Senior Lecturer in Marine Biodiversity in a Changing World

Ref PAR 2020/1416

The University of Gothenburg tackles society’s challenges with diverse knowledge. 49 000 students and 6 400 employees make the university a large and inspiring place to work and study. Strong research and attractive study programmes attract scientists and students from around the world. With new knowledge and new perspectives, the University contributes to a better future.

Senior Lecturer in Marine Biodiversity in a changing world

The Department of Marine Sciences (DoMS) (https://www.gu.se/en/marina-vetenskaper) at the University of Gothenburg was formed in 2015 and is Sweden's most complete environment for marine research and education. It is one of only a few such organizations in Europe. DoMS is host to the Centre for Sea and Society (https://www.gu.se/en/sea-society) an entry point to all marine and maritime activities within the University of Gothenburg.

The Gothenburg area is a national hub for management of the sea, including being the location of the Swedish Institute for the Marine Environment (https://www.havsmiljoinstitutet.se/english/?languageId=100001&disableRedirect=true&returnUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.havsmiljoinstitutet.se%2F%3FlanguageId%3D100000), hosted by the University of Gothenburg, and the Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management (https://www.havochvatten.se/en).

DoMS is situated at and has permanent staff at three locations: in Gothenburg as well as at the research stations at Kristineberg and Tjärnö on the coast north of Gothenburg.

DoMS is hiring four university teachers - all within the theme of “Marine Global Change”. With a cluster hiring of these four positions, DoMS aims to strengthen its competence in research and education on how global change affects the structure and function of chemical, geological and biological components of the marine environment.

DoMS is a very suitable location to do global change science. DoMS has multidisciplinary strength comprising marine biology, marine chemistry, marine geology, marine heritage conservation, and physical oceanography; DoMS conducts both broad and cutting-edge research in the Scandinavian coastal ocean and in polar and tropical seas; DoMS runs a broad educational program in marine science; and DoMS has access to (and is the host department for) a unique marine infrastructure including two large and modern research stations (Tjärnö Marine Laboratory and Kristineberg Marine Research Station) enabling easy access to a multitude of marine habitats, and a new 49-m research vessel (Skagerak) allowing open-sea work.

Subject area description

The DoMS seeks to recruit a Senior Lecturer in Marine Biodiversity. The successful candidate has a strong background in marine biodiversity research with proven quantitative skills in handling biodiversity data, and the candidate should have an interest in broader-scale (global and/or regional) questions. The research expertise can involve experimental, theoretical, model-based and/or observational components. There is the possibility to work with the wealth of Swedish marine data covering species distributions and genetic variations of benthic flora and fauna, zooplankton, fish and marine mammals. Experience with a programming language such as R, Python or Matlab is expected. In addition, expertise in coastal and/or shallow marine systems and their fauna and flora, and the ability to apply that expertise to Northeast Atlantic systems, is a strong merit.

The University of Gothenburg and the DoMS house a strong biodiversity research environment, including the Gothenburg Global Biodiversity Centre (https://ggbc.gu.se/) and the Centre for Marine Evolutionary Biology (https://cemeb.science.gu.se)

with the aim to accelerate biodiversity research. Furthermore, The Centre for Sea and Society, which aims to stimulate and develop transdisciplinary research and education within the marine field, provides a venue for scientific collaboration and science outreach.

This position will further strengthen DoMS’s profile in biodiversity research. We are looking for a person with a strong interest in global and regional drivers of marine biodiversity change, including ecological and evolutionary aspects, and how these drivers affect regional and local biodiversity.

Job assignments

The successful candidate will develop a research programme in her/his chosen research area. The research shall be conducted in projects led and initialized by the candidate, as well as in projects led by other researchers at the department. The candidate is expected to set up a research group in the relevant research area, including attracting external research funding. The candidate´s research plan should demonstrate opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration with other marine disciplines in the Department, as well as national and international collaboration.

This individual position advertisement is linked to a larger set of thematic-based positions (biology, geology & chemistry) being advertised under the common theme Global Change. The DoMS envisions that these thematic-based recruitments, as well as existing researchers at the DoMS, will work together to develop a strong research environment within the field of Global Change.  

