Assistant professor in Environmental Change

Ref LiU-2025-04942

We have the power of over 40,000 students and co-workers. Students who provide hope for the future. Co-workers who contribute to Linköping University meeting challenges of today. Our fundamental values rest on credibility, trust and security. By having the courage to think freely and innovate, our actions together, large and small, contribute to a better world. We look forward to receiving your application!

Work assignments

The purpose of the employment is that the assistant professor is to be given the opportunity to develop independence as a researcher and to obtain both the research and teaching qualifications required for employment as associate professor.

The Department of Thematic Studies - Environmental Change unit conducts problem-oriented, interdisciplinary research and teaching on the interaction between current environmental and societal challenges. The division offers undergraduate and postgraduate education with a focus on environmental science and physical geography. Within undergraduate education, two bachelor’s programs and one master’s program are offered, along with standalone courses and teacher education courses in environmental science and thematic natural science. The Environmental Change unit also hosts the Centre for Climate Science and Policy Research, an interdisciplinary research environment focusing on areas such as transition, vulnerability and adaptation, climate visualization, and decision support.

The position is part of the initiative Mistra Environmental Research Leaders (LiU-2024-04612) and involves establishing a new research area on green democratic innovations. The successful applicant is expected to conduct empirical analyses in the EU’s just transition regions, investigate how transition and transformation policies are interpreted by different societal groups, and map democratic experiments aimed at involving citizens in climate action. The position also offers opportunities to further develop the research area through contributions to green democratic theory and methods; analyses of how democratic innovations take form within transition policy; or experimentation with various participatory methods. The position is based within an interdisciplinary research environment and will be carried out in collaboration with senior researchers, as well as at least one PhD student and one postdoctoral researcher.

As an assistant professor in Environmental Change, you will contribute to teaching at both undergraduate and advanced levels and supervise students within various courses and programs offered by the Faculty of Arts and Sciences. Teaching in this position includes, among others, the bachelor’s program Environment, Climate and Sustainable Development and the master’s program Science for Sustainable Development. The work also involves course design, thesis supervision and course responsibility, course administration, and other tasks related to undergraduate education.

You are active in the research community, participate in the division's activities such as seminars and workshops, participate in research projects, communicate results through scientific publications and help attract external research funding.

You contribute actively to the university's development work. Collaboration is an integral part of the university’s research and education mission. Collaboration in research involves disseminating, making accessible, and utilizing research. In the new research area green democratic innovations, collaboration is expected to include contacts with relevant authorities, civil society organizations, industry, and local communities. The position may also involve administrative and collegial duties, such as review assignments within the framework of doctoral education and roles of trust in the advisory and decision-making bodies of the division, department, and faculty. We also welcome your participation and interest in leadership assignments. As part of the research area’s funding, you will be expected to take part in a leadership program.

Your work includes monitoring developments nationally and internationally within your field of study and other societal developments that are important to your work.

You are flexible and have the ability to move between different types of pedagogical and scientific contexts. You share knowledge and contribute to the working group’s professional development, collegial ways of working and social community. The fact that you are present and active is something we see as self-evident in order to ensure that you are able to perform your duties in an optimum way and enjoy your working community.

Qualifications

We are looking for candidates who have a doctoral degree or equivalent scientific competence. We are primarily looking for candidates who have obtained their doctoral degree in the past five years.

For this employment first particular attention will be paid to academic expertise, second to pedagogical expertise, and third to other proficiencies which are judged to be equivalent to each other.

In terms of academic expertise, the following will be assessed:

A requirement for the position is documented expertise in environmental social science or environmental humanities.
Of particular merit is documented expertise in research on democratic theory or democratic innovations.
Of particular merit is documented expertise in the use of participatory methods.
Of particular merit is documented expertise in research on just transition or societal transformations toward sustainability.
Of merit is documented expertise in applying for and being awarded research funding in external competition.
Of merit is documented expertise in interdisciplinary research.
Of merit is documented expertise in research-based collaboration with societal actors.

In terms of pedagogical expertise, the following will be assessed:

A requirement for the position is documented expertise in teaching in environmental social science or environmental humanities.
Of particular merit is documented expertise in developing and being responsible for undergraduate courses within environmental social science or environmental humanities.
Of merit is documented expertise in supervising theses within environmental social science or environmental humanities.

In the assessment of other skills relevant to the position, the following will be considered:

Of particular merit is documented expertise in leading research projects.
Of particular merit is documented good collaborative ability.

Requirements for the position is the ability to teach and conduct research in English, and it is desirable that within two years you can also teach and conduct research in Swedish.

We are looking for you who take responsibility for your tasks, independently structure your work approach, and drive processes forward. We expect you to be thorough and well aware of goals and quality standards, placing great importance on meeting these. You collaborate with others in a constructive manner. You are skilled in oral communication, speaking clearly, articulately, and engagingly in individual meetings as well as in small and large groups.

The workplace

You can read about the the workplace at Environmental Change and Department of Thematic Studies (TEMA).

The employment

The length of employment for this position is 4 years, full time. Starting date by agreement.

An assistant professor may be employed until further notice, for a minimum period of four years and a maximum period of six years, as determined by the institution of higher education before the employment begins. The employment may be renewed, by a maximum period of two years, if, as a consequence of sick absence, parental leave, or other special circumstances of the assistant professor, additional time is necessary in order to achieve the purpose of the employment.

An assistant professor shall, after application, be promoted to associate professor if he/she is qualified for employment as associate professor and has been assessed following a test to be suitable for such employment according to the grounds for assessment that the University has determined.

For more information on eligibility requirements, assessment criteria and recruitment procedures for teachers, see Linköping University’s rules of appointment.
Linköping University’s rules of appointment.

Salary and employment benefits

The university applies individual salaries.

More information about employee benefits is available here.

Union representatives

Information about union representatives, see Help for applicants.

Application procedure

Apply for the position by clicking the “Apply” button below. Your application must be received no later than 7 January 2026.

Applications and documents received after the date above will not be considered.

Please attach your selected research publications electronically, in pdf or word format, in the application template. Research publications, e.g. monographs, which cannot be sent electronically should be sent in three sets by mail to the University Registrar at Linköping University, University Registrar, S-581 83 Linköping, Sweden. The publications must be received by Linköping University no later than the deadline for application.

Please note that printed publications will not be returned. They will be archived at Linköping University.

In the event of a discrepancy between the English translation of the job announcement and the Swedish original, the Swedish version shall take precedent.

We welcome applicants with different backgrounds, experiences and perspectives - diversity enriches our work and helps us grow. Preserving everybody's equal value, rights and opportunities is a natural part of who we are. Read more about our work with: Equal opportunities.

We look forward to receiving your application!

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