Open rank: Associate Professor - Full Professor in Timber Structures

Do you want to build an internationally strong environment within Timber Structures? Chalmers University of Technology is on an ambitious path to expand the frontiers of science and technology and has good connections to the Swedish wood and timber industry. Depending on your merits and potential, there are possibilities for generous support from both the university and industry. As a professor in Timber Structures at Chalmers, your research will contribute to Sweden being one of the top players in modern timber construction technologies. You will shape the future generations of engineers and architects to embrace timber in construction.

The position is a permanent full-time faculty position. The level ranges from Associate Professor to Full Professor, depending on your qualifications.

About the department
The Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering (ACE) has about 240 employees working on every aspect of the built environment – houses to live in, roads to travel on, and water to drink – from planning and design to construction and maintenance. Together, we provide a comprehensive environment for civil engineering and architecture which is able to tackle the challenges of building a sustainable future. We have well-equipped research and teaching labs, and for this position our Structures lab and Architecture workshop (wood workshop) are especially of interest.

About the division
The position is placed at the Division of Structural Engineering, one of ten divisions at ACE, with two research areas: Lightweight Structures (Steel and Timber Structures), and Concrete Structures. Our education and research deal with load-carrying capacity, stability, functional design and durability of structures, such as bridges and buildings. We teach in undergraduate and master's programmes within the built environment. Our international MSc programme “Structural Engineering and Building Technology” is one of the most popular at Chalmers. Competence in Timber Structures is highly requested by students, therefore education on the topic is given in several courses in several of our programs (Civil Engineering, Architecture, and Architectural Engineering), as well as thesis projects.

About the research
Sustainability requirements highly increase the request for use of timber in construction. Considering the extensive growth in urban areas all over the world, there are driving forces for application of timber not only in small simple buildings, but also in challenging structures such as high-rise buildings, large-span roofs, bridges, wind turbine towers, etc. The increase of wood construction is driven by the request for low carbon construction technologies and bio-based materials, developments of engineered wood products and connection systems as well as through the industrialization of the wood sector. Examples of important research challenges are improving the mechanical performance of connections, reinforcement of timber in weak zones, composite structures with timber and other structural materials, structural stability and effective structural systems for demanding timber structures. The research needs span over large scales, from material science to large structures.  There is potential in connecting the research in different fields at Chalmers, e.g. structural engineering, computational mechanics, material science, design, and architecture.

Sweden is one of top players in modern timber construction technologies. One obvious reason is our large area of productive forest. Additionally, Sweden has well-experienced wood-processing and timber construction companies. Our strong industiral position in timber structures internationally makes Sweden well-situated for strong research on timber structures. Finally, Chalmers has good connections to the wood and timber industry.

Key responsibilities
As professor, you will provide scientific and pedagogical expertise within the area of timber structures and structural engineering. You are expected to lead the development of the research and teaching in timber structures in its next phase of growth and development.

Main responsibilities of the position include to:
- Develop and lead research in timber structures.
- Secure external research funding and to lead research projects.
- Be examiner and supervise PhD students as main supervisor.
- Develop and teach in courses on all levels of our education and to supervise degree projects.
- Collaborate with industry and society as well as within academia, internationally and in Sweden.

Other tasks at division and/or department level may also be included. 

Contract terms
The position is a full-time permanent employment. The level of the position ranges from Associate Professor to Full Professor and will be decided based on the qualifications of the selected candidate. Your qualifications and academic level will be evaluated by the department, Chalmers Faculty Appointment Committee, and external evaluators. For a definition of the academic levels for the position, please consult our Rules of Procedure – Chalmers University of Technology's Appointment Regulations for Teaching and Research Faculty (Associate Professor chapter 6.3, Professor chapter 6.2 and Full Professor chapter 6.1). 

Your profile
The qualifications to obtain Associate Professor level are described below. To qualify for the position on Full Professor level, scientific expertise and a leading international position in the field is required. For Associate Professor or Professor levels, you need to have potential to reach the Full Professor level.

- Capability and creativity to develop the research area timber structures at Chalmers to, with time, become internationally successful and distinguished, and support the development of the Swedish timber industry.
- Proven track record of and potential for continued high quality scientific research, as evidenced by publication records.
- Documented capability to attract and lead research projects.
- Well documented pedagogical skills and experience from teaching and development of education at undergraduate and graduate levels, as evidenced by your pedagogical portfolio. 
- Well documented ability to (co)supervise PhD and MSc students.
- MSc degree in Civil Engineering or a related topic and a PhD degree in the area of structural engineering/timber structures.

You have the potential to assume a leading role for research in your field. We expect that you can successfully apply for external funding and cooperate with industry. You have good leadership and cooperation skills. Experience from research, development and engineering practice in industry and demonstrated innovation capacity are meritorious.

The position requires sound verbal and written communication skills in English, while communication skills in Swedish is a merit.

We offer
Chalmers offers a cultivating and inspiring working environment in the coastal city of Gothenburg. Read more about working at Chalmers and our benefits for employees.

Chalmers aims to actively improve our gender balance. We work broadly with equality projects, for example the GENIE Initiative on gender equality for excellence. Equality and diversity are substantial foundations in all activities at Chalmers.

Application procedure
The application should be marked with Ref 20240213 and written in English. The application should be sent electronically and be attached as PDF-files, as 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)
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 guidelines).
• Include a list of publications.

Research statement: (Please name the document as: Research statement, Family name, Ref. number)
Three to four pages where you:
• Describe your previous research areas and main research results
• State your future research goals and focus.

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 portfolio instructions.

Teaching faculty at Chalmers are required to have completed couses in higher education pedagogics in accordance with SUHF’s recommendations (REK 2016:1) or equivalent education for a total of at least 10 weeks of full-time study. External applicants who currently do not meet the SUHF requirements may be employed for a permanent position under the condition that the required education is completed within the first three years of employment.

Other documents:
• Documents verifying awards and recognitions stated in your CV, 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.

Use the button at the foot of the page to reach the application form.

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

Application deadline: 12 May, 2024

For questions, please contact
Karin Lundgren, Professor and Head of Division, Structural Engineering
karin.lundgren@chalmers.se, +46 31 772 22 56

Henriette Söderberg, Head of Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering
henriette.soderberg@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!   

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