Postdoctoral fellow

By working at Dalarna University, you can help create opportunities so that everyone can attain a higher education. Regionally and globally, we create open pathways to knowledge for a good society. We work to ensure our programmes and courses remain of relevance and of high quality, while our research is conducted in close collaboration with external partners. We have 820 staff members and 13900 students, as well as a great many collaborative partners. Do you want to effect change in the world with us?Are you looking for a stimulating academic environment with a successful integration of education, research, and cooperation with our external community in the field of teacher education? With us you will also have good opportunities to contribute to the development of our activities as well as to develop your own professional competence.   Dalarna University conducts education, research, and cooperation with schools and preschools within the area of teacher education. Our initial teacher education programs prepare teachers for compulsory school and upper secondary school, including vocational school. Besides these professional programs, we also offer a separate one-year MA and a four-year PhD in Educational Work.

Job description
As a postdoctoral fellow you will work in an active research environment consisting of over fifty researchers and twenty-five doctoral students. You will mainly work with research aligned with one or both of the two research profiles at the School of Teacher Education:

Leadership in Educational Practices encompasses research guided by the didactic questions of what, how, and why in connection with different types of educational challenges. More specifically it focuses on what knowledge and skills teachers need to develop to function as professional leaders of student learning.

Disciplinary Literacy includes research on different subject-specific ways of constructing and expressing knowledge, where language and content are intricately interwoven. Besides research on subject-specific language use, this profile also includes investigations into the teaching and learning of reading and writing in different educational practices from early childhood to upper secondary school, as well as in teacher education.

Even though your focus as a postdoctoral fellow will be on research, you will also be expected to contribute to our teacher education programs (≈ 20%) and to take an active part in our research seminars. A physical presence at our campus in Falun is required.

Specific requirements for this employment:

- Doctoral degree in educational sciences, education, subject specific education, pedagogy, didactics, or another discipline of direct relevance to the post advertised. The degree must not be older than three years from the deadline of application. If there are special grounds, such a degree can have been achieved earlier. Special grounds in this context are sick leave, parental leave, positions of trust in unions, service in the Armed Forces, or other similar circumstances.

- Ability to cooperate and take initiatives, as well as a high level of responsibility

- Fluency in English, speaking as well as writing

Of merit for this employment:

- Previous research in the area of teacher education

- Professional teacher’s degree and experience from teaching at compulsory and/or upper secondary school

- Experience from working with teacher education—university-based courses or practicum

- Experience from development projects focused on partnerships between teacher education and schools

Assessment criteria

Research expertise:


• The relevance of previously conducted research to the profile of the employment
• The breadth, depth, and academic quality of previous research
• Independence and originality as a researcher

Teaching expertise:


• Ability to create opportunities for student learning as well as to incite student interest and engagement in the subject.
• Experience of teaching at different levels.
• Experience of supervising student essays or theses.
• Documented teaching skills, including the planning, teaching, examination and evaluation of courses.
• Postgraduate degree or certificate for teaching at university level.

Dalarna University will consider the applicant who – after a qualitative overall assessment of research and pedagogical skills, and other qualifications of relevance to this employment – is deemed to have the best capabilities for fulfilling the duties of this employment as postdoctoral fellow.

The application should include:
- curriculum vitae
- personal cover letter 

- plan for proposed research project (2000–3000 words)
- transcripts from educational degrees
- list of publications of relevance for the employment
- five of the most relevant publications in full text, including PhD thesis

- written account of previous research

- pedagogical qualifications in accordance with the template on Dalarna University homepage: https://www.du.se/contentassets/10639e5234e042eeb4134d272888482e/engelska-pedportfolj-efter-ufn-nov-2013.pdf

The application must be submitted digitally via Dalarna University’s recruitment system.All application documents will be externally reviewed by experts.
The employment as postdoctoral fellow is a full-time post for two years. Start 1 September 2024, or according to agreement. Probationary employment may be used. Placement: Falun, Sweden.
For more information, please see Appointment Procedures for Teachers at Dalarna University:

 https://www.du.se/globalassets/sp/styrdokument/appointment-procedures-for-teaching-staff-at-dalarna-university.pdf

We look forward to receiving your application!
Deadline for applications: 2024-01-31.

Is this job interesting for you? Please see the complete job descripion and more information about the job and the requirements for the job Postdoctoral fellow - Dalarna University (du.se)

In case of discrepancy between the Swedish original and the English translation of the job announcement, the Swedish version takes precedence.

For more information about working at Dalarna University, please visit https://www.du.se/en/about-du/career-opportunities/why-work-here/

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