Karlstad University / Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences / 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

The postdoctoral appointment is tied to the Centre for Social Science Didactics (CSD). CSD is a research centre focused on subject-specific education in geography, history, social sciences and religious studies.  Research conducted at CSD takes a practical approach with the aim to influence the conditions, forms and content of teaching, as well as a focusing on theory and method development.

CSD is a research centre and does not have employed staff. The postdoctoral appointment will be placed at the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences within the subject of geography, history, social sciences or religious studies, depending on the applicant’s specialisation.

The appointment is expected to contribute to the research field of subject-specific education with a specialisation in one of the research domains of CSD, for example, learning and subject-specific education in the anthropocene; migration and interculturality; news as study resources and didactic models.  More information about CSD: https://www.kau.se/en/csd

Duties

As postdoc at CSD, you will be part of our research environment and active as an independent researcher as well as in collaboration with other researchers at CSD. You research should have a clear focus on subject-specific education and relate to the CSD research programme. Your main duties will consist of conducting research and writing research application.  The research findings can be published both as individual and multi-authored publications. You will contribute to the local research environment by active participation in the activities at CSD, such as research seminars and workshops, as well as being present in the day-to-day operations and workplace community. 

Duties include teaching and/or administrative duties of up to 20% of working hours. There will be funds to cover costs of conferences and similar events. You are also expected to collaborate with the larger community to create mutual exchange and work to ensure that the knowledge and expertise available at the university is put to good use in society.

Qualification requirements

To be eligible for the postdoctoral appointment, applicants are required to hold a PhD with a specialisation in education in geography, history, social sciences or religious studies, or another related subject, or have equivalent qualifications from abroad that are considered equivalent to a PhD. The PhD must be completed before a decision to appoint an applicant is made. The appointment is primarily intended for applicants who have completed their PhD or acquired equivalent qualifications no longer 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.

Assessment criteria

Applicants are assessed on the basis of academic qualifications and on the basis of the quality and feasibility of the research plan submitted with the application. Special weight will be placed on previously published research in subject-specific education, the connection to CSD’s research, and the quality and level of independence in the research plan.

Special weight will be given to personal qualities such as the ability to cooperate, show sound judgement and take responsibility, as well as a positive attitude towards colleagues and students. Special weight will also be given to proficiency in spoken and written English. A degree in education and experience of teaching in primary or secondary school (lower or upper) or acquisition of other educational qualifications are also seen as valuable qualifications. Proficiency in Swedish, alternatively Norwegian or Danish, both in speech and in writing, is another valuable qualification since a large part of our research takes place in collaboration with teachers and headmasters/-mistresses within the national school system.

Terms

This is a full-time 2-year appointment with the possibility of an extension for one more year. The appointment may also be extended if there are special grounds, such as parental leave or sick leave. Start date is 1 August or in the autumn semester 2023 according to agreement.

A condition for the postdoctoral appointment is that the applicant has not previously held a postdoctoral appointment with the support of a central agreement for more than one year in the same or related subject area at the same university/authority.

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 assessment. 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 applicant’s qualifications and research interests in relation to the duties of the position
  • a list of publications (in multi-authored publications, the role of the applicant must be specified)
  • proposal for a research plan, where the reason for applying is presented and a possible research theme is discussed (5-10 pages)
  • 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 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 to:

Karlstads universitet
Josefin Rönnqvist
651 88 Karlstad

State the ref.no: REK2022/306

Application deadline: 30 March 2023
 

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 August 1, or as agreed by both parties
Salary Monthly
Number of positions 1
Full-time equivalent 100%
City Karlstad
County Värmlands län
Country Sweden
Reference number REK2022/306
Contact
  • Kenneth Nordgren, Director CSD, +46702487072
  • Gabriel Bladh, Director CSD, +46733017853
Union representative
  • Thomas Bragefors, SACO, 054-7001714
  • Denita Gustavsson, OFR, 054-7001434
Published 27.Jan.2023
Last application date 30.Mar.2023 11:59 PM CEST

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