Associate senior lecturer in Mechanical Engineering

Ref no: ORU 2.1.1-04239/2024

We are looking to recruit an associate senior lecturer in Mechanical Engineering, (Swedish: Biträdande universitetslektor) specialised in digitalized product and production development, for a fixed-term position of 4‑6 years at the School of Science and Technology.

Subject area

The subject area for this position is Mechanical Engineering, with specialization in digitalized production development.

Background

Mechanical Engineering is one of six research units within the School of Science and Technology at Örebro University. The division is very much developing and expanding, and this post offers an exciting opportunity, for the right candidate, to be part of this. Currently, the division has two research teams: “Mechanics and materials” (M&M) and "Digitalized development and operation of sustainable products and production systems" (DPPD) and is responsible for four engineering programmes (three at bachelor and one at master’s level). We are looking to recruit a highly motivated associate senior lecturer to join our DPPD team and help further strengthen and develop high-quality education and research within the area of digitalized product and production development. The successful applicant will conduct research within the DPPD team as well as contribute more generally to strengthening efforts to support industrial digitalization, as provided by cooperation within the research group in Mechanical Engineering.

Duties and responsibilities

Duties and responsibilities include research, education, and collaborative work. The appointment as an associate senior lecturer at Örebro University is largely focused on the acquisition of research qualifications, with a smaller proportion of time being geared towards acquiring teaching qualifications. The successful applicant is expected to spend 70% of full time on research and 30% on teaching.

During the period of employment, an associate senior lecturer should develop their autonomy as a researcher and acquire further qualifications in terms of both research and teaching skills, in order to reach the necessary criteria for a position as senior lecturer. An associate senior lecturer is also expected to contribute to the university’s development. Such contributions include (and is not necessarily limited to) the development and management of new courses and programs, particularly concerning computer science as needed in the context of mechanical engineering.

Teaching duties may include specialized areas within industrial digitalization, like programming, database management in engineering applications, System-of-Systems development, and production process modelling.

Research duties include the development of models of production processes or system risk and reliability models. This will include coordination of software systems development and data management with analysis of data in engineering applications. Furthermore, knowledge of CAD modelling and associated data base structures, as well as sensor technology as used in mechanical engineering equipment is meritorious.

Qualifications

To qualify for the appointment as an associate senior lecturer you must have a doctoral degree, or have attained the corresponding research competence, in a subject that is directly relevant to this position. Preference should be given to those who were awarded a doctoral degree, or attained equivalent research competence, no more than five years prior to the application deadline. Applicants who were awarded their doctoral degree prior to that will also be considered in the event of special circumstances. Such circumstances include, but are not limited to, leave of absence due to illness and parental leave.

Applicants should have a mechanical engineering or computer engineering background with experience in solid modelling databases and process modelling (for example production systems), as well as competence in software development or data analysis in mechanical engineering contexts. Knowledge of reliability engineering methods, discrete event simulation, machine learning, or numerical/logical modelling in general, including in the broad sense AI are considered a merit.  

Assessment criteria

When appointing an associate senior lecturer, the applicant’s research as well as teaching expertise will be assessed, as will their qualifications and their experience gained from collaborations both within higher education and outside of it, in the wider community. Experience gained from national and international travel will also be considered. In addition, the applicant’s suitability for the position will be assessed.

Research expertise

Research expertise is demonstrated through independent research contributions, particularly in fields relating to the duties and responsibilities of the advertised role within the DPPD team, as well as continued scientific publishing following the award of the doctoral degree. Being established in the research community, having experience of planning, administrating and independent research, will also add merit to an application.

Teaching expertise

Teaching expertise is to be assessed in terms of teaching qualifications and experience, which must be well-documented and accounted for in compliance with Örebro University’s template for teaching portfolios, relating clearly to the values set out in Örebro University’s educational philosophy.

Teaching qualifications include documented experience, planning, execution of, and evaluation of teaching activities, as well as supervision and examination. Applicants must be able to account for their teaching approach and reflect on their own pedagogical development as well as on the teacher’s role. Experience of developing significant course material is desirable, as is industrial collaboration in teaching, in particular within the field of mechanical engineering. Having the ability to maintain a scientific approach in teaching and connecting research to teaching is important.

Collaboration and public engagement skills

The ability to interact with the surrounding society is an important part of a university teacher’s role and it requires a good understanding of various societal processes and the impact of university activities on these. Assessment of collaboration and public engagement skills looks at three aspects: the ability to communicate, the ability to collaborate with the surrounding society, and the ability to facilitate utilisation of the university’s research.

