Sub-policy for Professors at DTU

Professors at DTU constitute a special personnel category, and as such a decision has been made to create a separate sub-policy summarising DTU’s attitudes to this position. The associated employment process, etc. will be described in an attached guideline.

The post of professor is a top academic position at a university. At DTU, we want our professors to be and act as ‘professional stars’, authorities capable of representing the university’s expertise at the highest possible level within their respective areas of competence, both inwardly and outwardly. Professors should be outwardly visible as leading, professional resource persons, and inwardly as role models and carriers of DTU’s university culture.

The post of professor is a management position at DTU. In addition to managing research, professors must assume managerial responsibility in a variety of other areas: guidance, teaching, professional assessments and editorial responsibilities, responsibility for conferences and scientific meetings, managerial responsibilities within respective fields of expertise, development, personnel, etc.Professor posts are established within fields, which DTU deem are of particular value for the professional profile that DTU has – or wishes to develop – as a world-class technical university. There are no predetermined limits to the number of possible professor posts. The high qualification requirements, however, are absolutely non-negotiable.

Performance expectations

• DTU’s professors are expected – not least through their research – to maintain a high professional level at all times throughout their professorial career. A failure to do so may, in the worst case, lead to their dismissal
• DTU professors are expected to get involved in teaching/working with students to ensure they receive a good education at a high professional level. It is a distinct feature of DTU professors that they are always prepared to meet with students.
• DTU professors are expected to be loyal to their colleagues, their institute and their university – not to the extent that DTU wants or expects professional agreement or even agreement at all, but such that an academic argument or other dispute results in a professional debate or other exchange of opinion that commands respect for DTU as an academic institution.

Changes to employment

There is no tenure at DTU, meaning that professors – like any other employees – may be laid off in accordance with applicable rules and regulations and standard practice.

It is essential to recognise, however, that as a personnel group professors play a very special role within the university system, subject to a level of visibility and a performance pressure that must be counterbalanced by a reasonable sense of job security.

This means that gross or long-term underperformance, including in the areas of management or collaboration, may lead to dismissal. If a professor, on the other hand, lives up to the requirements and expectations that may reasonably be placed upon the individual within his/her field of expertise, then a shift in strategy at an institute may not, in itself, lead to his/her dismissal on the basis of an academic area becoming superfluous. In such cases, a change in professional direction for the professor in question must be considered. The same applies in the event grants or funding runs out.

Transition to pension/emeritus status

DTU believes it is of paramount importance for the university to maintain a staff of professors that is capable of maintaining and furthering its position as a leading first-class teaching establishment. This means that DTU is required to implement ongoing and timely generational changes in order to ensure that vital research areas are not lost or set back unnecessarily when leading professors are pensioned or granted emeritus status.

Every generational change must balance DTU's need for strong research leadership with the respect due to professors nearing pension age following a long and productive career at the university.

Please refer to DTU’s sub-policy for seniors which sets out the establishment of emeritus status.

Commencement

The sub-policy on professors was approved by the Executive Board and discussed by the Cooperation and Joint Consultation Committee (HSU) in March 2017.

The policy becomes effective from the time it is published on DTU Inside.