Professor of English Language and Linguistics - Hiring in process/Finished, not possible to apply

On the subject and the content of the position

English Language and Linguistics at the Centre for Languages and Literature is an active research environment conducting research both within the subject and in collaboration with researchers outside it, nationally and internationally. Seminars are held in the subject and across subject boundaries, and we collaborate closely with the Humanities Laboratory.

English Language and Linguistics has the ten-year objective of further reinforcing and developing research within two main fields: English linguistics specialising in language usage and variation, and English linguistics specialising in linguistic representation and language processing. The former concerns the way in which language is used and varies in relation to parameters such as time, space and situation, while the latter is focused on how linguistic expressions are linked to cognition and linguistic structures. We are therefore looking for an internationally prominent researcher with proven expertise in at least one of these specialisations.

The duties of a professor of English Language and Linguistics include (1) responsibility for the development of research and education and training at PhD level, (2) individual research, planning, participation in, and management of, research projects including applications for research funding, and (3) teaching, supervision and course development in all cycles of study including at post-doctoral level. Active physical presence in the research environment is important.

We provide education in the first, second and third cycles and we supervise postdocs in various research projects. We strive to provide students with a broad education of the highest quality in key areas of English linguistics: grammar, semantics, phonetics and phonology, pragmatics, discourse analysis and language acquisition. The subject also provides educational work on academic writing. English is an important subject within the secondary school teacher training programme at Lund University and research into subject didactics is currently being strengthened at the Centre for Languages and Literature. Furthermore, English linguistics constitutes a vital part of the Master’s Programme in Language and Linguistics, and of education and training at PhD level at the Centre for Languages and Literature. Our courses are popular and open to all students in the linguistics specialisations at the Centre for Languages and Literature.

Qualifications and assessment

A person who has demonstrated both research and teaching expertise shall be qualified for employment as a professor. The assessment criteria for appointment as a professor shall be the degree of the expertise required as a qualification for employment. For appointment as a professor, there is a requirement for training in teaching and learning in higher education amounting to at least five weeks or that equivalent knowledge has been acquired in some other way.

Although teaching and supervision within the framework of the position take place in English, a successful candidate who does not speak Swedish, Danish or Norwegian at the time of appointment will be expected to have acquired sufficient knowledge of Swedish to be able to use it in a work context within two years of employment.

Further requirements for appointment are:

• A documented, broad knowledge of central areas of English linguistics that study the use, meaning and structure of the language in speech and writing.
• Documented knowledge and experience of various empirical methods used in English linguistics, for instance the development of experimental methods and methods using language (databases and) corpora.

For appointments to professor, the following shall form the assessment criteria:

• a very high level of research, teaching, administrative and other expertise that is of value in view of the subject matter of the post and the duties that it will involve, as well as the personal skills in general that are important for successfully carrying out the duties,
• a very high level of research qualifications including a very good national and international standing as a researcher,
• a very high level of teaching expertise which involves a very good ability to conduct, develop and lead teaching and other educational activities on different levels and using a variety of teaching methods,
• a good ability to supervise doctoral students to achieve a PhD,
• a good ability to participate in and develop public engagement and other outreach activities,
• a good general ability to lead and develop activities.

Research expertise is to be demonstrated through extensive, documented research contributions and through the applicant having sustained internationally recognised activity of high quality. The applicant is to be able to exhibit internationally competitive publication demonstrating both breadth and depth. The applicant also needs to have proven expertise in planning, initiating, leading and developing research; have a proven ability to obtain research grants in competition and experience; and have proven experience and expertise in master’s and doctoral supervision.

A good national and international level as a researcher entails a broad international network and active participation in the national and international research community. This is demonstrated, for instance, through documented experience of assignments as an expert, editor, peer reviewer (reference) or project manager, by membership in formal networks and various assignments in elected office.

Very good teaching expertise is demonstrated through both experience of the educational activities described above and a reflective attitude to the applicant’s own teaching role.

If the successful applicant has undergone fewer than 10 weeks training in teaching and learning in higher education and/or lacks training in the supervision of doctoral students, this training is expected to be obtained within the first two years of employment.

A good ability to lead and develop activities is demonstrated through documented experience, with positive testimonials and clear results, of leading, coordinating and developing research activities and collaborating with others.

Desirable qualifications in descending order of importance:

• Documented experience of strategic and innovative work on the development of research and courses.
• Documented experience and proven expertise in supervision at Master’s level and/or PhD level.
• Documented ability to foster the establishment of junior researchers in the research community.
• Documented multiyear experience of teaching English linguistics or the equivalent at university level (first, second and third cycles of study).

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

Application

The application is to comply with the instructions available on www.ht.lu.se/en/the-faculties/academic-vacancies/instructions-for-applicants/. The applicant is responsible for ensuring that the application is complete according to the vacancy announcement and the instructions, and that all required documents have been received by the University through its recruitment portal by the stated deadline.

The academic appointments board normally makes a selection among the applications which are then sent to the external experts for assessment. In connection with this decision, the academic appointments board may request that the applicants submit physical copies, within 14 days, of the publications they have listed in their applications.

Conditions

The University applies individual salary-setting.