Senior Lecturer/Associate Professor* in Rural Development in the Global South

Faculty of Natural Resources and Agricultural Sciences

Department of Urban and Rural Development

The Department of Urban and Rural Development at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) is seeking a Senior Lecturer in Rural Development with a focus on the Global South.

We are looking for a Senior Lecturer who is interested in developing the division’s teaching and conducting critical social science research within the broad field of rural development in the Global South—preferably in close collaboration with local researchers and practitioners. This research is often interdisciplinary and conducted in interaction with societal actors.

At SLU, research, education and environmental monitoring are carried out in diverse environments such as forests, agricultural landscapes, and aquatic systems in both urban and rural settings, in Sweden and globally. The environmental monitoring provides knowledge bases for decision-makers and managing authorities. The subject of Rural Development is housed within the Department of Urban and Rural Development at the Faculty of Natural Resources and Agricultural Sciences.

Through purposeful work, the department has developed a robust and dynamic academic environment with around 170 employees. In addition to Rural Development, the department includes the subjects Environmental Communication, Landscape Architecture, Political Science and Agrarian History. The department is responsible for about 80 courses across seven educational programmes at undergraduate and advanced level, including Master’s programmes in Rural Development and Environmental Communication, professional programme Agriculture and Rural Development and Landscape Architecture Programme), as well as a Bachelor’s programme in Sustainable Development and Economics. The department is the largest within SLU in the social sciences, humanities, and design. Issues concerning the sustainable use of natural resources and landscapes are central to both research and teaching. Close collaboration with the Department of Economics and several natural science departments with activities related to the Global South creates extensive opportunities for interdisciplinary research.

The position as Senior Lecturer is located at the Division of Rural Development in Uppsala. The division includes two subject areas: Rural Development in the Global South, and Rural Development in Sweden and Europe.

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Subject description

The subject encompasses Rural Development in the Global South, based on critical social science perspectives.

Duties

The candidate should within the subject area:

• develop and lead internationally distinguished research
• develop, lead and participate in teaching at first, second and third cycle level
• apply for external research funding
• supervise doctoral students
• collaborate with other SLU research teams in order to strengthen interdisciplinary activities at the university
• develop and maintain national and international networks with academia, relevant authorities, industries, organisations, and society at large
• contribute to the strategic development of the department, the faculty, and SLU
• communicate research findings and other relevant information to society at large
• perform administrative duties within the department, faculty and university

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

The applicant must meet the following qualification requirements:

• PhD or equivalent academic qualifications
• research expertise in the subject area
• teaching expertise and ability to integrate research and a scientific approach into teaching
• good knowledge of English

Assessment criteria

In the assessment criteria for employment, the primary consideration should be the level of skill required for eligibility for the position. Assessment of the eligible applicant’s suitability for the employment will primarily be based on:

• completed and ongoing research in the subject area
• ability to independently initiate and conduct high-quality research
• ability to obtain external research funding in competition
• ability of planning, implementation and examination, as well as evaluation of own teaching
• supervision at doctoral level
• pedagogical vision and reflection

Furthermore, the assessment will consider the applicant’s expertise in:

• developing and leading activities and staff within academia
• communicating research and development work
• collaborating across disciplines
• engaging with research institutions and practice-based organisations in the Global South

It is considered a merit if the applicant has good contacts with local researchers and practitioners in the Global South.

As much attention must be given to the assessment of teaching expertise as to the assessment of research expertise. 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.

 Additional information

* Swedish “universitetslektor”, a tenured position approximately equivalent to senior lecturer (UK) or associate professor (US). The applicant who is offered this employment at SLU will be employed as 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. Find out more facts and stories about Sweden at www.sweden.se Located in the greater Stockholm region, the city of Uppsala has a rich history and culture, and is a true academic and cultural hub. Find out more about moving, living and working here at https://internationalhub.uppsala.se/