Vacant job

The Department of Arts and Humanities at the Faculty of Humanities, Umeå University, offers education and research within the aesthetic subjects of art, music, and craft. The department is home to over 40 friendly colleagues united by their commitment to these aesthetic fields. This creates a creative environment where people with diverse creative interests meet: wood and textile, fashion design, image and form, photography, graphic design, sound, music, and music production. For more information, please visit the department's website: https://www.umu.se/institutionen-for-estetiska-amnen/ (https://www.umu.se/institutionen-for-estetiska-amnen/).

Research is conducted at the department within the field of pedagogical work. The research primarily focuses on the aesthetic subjects in schools and teacher education, as well as on the School of Music and Arts and collaboration. The research covers several areas, for example, professional research, school development, digitalization, academicization, sustainable development, the scientific legitimization of practical knowledge, and value bases in subject practices. Gender, policy, media ecology, curriculum theory, and subject didactics are some prominent perspectives. The department also conducts research in collaboration with school authorities regarding the development of schools based on scientific evidence and proven experience, an area strengthened by the national initiative ULF (Development, Learning, Research). Read more here: https://www.umu.se/institutionen-for-estetiska-amnen/forskning/ (https://www.umu.se/institutionen-for-estetiska-amnen/forskning/).

The department is now advertising a position as a postdoctoral researcher in pedagogical work with a focus on aesthetic subjects. In this context, aesthetic subjects refer to the school subjects of art, music, and craft.

The position is part of the Faculty of Education's career initiative for newly graduated researchers in educational science. As a postdoctoral researcher in the career program, you will, alongside your regular research context, be part of an interdisciplinary environment built around research-strengthening activities, networking, and internationalization. Read more about the career program here: https://www.umu.se/lararhogskolan/forskning/karriarprogram/ (https://www.umu.se/lararhogskolan/forskning/karriarprogram/).

Responsibilities

As a postdoctoral researcher, you are expected to drive your own, individually designed research project, including associated publications and contact with the surrounding society. The research should be conducted within pedagogical work with a focus on one or more of the aesthetic subjects: art, music, and craft. You are expected to contribute to the development of the department's research environment, for example by initiating collaborations with the department's researchers, participating in, and arranging seminars and other scientific meetings. You are also expected to participate in other meetings and staff activities at the department, such as workplace meetings and staff days. Teaching at undergraduate, advanced, and doctoral levels may occur to an extent of up to 20%, depending on the needs of the operations.

Qualifications

To be employed as a postdoctoral researcher, a doctoral degree or a foreign degree assessed as equivalent to a doctoral degree is required, in pedagogical work or in another doctoral education subject assessed as relevant to the focus of the position. This eligibility requirement must be met no later than at the time the employment decision is made.

To be employed under the postdoctoral agreement, preference is given to candidates who have obtained the degree mentioned in the previous paragraph no more than three years prior to the last day of application. If there are special reasons, candidates who obtained their doctoral degree earlier may also be considered. Special reasons include leave due to illness, parental leave, trust positions within trade unions, service in the total defense, or other similar circumstances, as well as clinical service or service/assignments relevant to the subject area.

A prerequisite for being employed as a postdoctoral researcher is that the person has not previously been employed as a postdoctoral researcher for more than one year in the same or closely related subject area at Umeå University.

Good ability to express oneself orally and in writing in English, alternatively in Swedish or another Scandinavian language, as well as good collaboration skills, are requirements for the position.

In the selection process, scientific proficiency should be given primary consideration. In ranking the applicants, the following will be taken into account:

• the applicant's scientific merits
• the originality and feasibility of the outlined project
• how well the planned project complements the research environment at the Department of Arts and Humanities, as well as the existing research environment's opportunities to contribute positively to the execution of the planned project.

Application

The application should include:

• A cover letter where the applicant justifies their interest in starting a position as a postdoctoral researcher specifically at the Department of Arts and Humanities, and outlines their qualifications (2–3 pages)
• A research plan demonstrating the project's originality, feasibility, and relevance to the department's research environment (3–5 pages)
• CV
• Publication list
• Degree certificates from doctoral education and other relevant degrees
• Contact information for two named reference persons

The application should be written in Swedish or English, in Word or Pdf format. The application must be submitted via the e-recruitment system Varbi and received no later than 2026-08-12.

Other Information

The position is fixed-term, full-time, for 2 years, with commencement according to agreement, but no later than January 2027.

The workplace is Umeå, and high presence in the environment is a requirement.

Umeå University is a government agency, which means employees receive special benefits. Read more about this here: https://www.umu.se/jobba-hos-oss/formaner/ (https://www.umu.se/jobba-hos-oss/formaner/).

For further information about the position, please contact:

Head of Department Stina Wikberg, 090-786 58 66, [email protected]

Deputy Head of Department Per-Åke Rosvall, 090-786 56 00, [email protected]

HR Coordinator Anneli Taflin, 090-786 89 31, [email protected]

We look forward to receiving your application!