Assistant professor/Associate professor – Physics of Life

The world requires outstanding technical universities to address the multifaceted global challenges that we face today. Chalmers University of Technology and its Department of Physics are on an ambitious path to expand the frontiers of science and technology to meet those challenges.

As part of these ambitions, the Department of Physics seeks a curious and creative individual, active in the area of the Physics of Life, to join us as an Assistant Professor with tenure track or as an Associate Professor. We are looking for candidates with innovative research ideas who seek scientific freedom to pursue their aspirations, in particular with respect to method development, visualization and analysis, in the areas of biological/biotechnical physics, but will also consider exceptional candidates in related areas, including but not limited to biological engineering, biomolecular self-assembly and biologically inspired active matter (see this link for an overview of present research activities at the department).

What we offer
The position comes with a start-up package which includes:

• Four-year start-up funding
• Funding for one PhD student
• Opportunities for leadership training to further leverage your development as research leader and teacher
• Relocation support
• Mentoring
• A language course for non-Swedish speakers

Through our cross-departmental research arenas in, e.g., Health Engineering, Nanoscience, and Materials, you will have the opportunity to find collaborations and grow your network within the university and beyond as well as with our industrial and societal partners.

Chalmers offers a cultivating and inspiring working environment in the coastal city of Gothenburg. Equality and diversity are fundamental for all activities at Chalmers, and we actively work to improve our gender balance, for example via the GENIE Initiative on gender equality for excellence. Read more about working at Chalmers and the benefits for our employees.

Position summary
An Assistant Professor holds a four-year entry-level faculty position with tenure track. During this appointment you will independently formulate and solve original scientific problems, publish scientific articles in leading journals, communicate scientific results at leading national and international venues, attract external funding, and develop your skills in teaching and supervision. An intermediate assessment will be conducted after two years and a final tenure assessment will be carried out towards the end of the initial period of appointment.

An Associate Professor holds a tenured faculty position. As an Associate Professor you are established in the research community, publish scientific articles in leading journals, communicate your results at leading national and international venues, regularly attract external funding, and are on track to become an excellent teacher and supervisor.

Major Responsibilities
In both positions you are expected to perform your own research, to build and lead an internationally recognized research group, and to advance the research and teaching activities in the area of Biological Physics at the department and Chalmers levels.

The successful candidate will foster both independent and collaborative research in their field, teach general and specialist courses at the bachelor’s and master’s levels, attract research funding, and supervise students at all academic levels. The position also includes cooperation and exchange of knowledge with external partners, as well as internal development work at the department.

Qualifications
To qualify for the Assistant Professor position, you should:

• Hold a doctoral degree in physics, bioengineering, materials science, or a related field, explicitly including applicants with a background in biology, not older than 7 years prior to the application deadline. Exceptions can be made for longer periods resulting from documented parental leave, sick leave, or military service (the date shown in your doctoral degree certificate is used to set the cutoff date).
• Be able to demonstrate high potential in research and higher education
• Have experience with supervision of students at BSc or MSc level
• Have experience in university teaching

It is meritorious if you have already had pedagogical training and/or have experience in (co-)supervision of doctoral students.

To qualify for the Associate Professor position, you should:

• Hold a doctoral degree in physics, bioengineering, materials science, or a related field, explicitly including applicants with a background in biology, and a well-documented record of research in the area, including experience in conducting and leading research. You should also have a strong documented experience in relevant teaching and have expertise according to the recommendations of the Association of Swedish Higher Education
• Be able to demonstrate a good track record of university teaching and pedagogical training
• Have experience in supervision of students at the bachelor’s and/or master’s level and in (co-)supervision of doctoral students.

Regarding the position as Associate Professor: Applicants who currently do not formally meet these requirements may be employed for a permanent position under the condition that the required pedagogical training is completed within the first two years of employment. A clearly presented pedagogical portfolio will be an important part of your application.

