Doctoral Student in biology with a specialisation in education - Hiring in process/Finished, not possible to apply

Description

The Faculty of Health, Science and Technology is accepting applications for a doctoral studentship leading to a PhD in biology with a specialisation in education at the Department of Environmental and Life Sciences, comprising the two subjects of biology and geomatics. In biology, the main part of the teaching activities consists of teaching courses in the university’s teacher education programmes. The subject is responsible for teaching biology with a focus on education in teacher training programmes at all levels. At Karlstad University, teacher education and subject-specific education research have special priority. The department has an international profile with doctoral students and other staff members from a variety of countries.

The subject-specific research is organised in research centres, SMEER (Science, Mathematics and Engineering Education Research, https://www.kau.se/en/smeer) being the node for research in science (biology, physics and chemistry), mathematics and engineering education. The research environment consists of researchers in subject-specific education. In addition to research and teaching, the researchers are also engaged in seminar activities in collaboration with different departments, organisations and higher education institutions. Research on environmental and sustainability education is an integral part of the subject-specific research. This appointment is part of Horizon (CL5, Climate sciences and responses) within the project Impact Assessment for Action Competence (IMP>ACT). For more information: https://www.kau.se/en/impact

Duties

A doctoral student must primarily dedicate time to their own studies. The doctoral programme, comprising 240 credits, is an opportunity to study while being paid a salary in combination with work and provides a stepping stone for a career in academia. You are expected to work independently and be prepared to contribute to the activities and development of the subject and the department. Departmental duties in the form of teaching and administration may also be included upon agreement, but will not constitute more than 20% of full-time. Work as a doctoral student allows for great freedom and flexibility in terms of how you structure your day. It takes commitment, discipline and a structured approach in order to complete the thesis during four years of doctoral studies. Experienced supervisors guide and support you along the way. To contribute to a positive working environment and the development of the subject, we expect you to be present and active in the day-to-day operations and workplace community at Karlstad University.

The successful applicant will be involved in the Horizon project Impact Assessment for Action Competence (IMP>ACT). The project is a collaboration between seven European countries.  IMP>ACT aims to better understand and provide recommendations on how to measure what learners actually learn in sustainability and climate change education (SCCE). Central to achieving this goal is the development and validation of the IMP>ACT assessment framework for users in policy and practice. You will be involved in the Swedish project team and be stationed in Karlstad, Sweden. However, your duties include international collaboration within the project. Duties also include the development and implementation of teaching approaches related to sustainability and climate change education in partnership with schools and organisations. The position therefore requires an ability to network and collaborate with various other parties. The data gathered and analysed in the project will be of a qualitative as well as quantitative nature.

Qualification requirements

To be eligible for a doctoral studentship, the applicant must meet the general and specific entry requirements (Higher Education Ordinance, Chap. 7, Sect. 35).

To meet the general entry requirements, the applicant must have been awarded a second-cycle qualification, satisfied the requirements for courses comprising at least 240 credits of which at least 60 credits were awarded in the second-cycle, or acquired substantially equivalent knowledge in some other way in Sweden or abroad (Higher Education Ordinance, Chap. 7, Sect. 39).

To meet the specific entry requirements for the third-cycle study programme in Biology with a focus on didactic specialisation, the applicant must hold 90 ECTS credits in natural sciences relevant to the third-cycle study in Biology. There must be a focus on didactic specialisation, including a second-cycle level degree project (15 ECTS credits), for example a Bachelor of Arts in Education in natural sciences, where a degree project (15 ECTS credits) is in included. An applicant can also meet the specific entry requirements by having acquired, to a large degree, the equivalent knowledge, in the country or abroad.

Admission and assessment criteria

To be eligible for doctoral studies, the applicant must be considered to have the ability required to benefit from the programme (Higher Education Ordinance, Chap. 7, Sect. 35). Admission is based on individual assessment. The assessment will take into account documented expertise in education issues related to the environment, climate change and sustainability, as well as the necessary personal qualities to manage, conduct and complete an essay at advanced level with high scientific quality.

The assessment will focus on the applicant’s performance in previous studies, the quality of any independent projects completed during these studies, proficiency in English, competence in environmental, climate change and sustainability education, and whether the applicant intends to be a present and active part of the research environment.

Particular attention will be paid to personal qualities such as ability to collaborate, autonomy, independence, relationship building and communication skills in speech and writing.

Experience from statistical analysis of survey data is a valuable qualification.

Terms

Upon admission to doctoral studies, the person will be offered the appointment of doctoral student (Higher Education Ordinance, Chap. 5, Sect. 3). The position comprises four years of full-time studies, or five years at a study rate of 80% with 20% teaching or other departmental duties. The position is fixed-term — one year initially, followed by possible extensions by a maximum of two years at a time. The start date is 1 May 2024 or as agreed by both parties. The salary for the doctoral studentship corresponds to the standard level of salary for doctoral students and progresses in accordance with a local collective agreement.

A doctoral studentship is a government appointment that includes a variety of social benefits such as paid annual leave and occupational pension. You will be provided with a work station, your own computer and any other material you need to carry out your work. You will also be covered by insurance during working hours, work-related travel and fieldwork.

Application

Submit the application via the University’s web-based recruitment tool, Varbi.

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, Norwegian, Danish 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:

• a cover letter where you detail the reasons behind your interest in the position connected to the IMP>ACT project,
• a list of qualifications (CV),
• degree certificate with a complete transcript of the courses included, or a certified list of completed courses with grades and dates,
• copy of Master’s thesis (60 or 120 ECTS credits) or similar,
• where applicable, copies of publications or certificates for other qualifications,
• any letters of recommendation,
• two references, such as a teacher, supervisor, or former or current manager.

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 should be sent to the following address:

Karlstads universitet

HR department / Hanna Ljungdahl

651 88 KARLSTAD

Application deadline: 2024-01-22

State the ref.no: REK 2023/270

Applicants with qualifications from abroad

If you have qualifications from a university outside Sweden or if they have not been recognised by a Swedish authority before, it is important that you attach degree certificates and official transcripts to facilitate the recognition of foreign qualifications.
Provide a contact for the degree-awarding institution (phone number or email) who can verify your qualifications.

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.