Job description
The Faculty of Educational Sciences invites applications for a professorship focusing on diversity in education. Diversity is understood in a broad societal context, encompassing gender, sexuality, ethnicity, language, religion, disability, and social class. The position addresses diversity as a feature of educational environments, teaching and learning, and as a political and ethical concern tied to equity, inclusion, worldviews and social justice.
The successful candidate will conduct internationally recognised research and contribute to teaching across all levels of education. The role involves examining how educational systems, curricula, pedagogical practices and policies engage with societal diversity, with particular emphasis on intersectional approaches and global challenges such as ecological crises, technological change, and social inequality.
Applicants should demonstrate expertise in analysing how diversity is governed, negotiated, and experienced in educational contexts. Relevant areas include equal access, multilingualism, religious and worldview diversity, socioeconomic disparities, disability, and gender and sexuality. A critical understanding of power relations and their role in shaping educational practices is essential. Applicants should demonstrate advanced and versatile methodological expertise.
Key Responsibilities:
Conduct high-quality research
Teach and supervise students at the bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral levels.
Develop curricula and lead research initiatives in educational sciences.
Build national and international research collaborations and networks.
Contribute to public discourse and Faculty administration.
This position offers a unique opportunity to influence inclusive educational practices and policies in Finland and internationally, and to strengthen democratic and equitable educational cultures.
The position is part of the recently funded Diversity in Society and Life (DIVSOL) https://www.helsinki.fi/en/diversity-society-and-life profiling-building area (PROFI 8) that brings together existing strands of research on diversity at the university and aims at offering novel insights into the timely questions of diversity. DIVSOL forms a vibrant research community dedicated to exploring and understanding diversity from a multitude of perspectives. DIVSOL focuses on identifying social and environmental inequalities, supporting inclusive social policies, opening new innovative methodological horizons, enhancing quality learning and education, promoting democratic literacy, and fostering novel conceptual understandings of diversity. DIVSOL has a strategic emphasis on artificial intelligence in scientific research, and development of innovative methods for research in the focus research areas.
Qualification requirements and selection criteria
An appointee to the tenure-track position of assistant or associate professor shall hold an applicable doctoral degree, have the ability to conduct independent scholarly work and have the teaching skills necessary for the position. Research with relevance to the profile area counts as a merit. In addition, the appointee must have the ability and motivation both to pursue an academic career as demonstrated by publications and other means, and to develop research on teaching and learning in the field. When assessing candidates’ qualifications, attention will be paid to not only research work and teaching qualifications, but also success in acquiring external research funding and experience in national and international research projects.
An appointee to a full professorship shall hold an applicable doctoral degree, have top-level scholarly qualifications, experience in the supervision of scientific research, and provide evidence of both success in acquiring external research funding and international cooperation in the field of research that the appointee represents. Applicants are expected to have the ability to provide top-level research-based teaching as well as supervise theses and dissertations. The position also requires the skills necessary to serve as an academic leader. When assessing candidates’ qualifications attention is paid to both scholarly and teaching qualifications.
Scholarly qualifications include scientific publications and other research results of scientific value, success in obtaining external research funding, international research experience as well as scientific commissions, positions of trust and international relations. Teaching qualifications include teaching experience and pedagogical training, the ability to produce learning materials, other teaching merits and, if necessary, a teaching demonstration, as well as participation in doctoral education. Furthermore, consideration will be given to applicants’ leadership and interaction skills, as well as their active participation in the research community and public engagement. Additionally, the appointment committee shall examine the applicants’ views on development of research and teaching in the position field. As for short-listed applicants, the evaluation shall also include external expert assessments and an interview by the appointment committee.
The assessment is always conducted as an overall assessment. The assessment will be conducted in accordance with the applicant’s career stage. The University of Helsinki has signed the DORA Declaration (https://sfdora.orgps://sfdora.org) and applies its principles when assessing the scientific merit of applicants.
To successfully attend to the duties of the position, the appointee must be fluent in English. If the appointee is not proficient in Finnish or Swedish, they are expected to acquire moderate proficiency in Finnish and/or Swedish within a reasonable time after the appointment. Support for language studies is offered. Read more about the language requirements: https://www.helsinki.fi/en/faculty-educational-sciences/faculty/work-us.
The chosen applicant is expected to reside in Finland while employed by the University of Helsinki. The Faculty of Educational Sciences provides assistance in relocation.
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