Professor in Design

The University of Gothenburg tackles society’s challenges with diverse knowledge. 56 000 students and 6 600 employees make the university a large and inspiring place to work and study. Strong research and attractive study programmes attract researchers and students from around the world. With new knowledge and new perspectives, the University contributes to a better future.

The University of Gothenburg is Sweden’s only university with practice-based research that spans the artistic fields of design, visual art, film and photography as well as craft, literary composition, curatorial practices and art education. 

The Artistic Faculty comprises of two departments: HDK-Valand – Academy of Art and Design and the Academy of Music and Drama. In addition, the Faculty hosts the international publication platform and biennial conference PARSE (Platform for Artistic Research Sweden), which aims to bring about a dialogue between interdisciplinary artistic practitioners and researchers. 

HDK-Valand’s research environment values a broad and inclusive research concept whereby knowledge is produced in established research formats, experimental artistic practice and education. Our research contributes to the discourse on environmental, societal and cultural challenges through engagement in interdisciplinary projects. Four research themes revolving around politics, the environment, economics and materiality constitute the areas of interest at HDK-Valand, facilitating collaboration between different subjects and actors and providing a broader base for both research and teaching. An overarching objective is to develop the complete academic environment.  

Our vision  

With the challenges facing society today, education and research in the artistic field is more important than ever. One of the strengths of art is that it provides perspective and critical tools, as well as meaning and hope. The Artistic Faculty is a driving force in art, culture and learning, as well as in creativity and innovation in a broader sense. We are a locally based and globally oriented space for art, knowledge, criticality, vision and transformation. Art and culture are for everyone, and we are a hub that brings together cultural practitioners, cultural institutions, creative industries and wider civil society. Our goal is to be a house with many entrances and even more exits.  

HDK-Valand is now looking for a Professor of Design.  

Subject area 

Design

Subject area description 

Design at HDK-Valand in Gothenburg is based within a complete environment that involves an exchange between education, research and society.  

HDK-Valand's transdisciplinary programs in design are based on a holistic perspective on design, and rest on an artistic foundation. Our students have the opportunity to work across borders and in depth in a broader overlapping field of design which includes environments, processes, structures and systems in a post-disciplinary spirit where great emphasis is placed on social and societal aspects of design.  

HDK-Valand's design education today consists of one program at the undergraduate level and three at the advanced level: Design, Child Culture Design and Embedded Design.  

HDK-Valand also provides postgraduate education through the Faculty’s Graduate School, which trains researchers with a focus on independent and critical knowledge production in the field. The Academy also offers a wide range of stand-alone courses that support lifelong learning and professional development. 

 

Duties 

As a professor at HDK-Valand, you will help develop our complete environment, where research and education are in close dialogue. You are expected to engage yourself and others in the development of the education in the subject in which you hold a professorship. You will have a leading role on the staff, giving you the scope to look ahead and develop future educational programmes, and you will demonstrate an openness to interdisciplinary collaborations within the Academy and beyond, in both education and research. You are expected to participate in teaching at all levels and to support and develop theory formation, contextualisation and reflection in the design field.  

As a professor, you will create the conditions for your own and others’ research by applying for research funding, and you will bear a collegial responsibility for ensuring that others develop in the field of research. This may involve providing support and feedback to colleagues in their development or leading a team within the Academy based on a research theme, subject area or interdisciplinary platform. It may also involve participating in the internal work of the University, in change management and in various forms of committee work, councils, editorial work, and the organisation of conferences or other public events. 

As a professor, you will be involved in the Faculty’s Graduate School, forming part of the team of supervisors and teaching at postgraduate level.  

As a professor, you will have an outward-facing role in which your knowledge and research are publicly visible and contribute to the development of the subject area and of wider society.  

The position includes time for your own research at a rate of 20% of full time. It is also possible to apply for additional resources for research time and activities.  

 

Eligibility 

The eligibility criteria for employing teaching staff are set out in Chapter 4 of the Higher Education Ordinance and in the Appointment Procedure for Teaching Posts at the University of Gothenburg.  

Those who have demonstrated both artistic and pedagogical expertise are eligible for appointment as a professor within the arts. 

