The University Courses on Svalbard (UNIS) is offering a Faculty position in
Arctic Ecology. Inquiries about this position may be directed to
Associate Professor Rolf Langvatn
phone no: + 47 - 79 02 33 51
rolf.langvatn [at] unis.no
Application deadline is 25 April 2000
Faculty Position in Arctic Ecology
(Full or Associate Professor level)
The Department of Biology at the University Courses on Svalbard (UNIS),
Svalbard, Norway, invites applications for a faculty position in arctic
terrestrial ecology - botany. The position carries significant
responsibilities in both research and teaching within the same topics.
The teaching affiliated with this position includes responsibility for one
of four core courses in UNIS's one-year senior-undergraduate programme -
Terrestrial Arctic Biology (AB-201), as well as teaching in other
undergraduate and graduate course offerings within the Institution. Please
note that UNIS stresses the value of field studies throughout our programmes
at all levels.
It is expected that the person appointed to this job will conduct an active,
productive research programme in his\her field, and will co-supervise
Masters and Doctoral students in cooperation with the four mainland
Norwegian Universities or Universities from other co-operating nations.
This position will be awarded to the best candidate in terms of both the
quality and quantity of research they have conducted to date, as well their
teaching experience. An additional consideration will be the specific field
of research of the candidates - as the successful applicant must compliment
the current staff in the department and must fit the department's long-term
research-profile objectives. In addition, research experience from
Spitsbergen and other Polar-regions will be considered a marked advantage.
In addition to the teaching responsibility, the position includes
co-supervision of Masters and Doctoral students. Teaching experience will
therefore be considered a marked advantage.
UNIS is a foundation owned by the four Norwegian Universities and is located
in Longyearbyen, on Svalbard. The studies at UNIS are marketed
internationally, and all classes are offered in English. UNIS is highly
multinational - currently students from 18 countries are studying at UNIS.
Employment conditions for all full-time faculty positions at UNIS
Sixty per cent of the working time of full-time faculty at UNIS is reserved
for research and professional development. In addition, staff are required
to take part in teaching, administration, and the social community in
accordance with current regulations.
Approximately 30 ECTS credits are linked to each position at UNIS. Full-time
staff have both the professional and the administrative responsibility for a
subject or subjects equivalent to 15 ECTS (primary subject). In addition
they have a coordinating, administrative responsibility for a further 15
ECTS (secondary subject). External guest-lecturers augment the teaching in
most course offerings to ensure complete, high-level instruction within each
field of study.
All scientific staff are responsible for planning, in detail, the content of
their primary subject and must make all necessary arrangements with external
guest lecturers, as well as preparing for and coordinating the stays of
guest-lecturers coming to Svalbard.
All faculty members are responsible for budget compliance and financial
follow-up for their primary subject and for providing continuity of contact
with the students in their primary course. They must also provide assistance
in handling these tasks in secondary courses assigned to them.
The chosen applicant is expected to take an active part in the advancement
of his/her field of research and must also be willing to contribute to the
development of UNIS in a more general sense.
Qualifications
Applicants must be able to document their qualifications as Full/Associate
Professor. To be considered for the position of Associate Professor, a
Ph.D., or its equivalent, is the minimum requirement. A candidate may (under
exceptional circumstances) be employed as an Assistant Professor without a
Doctorate. To be considered for a position as Full Professor, the applicant
must already occupy such a position at another institution, or previously
have been found qualified at this rank.
Applicants are requested to document their teaching qualifications and
experience.
Salary
All salaries are set in accordance with the Norwegian government's
University salary scale. Full Professors are offered a gross salary of NOK
384 000, Associate Professors a gross salary of NOK 320 300. A Social
Security contribution of 2 per cent, to the Norwegian Public Service Pension
Fund, will be deducted from the salary. Income tax on Svalbard is 6 per
cent, plus 7.8 per cent toward National Insurance coverage.
Terms and conditions of employment
The employment contract is for a period of 3 years with an option for an
additional 3-year extension. An annual allowance of NOK 18,400 will be added
to staff salaries for the extent of their stay at Svalbard. In addition UNIS
offer:
- Furnished, reasonably priced housing for families.
- Free return passage for families, and relocation expenses associated
with initiation and termination of the engagement. - Free annual passage for families to their homes on the mainland.
- Possibility for sabbatical leave.
Selection and appointment
An expert Committee will evaluate the qualifications of the applicants. The
Committee will review in detail the quality of the scientific work done by
the candidate. Furthermore, the applicant's background from previous work on
Svalbard and other Arctic regions will be stressed, as well as their
teaching qualifications. It is important that the person who is appointed
has the ability to work independently, has a positive attitude, and is
flexible. A well-established international network is desirable in order to
strengthen the internationalization of the teaching offered at UNIS. The
appointment will be made by the Board of UNIS based on the recommendation
from the Selection Committee and the Director.
Application
Inquiries about this position may be directed to Associate Professor Rolf
Langvatn (phone no: + 47 - 79 02 33 51, email: rolf.langvatn [at] unis.no), or
UNIS Director Lasse Lønnum (phone no: + 47 - 79 02 33 05, email:
lasse.lonnum [at] unis.no).
Deadline for applications is 25th of April 2000.
Applicants should submit 3 copies of:
- their curriculum vitae (including a full list of publications &
previously held grants) - education and teaching certificates (and a list of previously
supervised graduate students, where applicable) - copies of 5 publications (authored or co-authored by the candidate)
that he\she wants to have evaluated for consideration for appointment to
this position.
To:
The University Courses on Svalbard
P.O. Box 156
N-9171, Longyearbyen
Norway