Senior lecturer in Biology with a specialisation in Landscape Ecology - Hiring in process/Finished, not possible to apply

Description

The discipline of Biology has a staff of around 40 and belongs to the Department of Environmental and Life Sciences within the Faculty of Health, Science and Technology. The Biology discipline offers the degrees of Bachelor, Master, or Master of Science in Secondary Education in Biology and Science.

Biology is a third-cycle discipline with 18 doctoral students currently enrolled. The discipline’s primary research areas are ecology and biology didactics. Research in biology didactics is conducted within the SMEER research centre (Science, Mathematics and Engineering Education Research) https://www.kau. se/en/smeer).

The River Ecology and Management Research Group (RivEM) conducts fundamental and applied research on lakes and watercourses, as well as their surrounding areas. RivEM is an integral part of biology research and is primarily focused on sustainable use of natural resources, in order to solve environmental problems in ways that are mutually beneficial to human society and nature.  The research conducted at RivEM is related to research areas such as the effects of hydropower on connectivity, interactions between aquatic and terrestrial environments, food webs, winter ecology in relation to global climate change, landscape ecology, invasive species, ecological modelling, endangered fish and invertebrate species, environmental protection and socio-ecological research (https://www.kau.se/nrrv). Many research projects are carried out in collaboration with stakeholders from industry, government agencies, professional organisations and land owners.

We are now accepting applications for a senior lectureship in Biology with a specialisation in Landscape Ecology, preferably focused on plants and vegetation, within a field that complements the research conducted within RivEM at Karlstad University.

Duties

Main duties are teaching and research. Teaching duties primarily consist of teaching bachelor’s courses in Biology, as well as relevant master’s courses such as Conservation Biology, Evolutionary Biology and Landscape Ecology. Additional teaching assignments such as courses in teacher education programmes or the Biology Programme, may also be required.

You are also expected to conduct research that complements the current research being conducted within RivEM, and supervise doctoral students in your field. We expect a senior lecturer to initiate new externally funded research projects, in collaboration with colleagues in the research group RivEM. There are also opportunities to collaborate with the research group SMEER, focused in subject-specific education research.

You are expected to collaborate with the wider community for a mutual exchange, as well as work towards ensuring that the knowledge and expertise available at the university is of benefit to society.

To contribute to a positive working environment and help further the subject’s activities, we expect you to be a present and actively participate in the day-to-day operations and with the workplace community.

Qualification requirements

To be eligible for the position of senior lecturer in Biology, applicants are required to have demonstrated teaching expertise and hold a PhD in Biology with a specialisation in Landscape Ecology, or equivalent academic qualifications or professional expertise deemed relevant to the nature of the position and the duties included therein.

The position requires a good command of Swedish and English. An applicant who does not meet the requirement of proficiency in Swedish may still be hired provided they are able to actively acquire the language skills.

Pursuant to Karlstad University’s Appointments Procedure, teachers must have the personal qualities required to perform the required duties, as well as a completed course in higher education pedagogy.

Candidates who have not completed a course in higher education pedagogy may still be hired, provided that they use the time allotted to continual professional development to complete the required course within two years of employment, or that they apply for validation of prior learning. For other eligibility requirements, refer to Karlstad University’s Appointments Procedure

https://www.kau.se/files/2022-04/Regulations for the appointment and promotion of teaching staff(Anstallningsordning) ENG (002).pdf

Assessment criteria

Equal weight will be given to research and teaching expertise. The assessment will be based on the criteria stated in the Higher Education Ordinance, Chap. 4 Sect. 4.

Special weight will be given to:

• comprehensive, documented research expertise, specialised in landscape ecology, preferably with a focus on plants and vegetation.
• comprehensive, documented teaching expertise, in terms of planning, executing, and evaluating teaching, supervision, and examination.

Considerable weight will be given to:

• previous success in securing external funds, preferably substantial grants.
• expertise in Geographic Information Systems (GIS).
• how well the applicant’s research complements the research group’s current research expertise, for example by contributing with new methods or areas of expertise. Priority is based on the scope, depth and relevance of the applicant’s expertise.
• the ability to build positive relationships with colleagues and students, taking initiative, and being supportive of colleagues’ initiatives.
• a good command of spoken and written Swedish and English, and the ability to teach in those languages.

Weight will be given to:

• experience in communicating research findings to various groups in society.
• the ability to collaborate both within the academic world and with external partners.
• having a considerable network of international and national contacts in your field.
• experience in supervising doctoral students.

The appointment will be based on a qualitative, holistic assessment of expertise and skills in order to determine which applicant is best suited to perform the duties at hand, as well as contribute to a positive development of the subject of Biology.

Terms

A permanent full-time position starting 1 March 2023, or as agreed upon by both parties. A probationary period may be required.

Application

Submit the application via the University’s web-based recruitment tool, Varbi. For advice on how to draft your application, refer to “What should be included with my application?”
Applicants are responsible for submitting a complete application in accordance with the advertisement, for providing translations of any documents written in a language other than Swedish or English, and for ensuring that the documentation allows for objective and qualitative assessments. A complete application should be submitted by the application deadline. An incomplete application may jeopardise a fair assessment of qualifications and result in your application being removed from consideration.

A complete application should include:

• CV
• cover letter
• an in-depth account of teaching experience
• certificate to verify a completed course in higher education pedagogy or an account of equivalent skills, if applicable
• an in-depth account of research experience
• an account of other experiences
• an account of managerial and administrative experience
• plans for future work
• an account of collaborations, international network experience, etc.
• a list of publications (in multi-authored publications, the role of the applicant must be specified)
• copies of course transcripts, degree certificates, and other certificates
• no more than 10 scientific publications and no more than 5 materials intended to convey knowledge, such as textbooks, computer programs for teaching, or popular science articles
• two references, at least one of which is a current or former supervisor

Attach all the documents and publications you wish to be considered to the electronic application (do not just provide links). Name each uploaded document to clearly indicate its content.

Documents that cannot be submitted electronically, such as books or publications, should be sent in triplicate to the following address:

Karlstads universitet
Josefin Rönnqvist
651 88 KARLSTAD

Application deadline: 28 August 2022                                        

State the reference no: REK2022/162

We look forward to your application!

Karlstad University has chosen advertising channels for this recruitment and firmly declines any contact with advertising or recruitment agencies.