Promotion from Assistant Professor to Associate Professor
Promotion from Associate Professor to Professor
Promotion from Researcher to Professor under special circumstances

In this document, we list regulations and criteria for assessing the research and teaching skills of applicants seeking promotion from Assistant Professor to Associate Professor and from Associate Professor to Professor. The national regulations can be found in the Higher Education Ordinance (HEO) Chapter 4 and general local regulations, common to all faculties, in the Rules of Employment at Stockholm University (AOSU). In addition to these general regulations and criteria, the Faculty of Science has decided on additional, specific, regulations and criteria for promotion, approved by either the Board of Science (ON) or the former Faculty Board of Science (FN). 

I. Promotion from Assistant Professor* to Associate Professor

* Assistant Professor, in Swedish biträdande lektor; tenure track position approximately equivalent to Associate Senior Lecturer (UK) or Assistant Professor (US).

Local regulations, AOSU 4.2

An Assistant Professor at Stockholm University should, on application, be promoted to Associate Professor with indefinite-term employment if they are qualified for promotion and, in addition, have been deemed suitable based on the following criteria and the specific criteria established by the relevant disciplinary domain board.

The applicant should have a documented ability to independently initiate and develop research of high quality.

Teaching skills at the level of Associate Professor should normally have been demonstrated through teaching in first- and second-cycle programmes and be well documented.

The applicant must have completed courses in teaching and learning in higher education worth at least 7.5 credits, or be considered by the disciplinary domain board to possess the equivalent knowledge.

The field of study is not changed in connection with the promotion.

a) Area-specific regulations – Faculty of Science

Valid for Assistant Professors employed under HEO, SFS 2012:523, approval FN 24 October 2012.

The applicant’s research expertise should have been demonstrated through research at a high level while working as an Assistant Professor. This means that the applicant’s research publications should be of high quality and have been published in reputable, international peer-reviewed journals. The applicant must have demonstrated the ability to independently initiate and develop internationally prominent research.

Important quality indicators include:

  • Demonstrated independence and development while working as an Assistant Professor.
  • Proven ability to secure the necessary funding for the research.
  • Participation in the international research community, for example as an invited speaker at conferences or as a reviewer for journals, applications, etc.

Teaching expertise should have been demonstrated through independently planned and conducted teaching, comprising an entire course or major part of a course in the first or second cycle, and through supervision in the third cycle. This teaching and supervision must be of high quality.

The applicant must have completed courses in teaching and learning in higher education2 worth at least 7.5 credits.

b) Area-specific regulations – Faculty of Science 

Valid for Assistant Professors employed under HEO, SFS 2017:844, approval ON 6 December 2017.

In order to be promoted to Associate Professor, the applicant must have demonstrated their ability to independently initiate and develop internationally prominent research, as well as the ability to conduct supervision and teaching of high quality. The applicant must have demonstrated development in their work as a researcher and teacher, and should be considered a very strong researcher with negligible weaknesses.

The applicant’s research expertise should be demonstrated through research at a very high level. This includes that the applicant has:

  • as an independent researcher, produced scientific work of high quality that has been published in reputable international peer-reviewed journals;
  • competed for grants from funding bodies such as the ERC, KAW, VR, and Formas;
  • established themself in the international research community, for example as an invited speaker at conferences or as a reviewer for journals, applications, etc.

The applicant’s teaching skills should be demonstrated through teaching and supervision of high quality. This includes that the applicant has:

  • completed courses in teaching and learning in higher education3 worth at least 15 credits;
  • completed courses in supervision (Additional approval ON, 27 March, 2019)
  • conducted teaching and supervision on a regular basis;
  • independently planned and conducted teaching of high quality, comprising an entire course or major part of a course, at the bachelor’s or master’s level;
  • a reflective approach to teaching;
  • conducted supervision of high quality at the doctoral level.

The applicant is expected to be able to carry out teaching and administrative duties that require a good command of Swedish, and should have contributed to the department’s development while working as an Assistant Professor.

All teaching positions at Stockholm University require candidates to demonstrate scholarly integrity, the ability to collaborate, and the general ability and suitability to perform their duties.
 

II. Promotion from Associate Professor* to Professor

*Associate Professor, in Swedish universitetslektor; tenured position approximately equivalent to Senior Lecturer (UK) or Associate Professor (US).

Local regulations, AOSU 4.3

An Associate Professor with indefinite-term employment at Stockholm University should, on application, be promoted to Professor if they are qualified for promotion and, in addition, have been deemed suitable based on the following criteria and the specific criteria established by the relevant disciplinary domain board.

Research expertise at the level of Professor should have been demonstrated through independent research that far exceeds the requirements for qualification as “docent” both in terms of quality and quantity. The planning and coordination of research should also be considered.

Teaching skills at the level of Professor should have been demonstrated through teaching on first-, second- and third-cycle programmes and be well documented.

The applicant must have completed courses in teaching and learning in higher education worth at least 15 credits, or be considered by the disciplinary domain board to possess equivalent knowledge.
The field of study is normally not changed in connection with the promotion.

Area-specific regulations – Faculty of Science

Approval ON, 27 March, 2019, valid from 1 July 2019.

For promotion from Associate Professor to Professor, an applicant must fulfill the general criteria listed in the AOSU, as well as the criteria for promotion from Assistant Professor (SFS 2017:844) to Associate Professor at Stockholm University, as defined in Section Ib.

In addition, the following criteria will be considered for the overall assessment of an application for promotion from Associate Professor to Professor:

  1. The applicant should possess considerable international recognition in their field of research, as shown by invited talks at conferences etcetera, by commissions of trust, and by assignments as reviewer, for example.
  2. The applicant’s research publications should be of high quality and published in well recognized international journals with peer-review
  3. The applicant should have developed their own research profile and continue to be a leader of high-quality research. Moreover, the applicant should have secured research funding in national and/or international competition.
  4. The applicant’s research plan for the next five years should be of high quality.
  5. The applicant should have demonstrated academic leadership – for example as an active member of committees or boards at the departmental-, faculty, or central university level, or by similar assignments.
  6. Pedagogical skills should have been demonstrated by high-quality teaching of a significant volume. This normally infers teaching at the first, second and third cycle levels.
  7. The applicant should provide documented responsibility for and independent development of a course or a larger part of a course, as well as documented development of teaching syllabus within higher education.
  8. The applicant should provide documented experience of teaching at the third cycle level. This includes that the applicant should have been the de facto principal supervisor of at least two PhD students, who have been awarded doctoral degrees. The term “de facto principal supervisor” means being responsible for the entire process, including active supervision of the research project(s).
  9. The applicant should provide documented experience of individual supervision besides PhD supervision, for example degree project supervision or postdoc supervision.
  10. The applicant should provide documented experience of society outreach.

III. Promotion from Researcher to Professor under special circumstances

Local regulations, AOSU 4.4

A researcher who has been or will be appointed a Wallenberg Academy Fellow can be promoted to Professor in accordance with the current rules for promotion from Associate Professor to Professor. Under special circumstances, the President may also grant the opportunity for promotion in cases deemed to be of a similar nature.

Area specific regulations – Faculty of Science

Approval ON, 27 March, 2019.

Evaluation for promotion from Researcher to Professor will only be considered under special circumstances. The evaluation and judgement as such will be done according to the criteria for promotion from Associate Professor to Professor, as described above.

 

Disclaimer: In the case of a discrepancy between the Swedish original and the English translation of this document, the Swedish version takes precedence.