Senior lecturer in Theoretical Philosophy, 50% - Hiring in process/Finished, not possible to apply

Workplace description/subject

The Department of Philosophy, with a staff of 80, is divided into Practical Philosophy, Theoretical Philosophy and Cognitive Science. It is a research-intensive department that understands the importance of having knowledgeable and committed teaching staff and offering its 250 students programmes and courses of the highest quality.

Theoretical philosophy has three main research specialisations: 1) Philosophy, cognition and communication. This research specialisation has an interdisciplinary approach to psychology, robotics and linguistics, focusing on the development and evolution of human capabilities, social cognition and non-verbal communication. 2) Knowledge and quality of information. Research within this specialisation is conducted on various aspects of knowledge and information, including social networks and epistemological aspects of bias and prejudice. 3) Metaphysics of science. This research specialisation focuses on the philosophical analysis of central scientific concepts such as property, explanation, causality, mechanism, time and social construction with interdisciplinary connections to biology, physics and social sciences. Within theoretical philosophy, courses are offered in the second cycle that provide an opportunity for specialisation in the main field of study for a Master’s degree (60/120 credits).

Duties

The successful candidate will conduct teaching, research and supervision in theoretical philosophy and strive, in collaboration with the department’s other staff members, to further develop the education and research environment. The position of senior lecturer involves teaching in the first, second and third cycles, as well as the supervision of students in the second cycle and doctoral students in theoretical philosophy. The position may also involve being responsible for the first-cycle programme with a specialisation in investigation work that is currently being developed at the department. The first-cycle programme aims to prepare students for advanced investigation work (such as producing, compiling, evaluating and drawing conclusions from different types of information with an aim to review and follow up different activities) in, for example, the public sector. Other duties such as administrative work may also be included. Lastly, the successful candidate is to actively seek external research funding.

Required qualifications

Completed doctoral degree in theoretical philosophy or corresponding research competence or some other professional expertise that is of value in view of the subject matter of the position and the duties included in this post.

• demonstrated teaching expertise.
• completion of at least five weeks of training in teaching and learning in higher education or corresponding knowledge acquired in another way. If there are special circumstances, e.g. if the applicant in their previous position did not have the conditions for acquiring such knowledge, the appointment may go ahead, nonetheless. The employee is then to undertake training in teaching and learning in higher education during the first two years of employment, so that the requirement is fulfilled.
• very good and documented ability to teach in Swedish. If such ability is lacking, the appointment may go ahead, nonetheless. The employee is then to acquire such ability within one year of the first day of employment, so that after this period they can take on administrative and teaching duties that require good proficiency in Swedish.
• very good and documented ability to speak and write academic English.

Assessment criteria

• the degree of research, teaching, administrative and other expertise that is of value in view of the work duties and subject matter of the post as well as other personal abilities and skills of relevance to perform the duties well.
• a good national and international standing as a researcher. The requirement for international experience shall be assessed with consideration to the character and traditions of the subject.
• good teaching ability, including a good ability to conduct, develop and lead teaching and other educational activities at different levels and using a variety of teaching methods.
• an ability to supervise doctoral students to achieve a doctoral degree.
• an ability to participate in and develop public engagement and other outreach activities.
• a good general ability to otherwise lead and develop activities.

In the assessment, equal consideration will be given to teaching expertise and research expertise.

Specific qualifications of additional merit (in no particular order)

• well-documented experience of research in analytical philosophy within one or more of theoretical philosophy’s main areas (epistemology, history of philosophy, logic, philosophy of mind, metaphysics and philosophy of language).
• well-documented breadth of subjects in teaching experience at all levels of teaching (first cycle, second cycle – Master’s 60/120 credits – and third cycle).
• well-documented experience of having taught investigation methodology or experience of investigation work.
• well-documented experience of having taught history of philosophy in the first cycle.

In addition to these qualifications, the following five qualifications (in no particular order) are desirable to a great extent, but not as great as the research and teaching qualifications above.

• documented experience of having taught in some of the main fields of study in theoretical philosophy in the first and second cycles.
• documented supervisor experience in the second cycle and for doctoral students that led to degrees.
• documented professional development in teaching and learning in higher education (i.e. in addition to five weeks of training in teaching and learning in higher education).
• documented experience of various digital teaching tools, such as Canvas.
• documented supervisor experience from the first or second cycle (Master’s 60/120 credits).

Instructions for the application

The application must conform to the instructions that can be downloaded at
https://www.ht.lu.se/en/the-faculties/academic-vacancies/instructions-for-applicants. The applicant is responsible for making sure that the application is complete, in accordance with the vacancy announcement and instructions, and for submitting it to the University by the application deadline through the recruitment portal.

The Academic Appointments Board normally selects a shortlist of applicants. This selection can be done in one or several steps and if needed with the help of external experts. The applicants who are selected for external assessment may be invited to submit physical copies of the papers that they wish to submit for expert assessment within 14 days.

Conditions & Terms

Lund University is a public authority, which means that you receive special benefits, generous annual leave and an advantageous occupational pension. Read more on the University’s website about being an LU employee, Working at Lund University. The University applies individual salary-setting.