Professor of Carriculumn Studies

Would you like to be part of developing research and teaching in Curriculum Studies at one of Sweden’s strongest research universities? Would you be prepared to take on the responsibility of leading the subject area Curriculum Studies into the future? If so, we would welcome your application for a position as Professor of Curriculum Studies at Uppsala University.

The Department of Education (EDU) at the University conducts research, offers courses and study programmes at first-, second- and third-cycle levels, and provides contract education in the subject area of Education, which includes pedagogy, curriculum studies and the sociology of education. EDU offers several Bachelor’s and Master’s programmes, while also being heavily involved in the teacher education programmes offered at Uppsala University. EDU has around 250 employees, of which around 175 are teaching staff and/or researchers, 45 are doctoral students, and 30 are administrative staff. More information about the Department's activities can be found at www.edu.uu.se.

Description of the subject area

Curriculum Studies is a subject area relevant to teaching and education. At its core lies the link between the content, the teaching of this content, and learning. The research questions at the core of Curriculum Studies concern the purpose of teaching as well as the selection of content and teaching practices. These questions arise in studies of the intersection between the content of the subject area and how it is taught, and the learning of this content that takes place, or could take place, in an activity of some kind. Multifaceted research is conducted in this subject area at the Department of Education, along with development projects of various kinds that focus on teaching in relation to different aspects of children’s and young people’s learning in pre-school, school subjects, and higher education. The focus of this research includes perspectives on subject didactics, comparative didactics and general didactics, such as how knowledge is viewed, education traditions, democracy education, and sustainable development.

Duties

The successful applicant will play a central role in the management, administration and further development of the subject area Curriculum Studies, in research and in the courses given in the pre-school teacher and other teacher education programmes (including the Special Needs Teacher Education Programme), in freestanding courses, Master’s programmes and third-cycle level courses and study programmes. The professor’s duties largely consist of research, leading research, teaching and supervision at first-, second- and third-cycle levels, and general planning of activities such as formulating research grant applications. Assignments of an administrative nature and third stream activities are also included in the professor’s duties. The position may include managerial roles.

Qualifications

To qualify for employment as a professor, a person must have demonstrated both research and teaching expertise. Research expertise must have been demonstrated through independent research projects of significance to the position’s subject area content, and the duties that will be included in the position; and by the applicant’s research activity having been of high quality, internationally and nationally. The applicant must have demonstrated expertise in planning, initiating, managing and developing research, as well as the ability to secure competitive research grants. The successful applicant’s expertise must exceed the qualifications required for appointment as a docent, in terms of both quality and quantity. The applicant’s teaching expertise must have been demonstrated through qualifications in education and teaching as described below under Assessment criteria. Furthermore, the applicant must have documented expertise in the supervision of students at first- and second-cycle level, and have supervised doctoral students as principal supervisor to the point of the award of the Degree of Doctor. For the applicant to be deemed to have the requisite teaching expertise, they must have completed courses in teaching and learning in higher education relevant to activities and lasting at least ten weeks, or have equivalent knowledge. If there are special reasons why the applicant has not completed courses in teaching and learning in higher education, these courses may be completed during the first two years of employment. These courses must include a course in supervision at third-cycle level. The applicant must demonstrate ability to teach in Swedish and English. A successful applicant who does not have documented skills in teaching in Swedish must acquire these skills within the first two years of employment. The successful applicant must have the personal qualities required to perform the duties of the position well.

Assessment criteria

The degree of the different types of expertise required to qualify for employment as a professor form the assessment criteria for the appointment. The degree of other types of expertise of importance to the subject area and the duties of the position are also part of the assessment criteria. In the appointment of this professorship, the primary emphasis will be on research and teaching expertise. In assessing the applicant’s research and teaching expertise, particular emphasis will be placed on their experience of research and teaching relevant to the subject area Curriculum Studies, their familiarity with a range of traditions and methods within the subject area, and their experience of publishing articles in national and international journals and other publications that broadly specialise in the Curriculum Studies field. The University will employ the applicant who, following an overall qualitative assessment of their competence and skills, is deemed to have the best prospects of performing and developing the duties of the position and contributing positively to the development of the Department.

Research expertise: Research expertise refers to research qualifications. In assessing research expertise, primarily the quality of the research quality is taken into account. The scope of the research, particularly in terms of its depth and breadth, is also of importance. The applicant’s contribution to the international and national research communities will be assessed on the basis of, among other things, the quality and quantity of their scholarly publishing in the most relevant publication channels within the subject area. In addition, the ability to plan, initiate, lead and develop research and education, the ability to secure competitive research grants, and a demonstrated capacity for interaction both within the field of Curriculum Studies and with the wider community will be accorded importance.

Teaching expertise: Teaching expertise refers to the applicant’s qualifications in teaching. In assessing teaching expertise, primarily the quality of the teaching is taken into account. The scope of the applicant’s teaching, i.e. its breadth and depth at different levels of instruction, is also accorded importance. Furthermore, the applicant's ability to plan, initiate, lead and develop courses and study programmes and teaching, as well as the ability to link the teaching to research in the subject area Curriculum Studies, and in teaching and learning in higher education, will be accorded importance. A capacity to interact with actors within and outside the University concerning questions related to teaching and learning in higher education is also seen as part of teaching expertise. Special emphasis will be placed on the applicant’s experience of teaching relevant to the position in higher education institutions, especially within pre-school teacher and/or teacher education programmes, such as Bachelor or Master of Arts in Education programmes, as well as the applicant’s experience of teaching outside higher education.

Administrative skills: Administrative skills are important to the position and will be accorded importance. Administrative skills are demonstrated by the ability to plan, organise and prioritise work effectively and fit for purpose, and by the ability to set and keep to time frames. Administrative skills also include overall planning of activities and the ability to manage resources in a way that reflects the priorities of activities; and the ability to work in a structured way, conscious of objectives and quality.

Management skills: The applicant’s suitability for and interest in managerial roles will be accorded importance. Management skills are demonstrated through the ability to manage activities and staff, make decisions and take responsibility as well to motivate others and provide them with the conditions necessary to achieve common objectives efficiently. The ability to coordinate groups as well as engaging and empowering those in the group to take pleasure in their work, and the ability to manage conflicts, are further examples of demonstrated management skills.

Other conditions: Parental leave, part-time work due to the care of a sick child, professional association/union roles, military service, etc. are counted as working life experience and should be included in the applicant’s curriculum vitae.

About the position 

This is a full-time (100%) position. Appointment to be taken up in August 2027 or by agreement. Location: Uppsala.

More information about the position is available from: Head of Department Jonas Almqvist, e-mail: prefekten@edu.uu.se Phone number: +46(0)18-471 24 06

See also Uppsala University’s Appointment Regulations and the Faculty of Education’s supplementary guidelines.

You are welcome to submit your application by 15 April 2026, UFV-PA 2025/734