Postdoctoral fellow in philosophy with a focus on ethics in teacher education

Umeå University is one of Sweden’s largest higher education institutions with over 37,000 students and about 4,700 employees. The University offers a diversity of high-quality education and world-leading research in several fields. Notably, the groundbreaking discovery of the CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing tool, which was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, was made here. At Umeå University, everything is close. Our cohesive campuses make it easy to meet, work together and exchange knowledge, which promotes a dynamic and open culture.

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The Department of Historical, Philosophical and Religious Studies is looking for a postdoctoral fellow in philosophy with a focus on ethics in teacher education. The position is located at the highly international philosophy research environment at the Department of Historical, Philosophical and Religious Studies, Umeå University, and is financed by Umeå School of Education.

Project description

This postdoctoral fellow position is part of a new career program, initiated by Umeå School of Education. It is linked to the research area ethics in teacher education but aims also to strengthen educational research at Umeå University. As a postdoctoral fellow in the career program, you will be part of an interdisciplinary network in addition to your regular research context. We encourage international research exchange visits during the employment.

For more information about the career program, see:
https://www.umu.se/en/umea-school-of-education/research/career-program/ 

Job description

The postdoctoral fellow is expected to conduct research on ethics in teacher education. Possible research topics include, but are not limited to, normative questions concerning ethics teaching, educational values or virtues, and democracy, toleration, or participation in relation to education. The postdoctoral fellow is expected to contribute to the development of the local research environment by actively participating in the departmental activities, such as research seminars and workshops. The job tasks consist mainly of research but may also include research-related administrative tasks and teaching up to 20 % of the extent of employment.

Qualifications

In order to be appointed as a postdoctoral fellow, it is required to have completed a doctoral degree or a foreign degree deemed equivalent to a doctoral degree within either philosophy or other related field providing the relevant competence to undertake a philosophical project on ethics in teacher education. This qualification requirement must be fulfilled no later than at the time of the employment decision.

To be appointed under the postdoctoral agreement, priority should be given to candidates who completed their doctoral degree, according to what is stipulated in the paragraph above, no later than three years prior to the application deadline. If there are special reasons, candidates who completed their doctoral degree prior to that may also be eligible. Special reasons include absence due to illness, parental leave, appointments of trust in trade union organizations, military service, or similar circumstances, as well as clinical practice or other forms of appointment/assignment relevant to the subject area.

A precondition is that the applicant has not previously been employed as a postdoctoral fellow at Umeå University for more than a year within the same or equivalent discipline.

Proficiency in written and spoken English is also required, as is a good ability to collaborate with others.

When research expertise is assessed, particular importance will be given to the applicant’s research plan attached to the application. The plan will be assessed with regard to the quality and feasibility of the proposed research and the chosen topic’s relevance to ethics in teacher education. Importance will also be given to research expertise demonstrated by independent research production including the PhD thesis.

Application

A full application can be written in either Swedish or English and must include:

• A short description of your research interests and your motivation for applying for the current position (1-2 pages)
• CV
• A complete publication list with electronic copies of 3–5 of the most relevant works, the PhD thesis included
• Certificate of doctoral degree and other relevant degrees
• A brief research plan (4-6 pages)
• Contact information for at least two reference persons

The application is to be submitted via the e-recruiting system Varbi no later than March 10th 2025. 

Further information

The position is a fixed-term full-time position (100%) for two years according to the terms of the agreement on fixed-term employment as a postdoctoral fellow. The start of the emloyment is September 1st or by agreement. The postdoctoral fellow is expected to contribute actively to the development of the local research environment at the Department of Historical, Philosophical and Religious Studies, Umeå University, where the position is located. Therefore, the selected candidate is required to be present on-site in Umeå to a high degree.

For more information about the employment, contact Associate professor Lars Samuelsson, +46907866241 [email protected] or Head of Department, Jonas Nilsson, +46907869990 [email protected]. 

For more information about The Department of Historical, Philosophical and religious studies please visit our web page https://www.umu.se/en/department-of-historical-philosophical-and-religious-studies/ 

We look forward to receiving your application!