Associate Professor in Animal Ecology with specialization in Evolutionary Ecology

Uppsala University’s tenure track system grants associate professors the possibility to be assessed for promotion to the position as professor. The university provides support in various areas, such as scientific and educational development, leadership development as well as patent and innovation support.

The Department of Ecology and Genetics is a dynamic and highly international academic environment with staff and students from all over the world. Our research interests are broad, ranging from evolutionary ecology and genetics to studies of entire ecosystems. For more detailed information on our research, please see www.ieg.uu.se.

We now seek to strengthen our research program in Animal Ecology. We are looking for a senior lecturer with an expertise in evolutionary ecology, to complement the current research activities in our program.

Description of subject area of the employment: Candidates should conduct integrative research in animal ecology with specialization in evolutionary ecology. This would broadly involve empirical studies of the ecological and evolutionary ramifications of interactions between behaviour, morphology, life history, physiology and genetics/genomics on the one hand and the environment on the other hand.

Duties: 

• Research, teaching and administration. Teaching duties include course responsibility and course administration and supervision of students at bachelor's, master's, and doctoral levels within ecology and evolutionary ecology. If the successful candidate is initially not able to teach in Swedish, they will be expected to develop this capacity, and will be offered support for language acquisition.
  
  
• The person appointed will be expected to perform research in evolutionary ecology and be able to interact and generate synergies with existing research within the program.
  
  
• Follow developments within the subject area and the development of society in general that is important for the work at the university.

• The position may include leadership/administrative tasks.
  
  

Qualifications Required:

• PhD in biology or equivalent relevant scientific expertise.
  
  
• 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.
  
  
• 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 given to research merits in evolutionary ecology, including studies spanning from evolutionary and ecological genetics/genomics to community ecology. The candidate should have demonstrated the ability to conduct independent and innovative high-quality research, funded by competitive research grants, and published international scientific journals. Significant emphasis will be placed on the ability to integrate various research areas, such as bridging the gap between different levels of organization. This includes genotypes, ecologically relevant phenotypes, fitness, environmental factors, populations, and ecological communities. Significant emphasis will also be given to integrated research on the evolutionary and ecological impacts of rapidly changing environments.

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 ecology and evolutionary ecology. Teaching experience in general zoology and field ecology will be considered as additional merits. Documented ability to successfully supervise first-, second- and third-cycle students will be considered a significant merit.

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.

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

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 Anna Qvarnström, +46 70-425 08 05,  anna.qvarnstrom@ebc.uu.se.

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

Salary: Individually negotiated salary.

Starting date: As agreed

Please submit your application by February 7 2025, UFV-PA 2024/3943.

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

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