Olle Engkvist Foundation Chair Professor in Latin

Uppsala University hereby declares a vacancy Olle Engkvist Foundation Chair Professor in Latin at the Department of Linguistics and Philology, Faculty of Languages

The Department of Linguistics and Philology conducts research and education in linguistics and textual studies with a focus on the languages and cultures of Asia, the classical languages of Europe, linguistics and computational linguistics. Courses are offered in first, second and third cycle programmes.

The department has around eighty staff who, together with students and collaborators, create an international and intellectually vibrant environment. The Department is part of the Faculty of Languages, one of the leading centres for language and literature studies in the Nordic countries. The diversity of linguistic, literary and cultural specialisations at Uppsala University forms a natural core of humanities research and also provides a sustainable basis for fruitful collaborations within the Faculty as well as other disciplines and society at large.

The Olle Engkvist Foundation supports all types of research, with an emphasis on medicine, science, technology and the humanities. Through a strategic investment in humanities research, the Olle Engkvist Foundation has established a chair professor position in Latin. The Foundation's commitment to classical languages and linguistic research is long-term. In return, Uppsala University will support the position by facilitating the development of classical languages as an academic field in various ways.

The University is looking for an internationally recognised researcher who wants to contribute to further develop the research and teaching environments in the subject area Latin and Classical Languages. Classical Latin, as well as medieval and modern Latin, has a long tradition and strong position at Uppsala University. Research is conducted both at the department and at the university library in areas such as textual criticism, epigraphy, syntax, historical linguistics, metrics and poetry.

Subject area: Latin.

Duties: The person appointed as professor has, together with the other professors, an overall responsibility for teaching and researching the subject area and its development. This involves developing the research field, participating in, planning and leading research projects, actively applying for funding for their own research as well as that of others in the field. Academic collaboration and development of the research environment are among the central tasks of the position. Such development can be achieved e.g. through inter- and multidisciplinary collaborations and activities with other faculties and disciplines within the University, as well as with external partners, nationally and internationally. The tasks also include communication and information about research. Attending to tasks of an administrative nature may be required. Teaching, supervision and course development at all levels are key responsibilities of the position. The holder of the position must also be prepared to undertake various types of management assignments both at departmental level and at other levels within Uppsala University.

Eligibility requirements: those who have demonstrated both research accreditation and pedagogical expertise (Högskoleförordningen Chapter 4, Section 3) are eligible to apply. Research accreditation must be shown through independent research efforts and international recognition of the applicant's merits. The applicant must have demonstrated expertise in planning, initiating, leading and developing research, and a demonstrated ability to obtain research grants in competition as well as a well-documented expertise in supervision at doctoral level. The applicant's contribution to the international and national scientific community shall be assessed, among other things, on the basis of the quality and extent of their publications. The international qualification requirements shall be assessed taking into account the nature and specific conditions of the subject. Teaching expertise refers to educational and teaching qualifications. The pedagogical expertise must have been demonstrated through extensive achievements in education and teaching. In addition, the applicant must demonstrate well-documented expertise in supervision at first, second and third cycle levels and otherwise fulfill the requirements of Uppsala University's employment regulations (§ 32) and the Faculty of Languages' supplementary guidelines (section 2.2). Eligibility requires documented ability to teach in Swedish and English. Those who do not have the ability to use Swedish as a working language at the time of recruitment are expected to acquire such knowledge within two years. It is required that the research competence, pedagogical skills and professional skills are relevant to the discipline and the tasks included in the position. The applicant must have the personal qualities required to take on the broader responsibilities entailed in the position. According to Uppsala University's employment regulations, the general eligibility requirements for teachers are that the applicant must have the ability to collaborate and otherwise meet the requirements of suitability and collegiality for the role.

Assessment criteria for applicants who fulfill the eligibility requirements: In selecting eligible applicants, stress will be placed on research excellence, teaching skills, management skills and administrative experience. The qualifications must be documented so that both quality and scope can be assessed. Equal attention will be paid to the assessment of all three assessment criteria.

