Assistant Professor in Economics The department of Economics at Umeå School of Business, Economics and Statistics, Umeå University, is looking for an Assistant Professor in Economics.
Work description Assistant Professor (biträdande lektor) is a tenure-track position allowing the holder to be evaluated for promotion to a permanent position. Specifically, the position as Assistant Professor is limited to four years, where at least 60% of the time should be devoted to research and the remaining 40% to pedagogical activities including teaching and supervision. After these four years, the Assistant Professor can apply for promotion to a permanent position as Associate Professor (universitetslektor), where the assessment is based on an evaluation of the scientific and pedagogical skills developed during the first four years. The Assistant Professor is expected to conduct independent, high-quality research as well as contribute to the department´s research environment in other ways. The latter includes an active role in the application for external research funds and the ability to develop research collaborations both within and outside the department.
The pedagogical work includes teaching and thesis supervision at the undergraduate and advanced levels in Economics, as well as course planning, and course administration. It may also require teaching in different areas of Economics, such as Microeconomics, Macroeconomics, and various sub-fields (as well as methodological courses). In the absence of prior pedagogical training, the holder of the position is expected to participate in the pedagogical training program offered by the university.
Requirements To be eligible for the position as Assistant Professor, the applicant must hold a doctorate in Economics, or have equivalent scientific competence. Priority should be given to candidates who have completed their doctoral degree, or equivalent scientific competence, no more than five years before the deadline for this application. Those who have completed a doctorate or have achieved equivalent competence in the past can also be considered if there are special reasons. Special reasons refer to leave due to illness, parental leave or other similar circumstances.
Assessment criteria and their relative weights The assessment criteria are the scientific and pedagogical skills in the subject area as well as experience of administrative and development work. When balancing these criteria, emphasis will be placed on both the scientific and pedagogical skills, with particular emphasis on the former. Administrative and other skills are meritorious.
Scientific competence refers to the subject area of Economics. The scientific competence will be assessed primarily based on scientific work published in internationally distributed scientific journals that apply referee-systems. A documented ability to publish in leading field journals and in well-renowned general-purpose journals is particularly meritorious. The scientific competence will also be assessed based on working papers and the four-year research plan that the applicant is expected to enclose in the application (see below).
Pedagogical skills are demonstrated by teaching experience at the undergraduate and advanced levels, experience of supervision, and experience of pedagogical development work. Pedagogical skills and experience in the subject area of Economics are particularly meritorious. Prior pedagogical training is also meritorious.
Administrative skills refer to the ability to independently organize educational activities as well as the ability to lead the development and quality work in the undergraduate and postgraduate education.
When assessing other skills, emphasis will be placed on personal suitability. The applicant should have good collaborative skills and be able to contribute to a good research environment, teaching environment, and working environment in general.
Good knowledge in English and Swedish, both in speech and writing, as well as the ability to teach in both languages, are meritorious.
After an overall assessment of the competence and skills, the university will primarily consider those who are thought to have the best qualifications to carry out and develop the tasks described above.
The department strives for increased diversity, and female applicants will be given priority in the case of equivalent qualifications.
A proposal of a 4-year research plan (max. 5 pages) shall be included in the application.
Review for promotion to Associate Professor (universitetslektor) An Assistant Professor shall be promoted to Associate Professor if he/she is qualified for such a position according to the assessment criteria applied by the university. This promotion entails permanent employment.
The application for such a permanent promotion must be submitted six months before the end of the fixed-term employment contract implied by the Assistant Professorship.
Application The eligibility requirements and assessment criteria are described in the Appointment Procedures for Teachers at Umeå University, which can be found here.
The Faculty of Social Sciences’ instructions for application and instructions for expert assessments can be found here: https://www.umu.se/en/usbe/
The recruitment process may include interviews, trial lectures and verifications of references provided.
The department of Economics The Department of Economics has about 30 employees. It has a broad research tradition, where the main research areas are Public Economics, Labor Economics, and Environmental Economics. Another active research area is Industrial Organization. In particular five themes are central to our research: (i) economic policy and behavioral economics; (ii) economic policy and the labor market; (iii) sustainable development; (iv) economic policy and fiscal federalism; and (v) competition and procurement. This research addresses a broad set of topics including optimal taxation and public expenditure, income formation, household responses to taxation and other economic policy, social accounting, environmental policy, local public economics, public procurement, and the functioning of pharmaceutical markets. From a methodological perspective, our research reflects a mix of theoretical and empirical contributions. The department is also the host institution of the Erik Kempe Award in Environmental and Resource Economics.
More about Umeå School of Business, Economics and Statistics As an internationally respected, nationally influential, and regionally rooted part of Umeå University, Umeå School of Business, Economics, and Statistics (USBE) contributes to societal development through education and research of a high international standard.
Through interplay with the surrounding society, we provide education and research that contribute to the understanding, ability, and responsibility of individuals in relation to societal challenges and the importance of sustainable development. USBE is AACSB-accredited and sustainability certified according to the environmental management standard ISO14001.
USBE has around 150 employees and about 3800 students follow our programs every year. We offer education from the undergraduate to the doctoral program level in all our main disciplines – Business Administration, Economics, and Statistics.
Umeå University wants to offer an equal environment where open dialogue between people with different backgrounds and perspectives lay the foundation for learning, creativity and development. We welcome people with different backgrounds and experiences to apply for the current employment.
We kindly decline offers of recruitment and advertising help.
