• The ten publications stated as the most important in the 'Template for applicant - professor' must be submitted
• Research plan, which is part of the 'Template to applicant - professor' can be uploaded separately (optional)
• Coauthor statement(s) can be uploaded (optional)
• References/recommendations can be uploaded separately in the e-recruitment system (optional)

We refer to the faculty’s Guidelines for applicants.

Aarhus University’s ambition is to be an attractive and inspiring workplace for all and to foster a culture in which each individual has opportunities to thrive, achieve and develop. We view equality and diversity as assets, and we welcome all applicants.