Research excellence. Particular emphasis shall be placed on proven research excellence demonstrated through independent research efforts that both quantitatively and qualitatively significantly exceeds the requirements for Associate Professor (Swedish docent) competence. When assessing the research expertise, methodological quality will be taken into account in the first instance. The scope, depth and breadth of the research will also be taken into account. Demonstrated experience in academic collaboration and development of research environment will be given high priority as will the ability to plan, initiate, manage and develop research and doctoral programmes and the ability to obtain funding for research in competition. Demonstrated ability to interact both within the research community and with society in general is essential. Popular scientific works, public debate and lectures are examples of forms of interaction with the society at large.

Pedagogical skills. The importance of teaching skills is a priority. When assessing pedagogical competence, the primary consideration shall be pedagogical quality. Scope, both breadth and depth, shall be given importance. When assessing teaching skills, particular emphasis will be placed on teaching at advanced level and experience in doctoral supervision. Furthermore, the ability to plan, initiate, lead and develop research-based education in the subject in question, as well as subject didactics and higher education pedagogy are important. The ability to contribute research to society at large such that these pedagogical activities help in the development of educational offerings is also a highly desirable skill.

Management and administrative skills. Great importance shall be attached to management and administrative skills. Experience in leadership demonstrated by managerial roles at departmental level or similar will be considered an asset. Management skills are demonstrated by the ability to manage activities and staff, to make decisions, to take responsibility and to motivate by providing others with the conditions required to effectively achieve common goals. Further examples of demonstrated skills include the ability to coordinate teams as well as to create the conditions for commitment, participation and job satisfaction, including the ability to resolve conflict.

Administrative skills include the ability to plan, organise and prioritise work in an effective and appropriate manner and the ability to set and meet deadlines. Skills include overall business planning and the ability to manage resources in a way that reflects the priorities of the organisation as well as the ability to work in a structured way and with an awareness of objectives and quality. All competences must be documented so that both quality and scope can be assessed.

In this recruitment process, the University will primarily consider the candidate who, after a qualitative overall assessment of competence and skills, is deemed to have the best ability to carry out and develop the tasks in question as well as contribute to the positive development of the organisation.

Additional information: Parental leave, part-time work due to care of children, trade union duties, military service or similar are considered as work experience and should be mentioned in the CV.
See also:

Uppsala University's employment regulations 

Supplementary guidelines to the Appointment Regulations at the Faculty of Languages

Employment procedure: All qualifications must be documented so that both quality and scope can be assessed. Qualifications obtained after the application deadline cannot be invoked. Applications must be written in Swedish or English and submitted via Uppsala Uppsala University's electronic recruitment system Varbi and include the following:
- Personal letter
- CV (brief account of research, educational and other activities)
- Account of research achievements
- Account of pedagogical achievements
- Account of management and administrative qualifications
- Account of other qualifications
- List of publications
- Research and pedagogical work cited
- Account of planned research, teaching and other qualifications
- Certificates and other relevant documents
The recruitment team may use interviews, trial lectures and references. Applicants must therefore provide a list of references (maximum three) that can shed light on the applicant's professional competences and personal qualities relevant to the post, such as leadership and interpersonal skills.

Any publications cited that are not available in electronic format should be sent in triplicate to Uppsala University, Faculty of Linguistics, Box 256, 751 05 Uppsala. Mark the envelope with the reference UFV-PA 2024/4174.

About the position
The position is permanent (probationary period may apply). The scope of the position is full-time. Start date according to agreement. Location: The successful candidate is expected to have their main working hours based at the department in Uppsala.

For further information about the position, please contact:
the Head of the Department of Linguistics and Philology, Associate Professor Dimitrios Iordanoglou, e-mail dimitrios.iordanoglou@lingfil.uu.se.

Please submit your application by 30 April 2025, UFV-PA 2024/4174

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