Professor in Ethnology

Uppsala University is a comprehensive research-intensive university with a strong international standing. Our mission is to conduct education and research of the highest quality whilst also interacting with wider society in productive ways. Our most important assets are all the individuals whose curiosity and dedication make Uppsala University one of Sweden’s most exciting workplaces. Uppsala University has over 54,000 students, more than 7,500 employees and a turnover of around 8 billion SEK.

The Department of Cultural Anthropology and Ethnology researches, and offers education relating to, many of the complex phenomena that characterise today's globalised world. The department currently has 47 employees and a turnover of approximately 50 million SEK per year. The activities consist largely of research. At the department, teaching at undergraduate, graduate, and postgraduate level in Ethnology and Cultural Anthropology involves about 700 students annually. In the fall term of 2025, we will start a new international master's programme in Ethnology and Folkloristics.

Ethnology has existed at Uppsala University for 75 years. Key areas of specialisation have included research in the field of folklore, studies of modernisation processes, and urbanity. Today, our research also focuses on fields such as cultural heritage, materiality, diversity, education, leisure, climate, and sustainability. The department’s ethnology unit is currently undergoing a generational change, with several core members of staff reaching retirement age. We have therefore recently hired an associate senior lecturer and two postdoctoral researchers, and in parallel with this professorship, we will hire a senior lecturer as well. The successful candidate will play a leading role in creating an exciting new research environment.

Subject: Ethnology with a focus on the Nordic/Baltic/Europe.

Duties
As a professor, the successful candidate will have overall responsibility for developing and conducting research in ethnology, and in consultation with the Director of Studies, will lead the postgraduate programme in ethnology.

Tasks include: developing strategies for the ethnology unit, planning and leading research projects, conducting your own research, actively applying for research funding for both yourself and others (e.g. doctoral students), and developing collaborations with external parties, on both a national and international scale. The role includes communicating and informing about research and representing the subject in various contexts. The research assignment (including research administration) amounts to approximately 50% of the role, and teaching, supervision and course development across various levels of our educational programmes accounts for the other approximately 50% (including teaching administration) of the position.

The holder of the position must also be prepared to take on various types of management assignments at the department (e.g. Director of Studies for the Doctoral Programme or Head of Department) and at other levels within Uppsala University.

Eligibility requirements
Candidates who have obtained a PhD in Ethnology or Folkloristics, or have the equivalent qualifications, are eligible for the position. The candidate’s academic and pedagogical skills, as well as professional abilities, must be relevant to the duties and subject that are central to the position.

Candidates must have completed training in tertiary-level teaching of no less than ten weeks or obtained equivalent competencies. In special circumstances, this training can be carried out during the first two years of employment. To qualify as a supervisor of doctoral students, the candidate’s pedagogical training must include PhD level supervisor training.

The documented ability to teach in Swedish, or another Scandinavian language, and English is required. If there are special circumstances, those who are unable to manage teaching and administrative duties in Swedish may be expected to obtain this ability within two years.

The applicant must have the personal qualities required to fit the position well.

Assessment criteria for candidates who meet the eligibility requirements
In carrying out the selection among eligible candidates, academic achievements and leadership skills will be given greater weight. Significance will also be assigned to pedagogical skills and administrative experience.

Academic competence should be demonstrated through independent research efforts. When assessing academic skills, primarily research quality will be taken into account. The scope of the research, in terms of both depth and breadth, will also be accorded significance. When assessing scientific expertise, particular emphasis will be placed on experience of international publishing, experience of securing substantial research funding, and experience of research management and research collaboration.

Additionally, the ability to plan, initiate, lead and develop research and education at the postgraduate level will be accorded a high significance. The demonstrated ability to collaborate with other disciplines, as well as the local community, will also be accorded great importance.

In this recruitment, the applicant’s plan for future research and its relevance for both the Department’s and the Faculty’s research environment will be given importance. The plan should indicate how the applicant envisages that research will be strengthened and/or renewed at the Department.

Leadership skills and administrative competence
In the assessment of applications, weight will be accorded to leadership skills and administrative competence. Experience of leadership responsibility, demonstrated by, for example, taking responsibility for a departmental environment, will be accorded merit. Administrative competence may be demonstrated by, for instance, the ability to plan, purposefully organize and prioritize work. Candidates should also demonstrate skills in overall planning, showing a proven ability to manage resources in a way that reflects relevant priorities, as well as the capacity to work in a structured manner, based on an awareness of relevant goals and quality expectations. Administrative expertise also includes entrepreneurship.

Leadership skills are demonstrated by the ability to lead operations and personnel, take decisions, take responsibility and provide others with the optimum conditions required to achieve common goals effectively. The ability to coordinate a group, in order to foster commitment, encourage participation and create job satisfaction, as well as the capacity to manage conflicts, are further examples of demonstrated skills.

Collaborative competencies are demonstrated through the ability to plan, organize and carry out projects in collaboration with the local community. Public-facing research, public debate and lectures are examples of collaborative interaction with the local community. The capacity to convert knowledge exchanges with the local community into activities that are relevant to the development and quality of education are also considered collaborative skills.

Pedagogical competence refers to educational and teaching qualifications. In addition to academic teaching experience, educational and teaching qualifications from other activities that involve, for instance, supervision, in-service training or mentoring programmes will be considered. In the assessment of pedagogical competencies, primarily pedagogical quality will be considered. Scope, breadth as well as depth, will also be accorded significance. When assessing teaching skills, particular emphasis will be placed on PhD supervision and how a candidate’s skills and experience can help to strengthen the PhD programme.

Additionally, the ability to plan, initiate, lead and develop teaching, as well as the ability to link teaching to research in ethnology, and to higher education pedagogy will be accorded significance. The ability to engage on issues pertaining to tertiary education with parties both within and outside the university is also counted as pedagogical competence.

In this recruitment, Uppsala University will primarily consider the candidate who, after a holistic qualitative assessment of skills and competencies, is considered to have the best capability to carry out and develop relevant duties and contribute to the positive development of the organisation.

All qualifications must be documented in a way that makes it possible to assess their quality and scope.

Additional information
Parental leave, part-time work owing to caring for children, union work, military service or similar activities are considered work experience and should be included in the applicant’s CV.

Application procedure: All qualifications must be documented in a way that makes it possible to assess their quality and scope. The application shall contain the following:

• A cover letter
• CV (an overview of qualifications and previous positions)
• An account of the candidate’s academic qualifications
• An account of the candidate’s pedagogical qualifications
• An account of the candidate’s leadership and administrative qualifications
• An account of any additional qualifications
• A list of scholarly and pedagogical publications
• Publications or other works that the applicant considers especially relevant to the position
• A reflective text that describes future research and initiatives
• Degree certificates and other relevant documents
• The recruitment group may make use of interviews, trial lectures, and references. Applicants must therefore submit a list of referees (no more than three) who can elucidate the applicant’s professional competences and personal qualities that have a bearing on the post, such as leadership qualities and the ability to cooperate with others

For further information, please see the Appointment Regulations for Uppsala University and the Faculty of Arts' supplementary guidelines.

For further information about the position, please contact: Mats Hyvönen, Head of Department, +4672-999 95 33, mats.hyvonen@antro.uu.se

About the position
The position is permanent (trial period may apply). The position is full time, 100 %. Start date by agreement. Location: Uppsala. The candidate is expected to spend most of their working hours at the department in Uppsala.

Please submit your application by 2 December 2024, UFV-PA 2024/3278.