Assistant Professor in Earth Sciences specialising in Dynamics of Earth Systems

Are you ready to shape the future of research and education? At Uppsala University, your ideas matter. We welcome top talents in Science and Technology to a world-class environment driving innovation and collaboration. Push the frontiers of science. It starts with you.

The Department of Earth Sciences offers an outstanding interdisciplinary research environment, competitive funding, good conditions for establishing a new research group and conducting cutting-edge research. It also offers a start-up package that covers your own salary for a six-year period, the salary of one to two doctoral students, as well as resources to support the establishment of the research group.

We have a long tradition of cutting-edge research in Earth Sciences, and expect applications that are competitive at an international level.

The Department of Earth Sciences is Sweden's most comprehensive academic environment for research and education in geoscience. It offers a broad range of expertise that can contribute to solving important societal issues. We are presently in the process of renewing and modernizing our research infrastructure with the development of an Earth Science Research Platform (ESRP), focusing on field and laboratory research infrastructure.

Earth is a dynamic and constantly changing planet. To understand how this planet works, our researchers seek answers in the field, through laboratory experiments and advanced models. Our research and education cover a wide range of disciplines, including rocks and minerals, weather and climate, the evolution of life, natural disasters, wind power and energy, environmental and water engineering, and sustainable development. Our research combines natural sciences and technology with social sciences and is often interdisciplinary. More than 300 people from over 30 countries work at the department, both in Uppsala and at Campus Gotland.

Our six research divisions:

Geophysics • Air, Water and Landscape Science • Mineralogy, Petrology and Tectonics • Natural Resources and Sustainable Development • Palaeobiology • Wind Energy

For more information see: www.uu.se/earthsciences

Subject area

To build a strong research profile, it is essential that your research connects to existing research at the department, thereby strengthening, enhancing, and/or complementing existing activities at the international forefront. This can also include (but does not have to) using and developing the Department Research Infrastructure Platform (Earth Science Research Platform, ESRP). Within the context of Dynamics of Earth Systems the following topics are encouraged, separately and/or combined:

• Interactions between spheres (atmosphere, biosphere, cryosphere, hydrosphere and/or lithosphere) through time and/or across space (for example including geochemical/biogeochemical approaches)
• Interactions within a sphere (for example studies of the formation and evolution of Earth’s lithosphere, including the structure, dynamics and the physical and/or chemical processes of the lithosphere)

Duties

You will work with:

• teaching. Teaching includes responsibility for courses, course administration, and supervision of doctoral students, in both Swedish and English. If you are not initially able to teach in Swedish, Swedish language training aimed at achieving this competence will be included in your duties.
• research. Research includes establishing and leading your own research group; publishing research results in internationally recognized peer-reviewed journals and presenting them at leading international conferences; actively applying for and securing external research funding from national and international funding agencies and/or through interdisciplinary collaborations.
• administration. To participate in the general academic duties of the Department of Earth Sciences. This includes serving on committees, taking on responsibilities beyond your own research and teaching assignments, contributing to the evaluation and development of teaching and research activities, working collaboratively with colleagues, and providing support and constructive feedback to colleagues.
• keeping up to date in your subject area and following developments in society that are relevant to your work at Uppsala University.
• contributing to collaboration with the wider society.
• colleagues to ensure a healthy and supportive work environment.

In choosing between eligible candidates, emphasis will primarily be given to both research and teaching expertise, according particular weight to research expertise. In addition, attention will be given to administrative and management expertise, as well as collaboration and outreach expertise.

Qualifications required

You must have:

• a PhD within Earth Sciences or directly related field. Preference will be given to applicants who have completed their PhD or attained equivalent expertise no more than seven years before the deadline for applications.
• research expertise in the broader area of Earth Sciences. In addition to academic qualifications, research merits gained outside academia may also be considered, such as development of technology and capacity for innovation
• had your main employment and conducted your research activities outside Sweden for at least the past four years immediately prior to the application deadline. Shorter stays in Sweden of a total of no more than twelve months may be accepted.
• publications with high scientific impact in well-established international journals.
• documented ability to successfully compete for and secure external research funding.
• experience presenting research results at leading international conferences relevant to the field.
• documented skills and expertise in productive research collaborations and in successfully leading projects.
• relevant research to active research areas within at least one of the department’s research programmes/divisions.
• a research plan that clearly demonstrates an independent research profile and shows how the proposed research will strengthen, enhance, and/or complement research and collaboration within the department.
• teaching expertise, according particular weight to teaching and supervision in Earth Sciences. In addition to academic qualifications, educational and teaching qualifications from other activities may also be considered, which include, for example, supervision, internal training or mentoring programs. The ability to link teaching to research is important.
• completed at least five weeks of teacher training for higher education of relevance to the organisation and its activities or be considered to have acquired the equivalent knowledge. The required training for teachers in higher education may also be completed during the first two years of employment, if there are special circumstances
• a documented ability to teach in Swedish or English.
• ability to work with other people and otherwise meet the demands of suitability required to perform the duties well.
• teaching expertise and research expertise that are relevant to the subject area and the duties that the position involves.

Other desirable/valuable qualifications

It would be an advantage if you have:

• administrative expertise. Capacity to plan, organise and prioritise activities and to work in a structured manner that demonstrates an awareness of goals and quality.
• management expertise. Developing, coordinating and leading operations and staff.
• collaboration and outreach expertise. Interacting with the wider community, disseminating and exchanging information and translating research and development results into practical benefits. Popular science publications and lectures and public debate are examples of interactions with the wider community. Other examples are patent applications, commercialisation, and industry collaboration.

For more information on assessment and assessment criteria, see the Appointment Regulations for Uppsala University and the Faculty of Science and Technology’s Guidelines for the Appointment and Promotion of Teachers.

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

When the University appoints new academic staff, candidates will be selected based on a qualitative overall assessment of their competence and expertise, considering their potential to perform and develop the duties of the position and to contribute to the positive development of the department.

Application

Parental leave, part-time work due to childcare, trade union responsibilities, military service or similar activities are treated as work experience and should be listed in the CV.

Instructions for applications for employment

Period of employment 

The position of Assistant Professor is fixed-term for up to six years and is intended to provide qualifications for a permanent teaching position with higher eligibility requirements. During the appointment, there is the possibility to apply for promotion to Associate Professor. If the requirements are met and suitability is confirmed, the appointee may be promoted to a permanent position as Associate Professor.  

About the position 
Fixed-term employment for a maximum of 6 years. The scope is full-time. Starting date by agreement. Location: Uppsala or Visby

Further information about the position please contact Head of Department Professor Anna Rutgersson (+46 18 4712523, prefekt@geo.uu.se) and program responsible professors www.uu.se/earthsciences

We look forward to receiving your application by 16 June 2026, UFV-PA 2026/1188.

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

We offer you

Sweden offers good working conditions, including comprehensive social benefits such as generous family-focused policies that make healthcare, childcare, and children’s education available and highly affordable. At Uppsala University, we offer the opportunity for new international staff to learn Swedish through our language courses. If you have family, they will get new contacts and support through the Uppsala International Citizen hub.

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

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