Associate Senior Lecturer/Assistant Professor* in Environmental Communication with focus on Agrarian Change

Faculty of Natural Resources and Agricultural Sciences

Department of Urban and Rural Development

This recruitment is part of an excellence initiative – SLU Futures – which aims to attract and support promising young researchers within the strategic themes of Future Sustainable Plant Production Systems, Resilient Ecosystems, and One Health. The objective of the initiative is to create conditions for successful research in future-oriented, strong academic environments through long-term employment. Read more here.

SLU is a world-class university in the life and environmental sciences, with a vision to play a key role in the development of a sustainable life, based on science and education. At SLU, research, teaching and environmental assessment are conducted in various environments in both urban and rural areas, in Sweden and globally. SLU develops knowledge for sustainable development and good living conditions on our planet through research, teaching and environmental analysis, in collaboration with society and with a focus on the sustainable use of natural resources.

Within the framework of SLU's areas of responsibility, the Department of Urban and Rural Development offers a strong social science/humanities research environment with a unique opportunity for interdisciplinary collaborations in issues related to the sustainable use, management and governance of natural resources and the value chain for agricultural products and food.

The Department of Urban and Rural Development is the largest department within SLU for social sciences, humanities and design. We engage in research, teaching and collaboration in the subjects of environmental communication, rural development, landscape architecture and agrarian history. Comprising approximately 180 employees, the department is responsible for around 80 courses and seven academic programs. These include the master's programs in Environmental Communication, Rural Development and Landscape Architecture, the professional degree programs in agronomy, rural development and landscape architecture and the bachelor's program in political science with a focus on sustainable development. The latter is a collaboration with the Department of Economics, with whom we also share premises, run a joint graduate school and collaborate on several research projects.

The SLU Futures initiative, of which this position is a part, offers great opportunities for interdisciplinary collaborations between social science and natural science departments. For this specific position, collaborations with the Departments of Economics, Ecology and Plant Production Ecology may be particularly interesting, where we already have well-developed collaborations on issues of agricultural development and sustainability.

The subject of environmental communication engages in the communicative dimensions of environmental and sustainability issues. We consider communication as the joint construction of meaning, and conduct qualitative social science research concerned with themes such as participation, power, conflict and learning in decision-making and change processes. 

Read more about the department here.

Read more about our benefits and what it's like to work at SLU here.

Subject area

The subject area is environmental communication with focus on agrarian change. The starting point is a critical perspective on communication and includes material and discursive dimensions.

Duties

The associate senior lecturer is expected to develop their own research line within the subject area. Research should be carried out in close collaboration with colleagues at the department and SLU, as well as through national and international collaborations.

In addition, the candidate should within the subject area

• apply for external research funding in competition and publish scientific articles
• contribute to the development of a research team in the subject area
• participate in postgraduate education as a co-supervisor
• teach at first, second and third cycle level, including doctoral level
• further develop their pedagogical skills
• collaborate with relevant societal actors

Swedish and English are used in parallel at the department. The holder of the position should be able to perform the majority of their tasks in English. However, as a public authority, the university has Swedish as its main language according to the requirements of the Language Act and the holder of the position must be able to use Swedish as their working language within four years of beginning the position. The department will provide support with language learning.

Eligibility

Eligible for employment as associate senior lecturer are candidates who hold a PhD or have equivalent academic qualifications. Priority will be given to candidates who have received a PhD or equivalent qualifications no longer than seven years before the application deadline. Other candidates may also be considered if there are extraordinary grounds for doing so. Extraordinary grounds refer to illness, parental leave or similar circumstances.

For employment as associate senior lecturer, the applicant must demonstrate research expertise in the subject area.

Excellent ability to communicate in written and spoken English is required.

Assessment criteria

The assessment criteria for appointment as an associate senior lecturer will primarily be based on the degree to which the applicant possesses the required qualifications specified for the position.

The assessment criteria for appointment as an associate senior lecturer shall be the degree of the research expertise required as a qualification for employment.

Furthermore, the assessment includes evaluating the applicant’s ability to independently develop a line of research within the subject area, and to qualify for promotion to senior lecturer during the employment period.

The position will be offered to the eligible candidate who, following a qualitative comprehensive assessment is deemed to have the best qualifications set to conduct and develop the duties in question, and contribute to the positive development of the organisation.

Application deadline:

2025-09-15

Place of work:

Uppsala

Scope:

100 %

Form of Employment:

The employment is limited to four years in accordance with the Higher Education Act. A position as associate senior lecturer is a qualifying employment that constitutes the first step in an academic career at SLU. An associate senior lecturer has the right during their employment to apply for promotion to senior lecturer (UK) or associate professor (US) on the basis of criteria established when the position as associate senior lecturer was announced.

Swedish “biträdande universitetslektor”, is a tenured position approximately equivalent to Associate senior lecturer (UK) or Assistant professor (US). The applicant who is offered this employment at SLU will be employed as Associate senior lecturer.

This position offers the vibrant research climate at SLU. The benefits of the position include Swedish family health care provisions, parenting support including generous paid leave of absence policies that allow both parents to care for newborns and toddlers. Additionally, Sweden has a well-established pre-school structure as well as an educational system that provides no-cost education through university studies. Uppsala has a rich history and culture and is located in the greater Stockholm region, which is an academic and cultural hub. Find out more facts and stories about Sweden at www.sweden.se.

Starting date:

By agreement.

Application:

It is desirable that the application is written in English, because the applications will be evaluated by expert advisers both in Sweden and abroad.

For the guidance of your application, there is SLU's appointment procedure for teachers at SLU and General assessment criteria for the appointment of teachers, which you can read here.

Please apply by clicking on the apply-button below.

Academic union representatives:

https://internt.slu.se/en/my-employment/employee-associations/kontaktpersoner-vid-rekrytering/

 

The Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) has a key role in the development for sustainable life, based on science and education. Through our focus on the interaction between humans, animals and ecosystems and the responsible use of natural resources, we contribute to sustainable societal development and good living conditions on our planet. Our main campuses are located in Alnarp, Umeå and Uppsala, however, the university also operates at research stations, experimental forests and teaching sites throughout Sweden. SLU has around 3,000 employees, 5,000 students and doctoral students and a turnover of over SEK 3 billion. We are investing in attractive environments on all of our campuses. We strive to provide a work environment characterised by inclusivity and gender equality, where different experiences generate conversations between people and pave the way for science, creativity and development. Therefore, we welcome applications from people with diverse backgrounds and perspectives.