Both positions require sound verbal and written communication skills in English.

This position is advertised as an open-rank position at either the Assistant or Associate Professor level. The selected level of the position will be decided based on the qualifications of the selected candidate. Your qualifications and academic level will be evaluated by the department, the Chalmers Faculty Appointment Committee and external evaluators. Both the listed criteria in the job advertisement and the criteria in the document Rules of Procedure – Chalmers University of Technology's Appointment Regulations for Teaching and Research Faculty will be taken into account when evaluating candidates.

For a complete description of the academic level for the position of Assistant Professor, please consult our Appointment regulations, section 6.4. 

For a complete description of the academic level for the position of Associate Professor, please consult our Appointment regulations, section 6.3. 

Application procedure
The application should be marked with Ref 20240345 and written in English. The application should be sent electronically and be attached as PDF-files, as specified below. Maximum size for each file is 40 MB. Please note that the system does not support Zip files.

Please follow the instructions for compiling an application for a research and teaching position at Chalmers.

Personal letter

• Please name the document as: Personal letter, Family name, Ref. number
• This shall be one page where you
  • Introduce yourself
  • Describe your motivation for applying to this position and what attracts you about Chalmers
  • Describe how you support your colleagues and bring about a good working environment
  • Include names and full contact information of two references that we can contact

CV

• (Please name the document as: CV, Family name, Ref. number)
• Your CV (please see the CV instructions)
• Include a list of publications (non-peer-reviewed works and publications under submission should be listed separately)
• Documents verifying awards and recognitions stated in your CV, leadership activities, etc, and other documents relevant to support your application.

Research statement

• Please name the document as: Research statement, Family name, Ref. number
• If you are applying for the position on the Assistant Professor level, also include information about your previous teaching experience in this document since your application then does not have to include a pedagogical portfolio. 
• This shall be one to three pages where you:
  • Describe your previous research areas and main research results
  • State your future research goals and focus
  • How your work might strengthen, complement, or create synergies between our exiting research groups.

Other documents

• Certificate or Diploma verifying your doctoral degree
• Verification of parental leave, sick leave or military service, if relevant
• Documents verifying awards and recognitions stated in your CV, leadership or teaching activities, etc, and other documents relevant to support your application
• Copies of a maximum of five relevant publications that cannot be accessed via your ORCID, Scopus ID or ResearcherID, if relevant

Only applicable to applicants for Associate Professor

• Pedagogical qualifications: (Please name the document as: Pedagogical portfolio, Family name, Ref number)
  • Please compile a pedagogical portfolio to describe your pedagogical and educational qualifications using the format specified in the Pedagogical Portfolio instructions.
  • Please append certificates for completed courses in pedagogical training and any other documents described in the pedagogical portfolio instructions.

Please note: The applicant is responsible for ensuring that the application is complete. Incomplete applications and applications sent by email will not be considered.

Please use the button at the bottom of this page to reach the application form.

Application deadline: September 1, 2024, by midnight (GMT+2) 

For questions, please contact:

• Professor Thomas Nilson, Head of Department, thomas.nilsson@chalmers.se
• Professor Paul Erhart, Deputy Head of Department, erhart@chalmers.se

Chalmers declines to consider all offers of further announcement publishing or other types of support for the recruiting process in connection with this position.
   

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Chalmers University of Technology conducts research and education in engineering sciences, architecture, technology-related mathematical sciences, natural and nautical sciences, working in close collaboration with industry and society. The strategy for scientific excellence focuses on our six Areas of Advance; Energy, Health Engineering, Information and Communication Technology, Materials Science, Production and Transport. The aim is to make an active contribution to a sustainable future using the basic sciences as a foundation and innovation and entrepreneurship as the central driving forces. Chalmers has around 11,000 students and 3,000 employees. New knowledge and improved technology have characterised Chalmers since its foundation in 1829, completely in accordance with the will of William Chalmers and his motto: Avancez!