The successful candidate is expected to be actively involved in teaching within the marine sciences. Teaching is approximately 20% of a full-time position, albeit with a reduced teaching allocation (approximately 10%) in the first year of employment. The successful candidate is expected to show genuine interest and competence in teaching, and, together with colleagues, will be expected to assist in developing new teaching material on the theme Global Change. In addition, the position includes supervision of bachelor and master students in their degree projects, as well as doctoral students. Other duties include creating and/or maintaining contacts with the surrounding society and may include serving on committees at the Department, Faculty and/or University levels.

Main tasks:

• Develop a research programme quantifying and improving the understanding of the relationships between the drivers behind a changing marine environment and changes in eukaryotic biodiversity, at species and/or genetic level, in both space and time
• Perform field work using the marine infrastructure at the University of Gothenburg
• Teaching on general and advanced courses, e.g. in marine biology, marine biodiversity, and ecology and evolution
• Contribute to developing the biological component of a new marine course on Global Change

Eligibility

The qualifications for academic positions are given in the Higher Education Ordinance. A doctoral exam, or an equivalent foreign exam, in an area relevant for the position is required. In addition, the ability to teach in Swedish or English is a requirement. The successful candidate is expected to teach in Swedish within two years from the start of the position. The University will assist candidates in learning Swedish by providing free University-based Swedish lessons.

If the candidate does not have any previous higher education teacher training, it is expected the candidate undergoes courses in teaching and learning in higher education. The University offers these courses free of charge to staff members. More can be found at: https://pil.gu.se/english/courses_in_english.

Assessment

The assessment of applications will be based on scientific proficiency and on pedagogical merits. Both will be assessed with the same care.

The scientific proficiency is assessed through well-documented scientific competence, including publications in leading international journals, supervision of PhD students, success in attracting external funding from national and international funding agencies, and invitations to conferences and scientific assignments.

The pedagogical merits are assessed through well-documented pedagogical experience, including the ability to plan and perform teaching, develop courses and educational materials, and successfully supervise master and bachelor students.

Employment

Type of employment: Open-ended

Extent: 100 %

Location: Department of Marine Sciences, Tjärnö Marine Laboratory

First day of employment: As soon as possible

Appointment procedure

The selection process will include evaluation by experts from outside the department, interviews, and trial lectures. Personal circumstances (e.g. parental leave, sick leave) will be taken into account in the assessment of qualifications, and must be specified in the presentation of credentials and experiences.

For further information

Regarding the position please, contact professor Henrik Pavia, Head of Department,

Tel. +46 (0) 31 786 9685 or +46 (0) 766 22 9685, e-mail: Henrik.pavia@marine.gu.se

Union representatives

Union representatives at the University of Gothenburg: https://www.gu.se/en/about-the-university/work-at-the-university-of-gothenburg/how-to-apply#Union-representatives

How to apply

In order to apply for a position at the University of Gothenburg, you have to register an account in our online recruitment system. Together with your application the following should be attached:

• CV, list of publications, and record of received research grants (with amounts).

• Description of scientific expertise, and motivation for the selection of no more than 10 scientific publications that you want to refer to. Describe your role in and contribution to each of the chosen publications.

• A research plan (maximum 3 pages) with a description of current and planned research as well as other planned activities relevant to this position.

• Description of pedagogical expertise, including information about the extent and level of teaching done and evaluation of its quality. This description should also contain a pedagogical reflection and teaching philosophy.
• Description of your experience of leadership, administration and cooperation with the surrounding community.
• Electronic copies of the maximum ten selected publications.

• Certificates and other documents that you wish to be considered.

It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure that the application is complete in accordance with the instructions in the job advertisement, and that it is submitted before the deadline. Any publications that are not available in electronic format should each be mailed in three copies to:

Academic Appointments Committee

Faculty Office for Science University of Gothenburg

Box 460

S-405 30 Gothenburg, Sweden 

The application is to be written in English.

Closing date: 7 March 2021

Additional information

For more information about the Faculty of Science please visit https://www.gu.se/en/science

Applications will be destroyed or returned (upon request) two years after the decision of employment has become final. Applications from the employed and from those who appeal the decision will not be returned.

In connection to this recruitment, we have already decided which recruitment channels we should use. We therefore decline further contact with vendors, recruitment and staffing companies.