Leadership skills

In assessing leadership and administrative skills, particular consideration should be given to leadership qualifications within education and research, such as contributions to development work. Depending on the specialisation and duties of the appointment, qualifications from operations outside of the higher education sector may be considered. The fact that applicants who have recently obtained their doctoral degree may only be able to demonstrate limited leadership skills should be particularly considered in the assessment.

Suitability

Suitability refers to the applicant having the personal qualities required to successfully perform the duties and responsibilities at hand, to cooperate with other members of staff, and to contribute to the development of the operations in question. Particular attention will be paid to the applicant’s prospects of contributing to the future development of both research and education and their demonstrated ability to embark on a career within academia.

Other assessment criteria

Having experience in applying for and obtaining external research funding, in particular if in collaboration with industry, is desirable.

Experience in computer science relating to data structures, data warehouses, CAD data bases, and/or data analysis is considered highly desirable for this post. 

Language skills in Swedish (good) and English (good) are requirements, as teaching may be required in either language. The criterion for Swedish may be waived if the applicant shows excellent qualities in other aspects and is willing to learn Swedish within the first two years of employment.

Promotion to senior lecturer

An associate senior lecturer is on application and assessment to be promoted to senior lecturer if they meet the criteria for the appointment.

A condition for promotion is that there is a need within the organisation in the subject area in question and that a separate assessment of the candidate’s qualifications is made. The basis for promotion from associate senior lecturer to senior lecturer is that the applicant meets (1) the criteria set out in the requirements profile at the time of appointment as associate senior lecturer, and (2) the qualifications and assessment criteria in place for appointment as senior lecturer at the time of promotion and based on the respective faculty board’s guidelines for appointment. On the examination of an application for promotion to senior lecturer, teaching and research/artistic expertise are to be given equal attention. In addition, on promotion, the applicant must have completed qualifying courses on teaching and learning in higher education. They must also demonstrate good oral and written communication skills in Swedish at the level required to perform common duties within research, education, and administration.

The application for promotion to a position as senior lecturer is to be submitted to the faculty no later than 6 months and no earlier than 12 months before the employment as an associate senior lecturer comes to an end. Such a promotion entails permanent employment as senior lecturer in the subject.

Information

This is a fixed-term, full-time position for a period of 4-6 years (the exact length will be decided in connection with appointment). The appointment may be extended, but for no longer than two years, if additional time is needed to fulfill the purpose of the appointment. This may be due to illness, parental leave or other special grounds. At Örebro University, salary depends on the successful candidate’s qualifications and experience.

For more information about the position, please contact the head of unit, Dr. Jens Ekengren (+46 19 30 33 25, email: jens.ekengren@oru) or Professor Magnus Löfstrand (+46 19 30 32 83, email: magnus.lofstrand@oru.se).

At Örebro University, we expect each member of staff to be open to development and change; take responsibility for their work and performance; demonstrate a keen interest in collaboration and contribute to development; as well as to show respect for others by adopting a constructive and professional approach.

Örebro University actively pursues equal opportunities and gender equality as well as a work environment characterised by openness, trust, and respect. We value the qualities that diversity adds to our operations.

Application

The application is made online. Click the button “Apply” to begin the application procedure.

For the application to be complete, the following electronic documents must be included:

• Covering letter, outlining how you believe you can contribute to the continued development of Örebro University
• CV with a relevant description of your overall qualifications and experience
• Teaching portfolio (as instructed in Örebro University’s guidelines)
• Research portfolio
• Publication list
• Relevant scientific publications (maximum of 10 and in full-text format)
• Copies of relevant course/degree certificates and references verifying eligibility and criteria met

Only documents written in Swedish, English, Norwegian and Danish can be reviewed.
More information for applicants will be found at out career site:  https://www.oru.se/english/working-at-orebro-university/jobs-and-vacancies/applicants-and-external-experts/

The application deadline is 2024-08-29. We look forward to receiving your application!

After the application deadline, documents can no longer be submitted electronically. If you have scientific publications that cannot be attached electronically to the application, you will, once the external experts have been appointed, receive instructions on how these publications can be submitted.

We decline any contact with advertisers or recruitment agencies in the recruitment process.

As directed by the National Archives of Sweden (Riksarkivet), we are required to deposit one file copy of the application documents, excluding publications, for a period of two years after the appointment decision has gained legal force.