Associate Professor in Environmental Sociology - Hiring in process/Finished, not possible to apply

The Department of Earth Sciences at Uppsala University is Sweden's largest and most versatile earth science department. We lead education and research in geophysics; air, water and landscape sciences; natural resources and sustainable development; mineralogy, petrology and tectonics; paleobiology as well as wind energy. More than 2,200 students attend our education at the undergraduate and graduate levels each year. We are about 250 employees and have over 30 nationalities represented at the department, in addition to Uppsala, also at Campus Gotland.

The lectureship is placed within the research program Natural Resources and Sustainable Development (NRHU). NRHU research focuses on the availability, use and management of natural resources and ecosystem services as well as effects on the environment and society. The interdisciplinary research in NRHU acknowledges that the environment and its natural resources and ecosystem services constitute a prerequisite for strong sustainable development. Ongoing research within NRHU includes sustainability analysis of social conflicts over natural resources, urban ecology, fisheries, nature tourism, coastal zone management, risk assessment and remediation of contaminated sites, future energy systems, global environmental change, etc. NRHU also hosts the Zennström guest professorship in Climate Change Leadership, the Baltic University Program and the collaboration project Blue Centre Gotland. NRHU is responsible for education within for example master programs in Sustainable Development as well as Sustainable Destination Development. See http://www.geo.uu.se/research/natural-resources-sustainable-development/.

 Description of subject area of the employment: The interdisciplinary subject focuses on the causes and consequences of environmental change as well as future opportunities for sustainable development. The subject recognizes that the growth of human society has a major impact on environmental change through resource exploitation and utilisation. Management and anticipation of environmental change therefore require knowledge of the complex social and ecological causality underlying these changes as well as how they are interpreted, communicated and addressed within society. A wide variety of theories, methods and techniques from different academic disciplines are combined to provide a holistic view on environmental change and sustainable development. The senior lecturer position has a specialization in environmental sociology, including rural livelihood sustainability, social conflicts over use of natural resources, global–local dynamics of social-ecological interdependencies, sustainability transformations, power and social inequality. The application and integration of social science theory and qualitative methodology, based on an applied and interdisciplinary perspective, is a central task for this position.

Duties: 

• Teaching, research and administration. Teaching duties include course responsibility and course administration and supervision of second- and third-cycle students.
• Follow developments within the subject area and the development of society in general that is important for the work at the university.

Qualifications Required:

• PhD or have the corresponding research competence or some other professional expertise. PhD degree in appropriate social science discipline, e.g. environmental sociology, human geography or equivalent scientific competence.
• Research Expertise and Teaching Expertise. It is necessary that the pedagogical skills, the research expertise and the professional skills are relevant to the content of the employment and the tasks that will be included in the employment.
• Applicants must have completed teacher training of relevance to operations at the University, comprising ten weeks, or have acquired the equivalent knowledge. If special circumstances apply, this training for teachers in higher education may be completed during the first two years of employment.
• Documented ability to teach in Swedish or English is a requirement unless special reasons prevail. The holder is expected to be able to teach in Swedish within two years.
• Personal capabilities necessary to carry out fully the duties of the appointment.

Assessment Criteria/Ranking of applicants that fulfil the above-mentioned qualifications required

The ranking of eligible applicants will be based primarily on research and teaching expertise, of which weight will be primarily given to research expertise.

Research Expertise comprises research merits. In addition to academic merits, research merits from other activities, including technology development, may also be taken into account including research merits obtained outside the academy, which includes for example technology development and innovation ability. In assessing research expertise research quality must be the prime consideration. The scope of research, primarily in regard to depth and breadth, must also be afforded consideration. In assessing research expertise special weight will be attached to research merits in social science disciplines related to sustainable development, exemplified by academic degrees in environmental sociology or human geography. The research program aims to develop research activities in one or more of the following areas: sustainable urban and rural development; conflicts over natural environments; environmental justice and sustainability transitions. Therefore, research merits in one or more of these areas will be given weight. The interdisciplinary scope of the research expertise will also be taken into consideration.

Furthermore, consideration must be given to the capacity to plan, initiate, lead, and develop research and education in the third cycle, the ability to acquire funding for research in competition, as well as the demonstrated capacity to interact with others both within academia and in the wider community.

Teaching Expertise comprises educational and teaching qualifications. This expertise can have been achieved outside the academy through supervision, internal training, mentoring programs, etc. In assessing teaching expertise teaching quality must be the prime consideration. The scope of teaching experience, in terms of both breadth and depth, must also be afforded consideration. In assessing teaching expertise special weight will be attached to merits in the application of social science theories and methods in sustainable development, focusing specifically on the Anthropocene, technological development, and the impact of the growth of human societies on social and ecological sustainability.

Furthermore, consideration must be given to the capacity to plan, initiate, lead, and develop teaching and instruction, as well as the ability to connect research to teaching in respect to research in the subject at hand, subject didactics, as well as teaching and learning in higher education. The ability to interact concerning issues of teaching and learning in higher education with actors inside and outside the University is also included in teaching expertise.

Administrative Expertise is important for the employment and will be given consideration.

Management Expertise is important and will be afforded consideration.

Collaboration Expertise is important and will be afforded consideration.

All merits must be documented in a manner that makes it possible to assess both quality and scope.

In filling this position the university aims to appoint the applicant who, following a qualitative holistic assessment of her/his competence and expertise, is judged to have the best potential to carry out and develop the relevant duties and to help advance operations.

Further information: An applicant who is offered an employment as Associate Professor can be promoted to Professor if he/she has applied for this, is qualified for such a post, and moreover has been deemed suitable on the basis of the specific criteria established by the faculty board.

In an overall assessment of the applicant’s qualifications, parental leave, part-time work relating to care of children, union assignments, military service, or the like are to be regarded as work experience.

University appointment regulations

Faculty appointment regulations

Instructions for application

For further information about the position, please contact: Professor Patrik Rönnbäck, phone: +46(0)18-471 8375, e-mail: patrik.ronnback@geo.uu.se

Type of position: Permanent full-time position, probationary period may be applied.

Salary: Individually negotiated salary.

Number of positions: 1

Working hours: 100%

Town: Uppsala.

Starting date: 2022-06-01 or as otherwise agreed.

In the event of any disagreement between the English and the Swedish versions of this announcement, the Swedish version takes precedence.

Please submit your application by December 3  2021, UFV-PA 2021/3023.

If you are an international candidate, you will find a lot of information about working and living in Sweden at www.uu.se/joinus.