Karlstad University / The department of Political, Historical, Religious and Cultural Studies

Sapere Aude—dare to be wise—is our motto. Our students and employees develop knowledge and expertise that enrich both people and the world around them. Our academic environment is characterised by curiosity, courage and perseverance. Gender equality, diversity and a democratic approach form the foundation of our organisation. We are located in an active and scenic region and we promote sustainable development in close collaboration with the wider society.
 
Karlstad University has a total of approximately 1,400 employees and 17,300 students spread across two inspiring campus environments in Karlstad and Arvika.
 
More information at: kau.se/en/work-with-us

Description

Since postdoctoral appointments are a career-development positions for junior researchers, the target group for this position are candidates who have completed the degree no more than three years before the application deadline.

The position is a postdoctoral appointment in Risk and Environment Studies at the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. The discipline comprises approximately 30 researchers and teachers, and courses are offered at bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral levels. The postdoc will be active within the Centre for Societal Risk Research, CSR (www.kau.se/en/csr), a research centre conducting interdisciplinary research related to societal risks and how to manage them. Approximately 40 researchers from various disciplines are involved in CSR. CSR places great importance on communicating research findings, and that the research is connected to practice and policy development. One important tool in the efforts to communicate our research findings and contribute to spreading knowledge about societal risks, is RiskLab, which is based on our well-developed and flexible teaching methods. The appointment is tied to the Centre of Natural Hazards and Disaster Science, CNDS (www.cnds.se), which is a national, interdisciplinary research centre for doctoral students and postdocs, organised by three Swedish universities.

The objective of the postdoctoral appointment is to examine the health effects of climate change and extreme weather. The research will be affiliated with an ongoing collaboration with research institutions in Bangladesh. Other studies conducted in Sweden and Europe could also be included.

You will be part of a team of researchers and experts from universities and research centres in both Sweden and abroad, as well as government representatives from the different countries.

Duties

You will primarily contribute to CSR and CNDS by conducting research within an interdisciplinary field that combines knowledge about climate change and extreme weather, with their effects on physical and mental health, life conditions, etc. Included in the duties are all the regular tasks associated with research: academic and popular publications, applications, project management, administration, teaching, supervision, collaboration, etc.

The employment can include teaching bachelor’s and master’s level courses, as well as doctorate level courses, although no more than a maximum of 20% of full time.

One important task is to collaborate with the wider community for a mutual exchange, and to ensure that the knowledge and expertise available at the university is of benefit to society.

In order to contribute to a positive working environment and help further the subject’s activities, we expect you to be a present and active part of the day-to-day operations and workplace community.

Qualification requirements

To be eligible for the postdoctoral appointment, applicants are required to hold a PhD in Risk and Environmental Studies, Environmental Sciences, Public Health Sciences, Geography or another related subject relevant for the appointment, or have equivalent qualifications achieved abroad. The PhD must be completed before a decision to appoint an applicant is made. The candidate must have completed the degree no more than three years before the application deadline.

Qualifications obtained earlier may be considered if there are special grounds, such as sick leave, parental leave, clinical service, service as a union representative, military service or similar, or service/assignment of relevance to the appointment.

Proficiency in spoken and written English is required.

Assessment criteria
In the selection of eligible applicants, special weight will be given to the applicants’ research qualifications—primarily international scientific publications—in relation to the nature of the appointment.

Considerable weight will be given to a documented ability to successfully apply for external research funding, as well as the ability to establish networks and research collaborations. Considerable weight will also be given to personal qualities such as the ability to cooperate, being responsible, taking initiative, and the ability to build good relations with colleagues.

Weight is given to international work experience.

The ability to collaborate and communicate with private organisations, government agencies and the wider community, is considered a valuable qualification. Documented experience of teaching at university level is also a valuable qualification.

Terms

Fixed-term full-time employment of 2 years, starting at the earliest convenience. In special cases, extensions could be considered.

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.

The application should include:

  • CV
  • cover letter describing the your qualifications, as well as a research plan covering the two years of employment, where you describe how you want to contribute to the development of the research conducted at CSR and CNDS (2-3 pages)
  • a list of publications (in multi-authored publications, the role of the applicant must be specified)
  • copies of relevant transcripts, degree certificates, certificates to corroborate previous employment, and letters of recommendation
  • copy of doctoral thesis and other relevant publications
  • language proficiency certificates
  • 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 provide links only). Name each uploaded document to clearly indicate its content.

Documents that cannot be submitted electronically, such as books or publications, should be sent to:

Karlstads universitet
Josefin Rönnqvist
651 88 Karlstad

State the ref.no: REK2022/219

Application deadline: 2022-11-17

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.

Type of employment Temporary position
Contract type Full time
First day of employment at the earliest convenience
Salary Monthly
Number of positions 1
Full-time equivalent 100%
City Karlstad
County Värmlands län
Country Sweden
Reference number REK2022/219
Contact
  • Lars Nyberg, Professor Risk and Environmental Stud, +46547002199lars.nyberg@kau.se
Union representative
  • Thomas Bragefors, SACO, 054-7001714
  • Denita Gustavsson, OFR, 054-7001434
Published 28.Oct.2022
Last application date 17.Nov.2022 11:59 PM CET

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