The position requires extensive experience in teaching, programme and course development at advanced level, leadership at university level, and artistic competence at international level in the craft field. The current position also requires a doctoral degree in the relevant subject area, as well as a documented ability to conduct research and experience of doctoral supervision.  

The position also requires fluency in spoken and written English and experience in teaching at university level in English. 

Assessment criteria 

We are looking for someone with experience in teaching at all levels of higher education. You will have experience in doctoral supervision and teaching at postgraduate level. Furthermore, you will have knowledge and awareness of contemporary theory in the design field, an active practice that is demonstrated through artistic production and publications, and active participation in conferences and other public contexts. You will have an established international network that holds the potential to strengthen and develop the Academy and the Faculty.  

The assessment is based on artistic, pedagogical and, where appropriate, scientific expertise.  

Artistic expertise means that the applicant has:  

• Visibility and value in artistic and professional contexts  
• Productivity in the design field  
• Artistic research  
• Links and relevance to the research conducted within the Academy  

Pedagogical expertise means that the applicant has:  

• Documented experience in programme and curriculum development, including different forms of examination 
• Documented experience in lecturing, supervising and examining in higher education 
• A proven ability to convey knowledge, commitment and interest in the subject of design  
• A proven ability to apply current theoretical discourses in the design field in order to develop teaching at all levels  

Scientific expertise means that the applicant has:  

• A documented ability to initiate and conduct research  
• A doctoral degree in the relevant subject area  
• Experience in successfully applying for external funding  

 In making the appointment, emphasis will also be placed on the applicant’s qualifications:  

• Experience in international academic environments  
• Experience of working with broadening recruitment and gender equality in the field 
• Interest in and a proven ability to manage staff and operations  
• Knowledge and interest in research ethics 

Candidates who have not previously completed the higher education teaching courses provided by the University (or equivalent) are expected to do so within the first two years of employment.  

Since knowledge of Swedish is often a prerequisite for collegial cooperation, teachers, researchers and doctoral students who do not have good knowledge of Swedish are to be offered the opportunity to learn the language. 

We will primarily consider the person who, after an overall assessment of documented qualifications, competences and expertise, is deemed best able to carry out the relevant duties and contribute to the positive development of the operation.  

 

Employment 

• Permanent position 
• Full time position
• Position is placed at HDK-Valand, in Gothenburg, Sweden  
• Start date is day Aug 1st 2025 or the date we later agree upon 

 

 

Contact information 

If you have any questions about the position, please contact Head of department Klara Björk, klara.bjork@gu.se     

If you have any questions about the recruitment process, please contact the HR function at HDK-Valand, hr@hdk-valand.gu.se  

 

Unions 

Union representatives at the University of Gothenburg can be found here: https://www.gu.se/om-universitetet/jobba-hos-oss/hjalp-for-sokande 

 

 

Application 

Your application may be reviewed by international experts and it is desirable that the application and its attachments are written on English. If the application is written in Swedish, it may be translated. In the event of any discrepancy between the translated document and the the Swedish original, the institution takes no responsibility for translation or for direct, indirect or other forms of error that may occur in the translation.  

Submit your application via the University of Gothenburg’s recruitment portal by clicking the “Apply” button. It is your responsibility to ensure that the application is complete as per the vacancy notice, and that the University receives it by the final application deadline.    

Publications that cannot be attached to the application in digital format should be sent to HDK-Valand  
  

HDK-Valand   
HR, ref PAR 2024/303 
Box 131   
405 30 Gothenburg  
Sweden  

and should be received no later than last application date.  

Applications must be received by: 2 September 2024

 

  

Information for International Applicants 

Choosing a career in a foreign country is a big step. Thus, to give you a general idea of what we and Gothenburg have to offer in terms of benefits and life in general for you and your family/spouse/partner please visit: 

https://www.gu.se/en/about-the-university/welcome-services 
https://www.movetogothenburg.com/ 

The University works actively to achieve a working environment with equal conditions, and values the qualities that diversity brings to its operations.

Salaries are set individually at the University.

In accordance with the National Archives of Sweden’s regulations, the University must archive application documents for two years after the appointment is filled. If you request that your documents are returned, they will be returned to you once the two years have passed. Otherwise, they will be destroyed.

In connection to this recruitment, we have already decided which recruitment channels we should use. We therefore decline further contact with vendors, recruitment and staffing companies.