Postdoc Position in the Intellectual History of Corporate Politics

The research will be conducted as part of the Independent Research Fund Denmark Sapere Aude Grant project Visions of corporate politics: Intellectual histories of the state-firm analogy. The project team will consist of the PI, one postdoc and one PhD.
Read more about the project here: https://dff.dk/en/our-funded-projects/meet-the-researchers/research-leaders/eksterne-personer-en/research-leaders-2025/mathias-hein-jessen/

The central objective of the research project is to analyze contemporary contestations over the state-firm boundary as well as mobilizations of analogies between state and firm in projecting political and economic visions. The project analyzes the constitution of the state-firm distinction as well as what it terms contemporary ‘visions of corporate politics’ represented by ideologically distinct answers to the crisis of liberal democracy which both contest the state-firm boundary and mobilize the state-firm analogy to legitimize their vision: On the one hand attempts to democratize or politicize the firm and on the other hand attempts to build political communities on principles of corporate governance. The postdoc project will focus on one of the two contemporary visions of corporate politics.

Examples of potential research topics: the democratization of the firm; democratic or economic planning; employee ownership; platform cooperativism or socialism; network states; gov-corps; start-up governments; freedom cities.

The research conducted will be team-based and oriented towards delivering on the project objectives. Taking the project framework into consideration, applicants are required to outline their reflections on how to approach the study.

The position is mainly in-place. The candidate should be able to be regularly present and attend meetings in Copenhagen.

For more information about the position, please contact PI of the project Associate Professor Mathias Hein Jessen (mhj.bhl@cbs.dk).

Research environment
The Department of Business Humanities and Law is dedicated to an integrated approach to the contemporary challenges facing business and society drawing on the humanities, interdisciplinary social sciences, and law. The core research areas of the Department of Business Humanities and Law are organized into different research Units: Governance, Culture and Learning; Entrepreneurship, Ethics and Leadership; and CBS Law. Faculty within these groups have research backgrounds in areas of political science, sociology, philosophy, history, anthropology, law, theology, aesthetics, design and innovation, tourism and leisure management, cultural economics, leadership and strategy, pedagogic study, and other areas. What unites faculty in our department is an overriding concern for the organization of the human within its multiple environments: work, nature, economy, civil association, the state, and corporation.

Teaching responsibilities of the Department comprise undergraduate and graduate teaching as well as teaching in post-experience and doctoral education. Some programs are taught in Danish, some in English.

Within the Department of Business Humanities and Law, the position will be located in the Governance, Culture and Learning Unit, an interdisciplinary research environment connecting governance studies at all levels of global society.

Qualifications

The ideal candidate will have completed a PhD in intellectual history, history, political sociology, political theory or political philosophy. The candidate will be committed to an academic career, have the capabilities to conduct internationally recognized research and be able to communicate findings clearly.

The assessment of the candidate will be based primarily on the following qualifications:

• Excellent academic track record
• Research within the history of political, economic or legal thought, political theory, or political philosophy.
• The ability and desire to work autonomously and as part of a team
• Excellent organizational and communication skills (both oral and written); proficiency in English is required
• Ability to engage with others in a way that reflects a collective commitment to diversity, equality, and inclusion.

The application (see link below) must include a 3-5-page project description. The project description must include:

• a presentation of an original research question
• a description of the initial theoretical framework and method
• a presentation of the proposed material
• a work plan for the project

Application procedure

All applications must be sent via the electronic recruitment system, using the link below. The application must include:

A complete, numbered list of publications and work in progress (indicating titles, co-authors, page numbers and year) with an * marking of the academic productions to be considered during the review.

The application must include:

1. Cover letter outlining motivation, fit, and qualifications
2. A project description
3. Transcripts (Master's and PhD) and a full CV
4. A complete, numbered list of publications (indicating titles, co-authors, page numbers and year) with an * marking of the academic productions to be considered during the review. A maximum of 5 publications for review is allowed. Applicants are requested to prioritise their publications in relation to the field of this job advertisement.
5. Copies of the publications marked with an *. Only publications written in English (or another specified principal language, according to research tradition) or one of the Scandinavian languages will be taken into consideration)
6. Any relevant information indicating experience in research management, industry co-operation, and international cooperation.
7. Documentation of pedagogical qualifications or related material.

Closing date: 15 December 2026

Recruitment procedure

The Recruitment Committee will shortlist a minimum of two applicants. If possible, five or more applicants will be shortlisted. The shortlisted applicants will be assessed by the Assessment Committee. All applicants will be notified of their status in the recruitment process shortly after the application deadline. The applicants selected for assessment will be notified about the composition of the Assessment Committee and later in the process about the result of the assessment. An appointment committee will invite a selection of qualified candidates to an interview. Once the recruitment process is completed each applicant will be notified of the outcome of their application.

Appointment

Appointment and salary will be in accordance with the Ministry of Finance’s agreement with the Central Academic Organization. Information about CBS as a workplace is available at www.cbs.dk/en/about-cbs/jobs-cbs.

For further information, please contact: PI of the project Associate Professor Mathias Hein Jessen, email: mhj.bhl@cbs.dk, or Head of Department Pia Bramming, e-mail pib.bhl@cbs.dk. Information about the department may be found at www.cbs.dk/bhl. Information about Copenhagen Business School is available at https://www.cbs.dk/en.

Copenhagen Business School must receive all application material, including all appendices (see items above), by the application deadline.

Copenhagen Business School invites all qualified candidates to apply for the position. An appointment committee will review the applications and invite a selection of qualified candidates to an interview.

One of CBS’ strategic goals is the promotion of diversity, which is why every effort has been made to ensure a recruitment process that reduces potential bias. Applicants are therefore encouraged not to include a photo or unnecessary personal information in their application.

Details about Copenhagen Business School and the department are available at www.cbs.dk.