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

Description

The subject of Biology has a staff of around 40 people and belongs to the Department of Environmental and Life Sciences within the Faculty of Health, Science and Technology. The subject of Biology offers a Degree of Bachelor, Degree of Master and Master of Science in Secondary Education in Biology and Science. Biology also offers doctoral studies and currently has 18 doctoral students enrolled. Our main research areas are ecology and biology education. Research in biology education is conducted within the research centre SMEER (Science, Mathematics and Engineering Education Research, 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’s 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 such research areas 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 (kau.se/en/nrrv). Many research projects are carried out in collaboration with stakeholders from industry, government agencies, professional organisations and land owners.

More information is available on our website: kau.se/en/biology.

We are now accepting applications for a senior lectureship in biology with a specialisation in ecology, focusing on plants and vegetation within a field that complements the research conducted within RivEM.

Duties

Duties include teaching and research. Teaching duties primarily comprise 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 at the subject, 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 active part of the day-to-day operations and 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 Ecology, or equivalent academic qualifications or professional expertise deemed relevant to the nature of the position and the duties included therein.

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 alloted 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, available at our webpage: https://www.kau.se/en/work-us/work/vacancies.

Assessment criteria

In the assessment, 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 and documented research expertise, specialised in ecology, with focus on plants and vegetation.
• comprehensive and 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.
• how well the applicant’s research complements the research group’s current research expertise, for example by contributing new methods or areas of expertise. Ranking 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:

• research experience within terrestrial ecology, riparian ecology or landscape ecology.
• expertise in Statistical Analysis in R and Geographic Information Systems (GIS).
• 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 position requires a good command of Swedish and English. A candidate who does not meet this requirement may still be hired provided they are able to actively acquire these language skills.

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?”, linked below.

• 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
• an in-depth account of teaching experience
• certificate to verify a completed course in higher education pedagogy or an account of equivalent skills
• 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)
• language proficiency certificates
• copy of PhD degree or documented equivalent academic expertise, or equivalent professional qualifications deemed relevant to the nature of the position and the duties included therein
• 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: 30 October 2022

State the reference no: REK2022/231

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.