Full/ Associate Professor in Arctic Terrestrial Ecology

Full/ Associate Professor in arctic terrestrial ecology

The department of Arctic Biology are now seeking candidates for the position of Professor / Associate Professor in arctic terrestrial ecology. The Department for Arctic Biology presently consists of one professor, four associate professors, six Ph.D students, eight adjunct professors, and two Post Docs. Additional information about the Arctic Biology department can be found at www.unis.no.

About UNIS

UNIS is a state-owned limited company with four of Norway’s universities represented on the board. UNIS is located in a modern working environment in Longyearbyen, Svalbard, and is well equipped with both technical and scientific equipment and laboratories. The institution has an infrastructure for both marine and terrestrial field research on Svalbard. The studies at UNIS are marketed internationally and all classes are offered in English. Approximately half of the staff and students are from abroad – in 2010 students from 27 countries studied at UNIS. For more information about Svalbard please see ‘About Svalbard’ at www.svalbard.ne

Description of the vacant position

We are seeking candidates for the position of Professor / Associate Professor in Arctic Terrestrial Ecology, with competence within energy flow / trophic levels. The field of expertise of all applicants will be evaluated in relation to the existing plans and research profiles of the department. The research will be within the scope of the Department of Arctic Biology at UNIS, and possibilities for research collaboration with the terrestrial staff members in particular, but also the department as a whole, will be emphasized.

The appointed person is expected to take an active role in the advancement of his / her field of research and to strengthen the terrestrial course portfolio, especially at master/PhD level. The appointed person is expected to participate in the supervision of master- and PhD students in cooperation with the other universities. The person will also be responsible for two undergraduate or post graduate courses. A suggested course for the new staff member is “Arctic Terrestrial Ecosystems: Energy Flow and Systems (master/phd level). The candidate is also encouraged to suggest new courses.

Experience from Svalbard or other polar areas will be of importance.

Please note that UNIS stresses the importance of field studies throughout our teaching programs at all levels.

For further description see: http://www.unis.no/studies.

Qualifications

Applicants for the position must be able to document their qualifications as Full or Associate Professor. To be considered for the position of Associate Professor a Ph.D. in an appropriate field, or its equivalent, is the minimum requirement. Professor qualifications must be documented as UNIS does not evaluate applicants for professorships.

Furthermore, the applicant’s background from previous work on Svalbard or other Arctic regions will be assessed. Applicants are also requested to document their pedagogic qualifications and experience. Good statistical competence would be seen as an advantage.

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.

Employment conditions for faculty positions at UNIS

The vacant position is full-time permanent within the Arctic Biology department.

Sixty per cent of the working time of full-time faculty staff at UNIS is reserved for research and professional development. In addition, staff are required to be involved in teaching and administration.

All scientific staff are responsible for planning the content of their primary subject and must make all necessary arrangements with external guest lecturers, as well as preparing and coordinating the stays of guest-lecturers coming to Svalbard.

All faculty members are responsible for budget compliance, 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 successful candidate 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.

UNIS will offer

• Free arrival passage for the appointed person and their family including relocation expenses associated with initiation of the engagement.
• Annual refund of expenses for a trip related to vacation for you and your family to the nearest airport from your registered home address.
• Membership in the Norwegian Public Pension Fund which is offers one of the best arrangements for retirement pension.
• Favourable conditions for sabbatical leave

Salary

All salaries are set in accordance with the Norwegian government’s University salary scale.

Full Professors are offered a gross salary within the scale of  salary step 67-73

(NOK 538 700.- - 604 200.-) in the University salary scale. Associate Professors are offered a gross salary within the scale of salary step 58 – 65 (NOK 456 200.- - 519 500.-) in the University salary scale. In special cases it can be considered a higher salary step. The salaries are depending on experience/seniority.

As resident of Svalbard, an annual allowance of NOK 26 400.- (Svalbardtillegg) will be added to staff salaries.

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 8 per cent, plus 7.8 per cent toward National Insurance coverage.

Selection and appointment

An expert committee will evaluate the qualifications of the applicants. Based on the report, an interview committee will invite the top ranked person(s) for a trial lecture and an interview.

The appointment will be made by the Board of UNIS, based on the recommendation from the committees and an appointment committee.

Application

Inquiries about this position may be directed to:

Associate Professor Pernille B. Eidesen, email: pernillee@unis.no, phone: +47 79 02 33 43.

Associate Professor Steve Coulson, email: stevec@unis.no, phone: +47 79 02 33 34.

Deadline for applications is April 15 2011

Please apply online on www.unis.no/vacancies

In the end of the form, please attach:

• a full list of publications & previously held grants
• education, pedagogic or teaching certificates (including a list of previously supervised graduate and PhD students, where applicable)
• 5 publications (authored or co-authored by the candidate) that he/ she wants to have evaluated for consideration for appointment to this position

The committee may ask for further documentation of the scientific work described by the applicants.