Faculty of Natural Resources and Agricultural Sciences

Department of Urban and Rural Development

This Subject Leader position gives you the opportunity to establish a new research environment in the area of environmental policy and environmental governance, within an expansive and interdisciplinary institution. The subject area falls within the social science environmental research domain, which focuses on studying societal and social aspects of environmental and sustainability issues. The position is at the Department for Urban and Rural Development, which conducts internationally successful research, education and collaboration on issues of sustainability, environment, biodiversity, climate and social change.

Through focused effort, the Department has developed into a robust and viable organisation, currently with approximately 180 employees. At present the Department comprises the subject areas of Environmental Communication, Rural Development, Landscape Architecture and Agrarian History. It is responsible for approximately 80 courses and seven educational programmes, among them Master’s programmes in Environmental Communication and in Rural Development, postgraduate programmes in Agronomy, Rural Development and Landscape Architecture, and an undergraduate political science programme in Sustainable Development. The last is a collaboration with the Department of Economics, with whom we also share premises, run a joint research school and collaborate in several research projects.

The Faculty of Natural Resources and Agricultural Sciences is now establishing a new subject area for SLU, with great opportunities for interdisciplinary collaborations between social science and natural science departments. At SLU, research, teaching and environmental analysis are carried out in a range of environmental contexts including forests, agricultural landscapes, freshwater and marine environments, in urban and rural settings, in Sweden and globally, for the purpose of generating knowledge needed by decision makers and managing authorities. Through research, teaching and collaboration within the land-based industries and the sustainable use of natural resources, SLU develops knowledge for sustainable social development and good living conditions on our planet.

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Subject description

The subject includes studies of formal and informal governance, politics as well as studies of processes of change in societal transitions concerning environmental and sustainability issues.

Duties

Within the subject area of the position, the holder will

• establish and develop internationally prominent research within the subject of the employment, with clear relevance to land-based industries and sustainable use of natural resources
• develop, lead and participate in teaching at first, second and third cycle level
• recruit and supervise doctoral students
• develop activities together with other subject areas at the department
• participate in and promote collaboration to strengthen SLU’s interdisciplinary activities through cooperation with other departments at the university
• develop and maintain national and international networks within academia, relevant authorities, industries, organisations, and society at large
• apply for external research funding
• contribute to the strategic development of the department, faculty, and SLU
• communicate research results and other relevant subject information to the wider community

The Professor is expected to lead a research group, which may include administrative tasks such as budgeting and personnel responsibilities.

Swedish and English are used in parallel at the department. The professor should be able to perform the majority of their tasks in English. However, as a public authority, the university has Swedish as its main language according to the requirements of the Language Act and the professor must be able to use Swedish as their working language within four years of beginning the position. The department will provide support with language learning.

Eligibility

The applicant must meet the following eligibility requirements:

• PhD and the qualifications required for appointment as associate professor (docent) or equivalent
• research expertise in the subject area of the position
• ability to develop and lead an excellent research team
• ability to competitively obtain external research fudning
• teaching expertise and ability to integrate research and a scientific approach into teaching
• good command of English

Grounds of assessment

In the assessment criteria for employment, the primary consideration should be the level of skill required for eligibility for the position. Assessment of the eligible applicant’s suitability for the employment will primarily be based on:

• completed and ongoing research in the subject area
• ability to independently initiate and conduct excellent research
• ability to obtain external research funding in competition
• planning, implementation and examination as well as evaluation of own teaching
• supervision and examination of doctoral students
• pedagogical vision and reflection

Furthermore, the assessment will consider the applicant’s expertise in:

• developing and leading activities and staff within academia
• collaborating with relevant stakeholders and society
• ability to collaborate across subject boundaries
• ability to communicate research and development work

As much attention must be given to the assessment of teaching expertise as to the assessment of research expertise. The position will be offered to the eligible candidate who, following a qualitative comprehensive assessment is deemed to have the best qualifications set to conduct and develop the duties in question, and contribute to the positive development of the organisation.

 

This position offers the vibrant research climate at SLU. The benefits of the position include Swedish family health care provisions, parenting support including generous paid leave of absence policies that allow both parents to care for newborns and toddlers. Additionally Sweden has a well-established pre-school structure as well as an educational system that provides no-cost education through university studies. Find out more facts and stories about Sweden at www.sweden.se

Located in the greater Stockholm region, the city of Uppsala has a rich history and culture, and is a true academic and cultural hub. Find out more about moving, living and working here at https://internationalhub.uppsala.se/

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