Assistant/Associate Professor (Tenure Track) Of Global Communications And Climate Change

LUT University's Department of Social Sciences is looking for a professor of global communications and climate change.

The Department of Social Sciences was founded in 2022 under the LUT School of Engineering Sciences. The department understands society and human activities in relation to global sustainability problems and consists of two disciplines, social science and communication sciences. In autumn 2024, three master's programmes in social sciences and communication sciences will start at the department. The department will eventually detach and form an independent school of its own at the university.

The professorship falls under the communication sciences programme at the Department of Social Sciences. Communication sciences at LUT focus on global communication, strategic narratives, disinformation, soft power, and different forms of influence in the modern environment of advanced technologies and media.

The position is situated at the Assistant/associate professor levels of the tenure track and will be filled through an open call for a fixed term of four years on LUT's Lappeenranta campus, Finland. The tenure track system offers researchers a possibility to advance to a full professorship. The work will start with a six-month trial period.

We are looking for a future-oriented professor interested in global climate communication(s) in a mediatised and technologised world, relating particularly to climate change and LUT's strategic focus areas - clean water, air, and energy. Specifically, we are looking for a curious mind who is interested in a long-term academic career and is passionate about continuous learning and making the world a better place through science.

The ideal candidate: 

• should have a doctoral degree in a field of communications (preferably in communication studies, media and communications studies, journalism studies, global communication(s) and media technologies studies)
• is expected to demonstrate a high-level of academic competence
• has ambition for ground-breaking academic research in the field of media and communications. This requires the capability to publish in top-tier publications of the field of media and communications.

The Assistant/associate professors are required to have a doctorate, high-level scientific qualifications, experience in heading scientific research, the ability to acquire funding, the ability to provide high-level instruction based on research, the ability to supervise final theses, proof of international cooperation in their field of research, and when relevant to the duties of the position, practical experience in the field of the professorship.

Skills for collaborating both within LUT and with national and especially international partners are crucial to this position. Experience in curriculum planning is seen as a merit, as the appointed person might become the head of a master's or bachelor's programme in the near future. A global perspective and international experience are a strong merits, and candidates with international academic experience are especially encouraged to apply. Spoken and written fluency in English is required. 

The duties of the professorship includes basic and advanced education in key areas of communication sciences. The duties also includes societal engagement that serves industry, the economy, and our society, and general administrative work related to the university's operation.

The general duties related to the field of research include the following:

• high-impact international research and publishing 
• planning and implementation of bachelor's, master's, and doctoral education
• supervision and evaluation of final theses and doctoral studies
• acquisition of research funding
• cost-conscious leadership and project management 
• preparation of national and international research 
• preparation of international education projects
• communicating and networking actively, thereby increasing awareness in a way that serves LUT and its educational and industrial partners 
• close collaboration and interaction with businesses in the field
• societal engagement: collaboration and interaction with related public-sector or international organisations, such as the UN, the EU, or the OECD, and third-sector organisations relating to the field
• taking part in the preparation of projects in other LUT units as an expert
• general administrative work related to the university's operation
• teamwork, as most of the research and work is conducted in research groups and teams.

The appointment process description explains the qualification requirements and tenure track appointment criteria.

All application documents must be in English and in PDF format. The application must include: 

• a curriculum vitae (max. 10 pages)
• a copy of the candidate's doctoral degree certificate
• a full list of publications including the candidate's Scopus and Google Scholar details: the Scopus ID and Google Scholar profile URL, the total number of publications, and the total number of citations and h-indices
• a separate list of the 10 publications selected for expert evaluation
• the 10 publications mentioned above
• a teaching portfolio or an equivalent account of the candidate's teaching qualifications, presenting courses taught by the candidate, related feedback, the candidate's pedagogical training and teaching philosophy, and courses that the candidate is able to or prefers to teach
• an account of the candidate's merits and activities of significance to the vacancy (max. 3 pages)
• an account of the candidate's vision on the development of education, external funding, research, and projects in the field of the professorship at LUT University (max. 3 pages)

Please specify the tenure track level applied to.

The salary is determined according to the salary system for university teaching and research personnel. The pay will include an individual pay component based on performance and competence. The annual gross salary for an Assistant/associate professor amounts to 48 300 - 65 000 euros depending on the qualifications and experience of the candidate. In addition to a competitive salary, the wide range of benefits that come with this job include a holiday bonus, a generous holiday entitlement, research incentive scheme with personal rewards for high quality publications, flexible working hours, occupational health care, a collegial faculty environment and continued commitment for your support, learning, training and development.

The closing date for applications is 7 April at midnight, Finnish local time (UTC + 3h). Please submit your application and all required attachments by filling out the online form.

For further information, please contact Matti Kojo, head of department and associate professor, +358 50 30 23 920, matti.kojo@lut.fi.

Read more about Department of Social Sciences.

Read more about LUT School of Engineering Sciences.

LUT University | Clean energy, water and air are life-giving resources for which we at LUT University seek new solutions with our expertise in technology, business and social sciences. We help society and businesses in their sustainable renewal. Our international community consists of nearly 8 000 members. Our campuses are in Lappeenranta and Lahti, Finland. We are the world's ninth best university for climate action. lut.fi/en

Technical support for using the recruitment system: recruitment@lut.fi.

Application period starts: 2024-02-19 09:00Application period ends: 2024-04-07 23:59