Qualification requirements
Assessment criteria
Assessment of applicants for a tenure track position as assistant professor 
Individual report 
Recommended structure of the report 
Application documents
Procedure in the Faculty

The task of the external experts is to review, assess and rank the applicants prior to the meetings of the academic appointment committee, which in turn prepares the appointment matter for the faculty board. The advertisement and the documents submitted by the applicants should be the basis of the assessment. Each of the experts should submit an evaluation report according to the timetable agreed upon. 

Qualification requirements

The qualification requirements for the position are described in the advertisement and in the criteria for appointment at the Faculty of Science.

Assessment criteria

The assessment criteria for the position are all described in the advertisement. The candidates should be assessed and ranked on the basis of their research skills within the subject area of the position. The subject description, when included, provides a clarification of the subject area. In cases when the subject area is described as having a focus on a particular field of the subject, for example, biochemistry with a focus on protein folding, the candidates should primarily be ranked on the basis of their research skills in protein folding, and secondarily on their research skills in biochemistry. The candidates should also be assessed and ranked on the basis of their teaching skills and other specified assessment criteria. Finally, the experts should provide an overall assessment of the most qualified candidates.

Assessment of applicants for a tenure track position as assistant professor

For a position as assistant professor, preference should be given to those who were awarded a PhD or attained equivalent research competence no more than five years prior to the expiry of the application period. The candidates who meet this requirement should be assessed and ranked in relation to the subject area following the procedures described above. Other candidates should be similarly assessed without being ranked.

Individual report

Each expert should carry out an independent assessment and submit an individually written report. All candidates should be reviewed and described. Applicants who are less qualified for the position only may be described more briefly. It is, however, necessary to clearly motivate why these applicants would be less suitable for the position. In case of a large number of applicants, a shorter list of 10–15 people may be selected for thorough review and assessment, provided that it is clearly motivated why the rest of the applicants are not included in this group. Details on how to structure the report are given below.

Recommended structure of the report

  • A short introduction referring to the qualification and assessment criteria of Stockholm University and the Science Faculty for the position. Please also describe the criteria and other considerations (if any) that you have used for your assessment.
  • General comments on the quality of the full group of applicants. 
  • Description of the applicants’ qualifications relevant to the advertised position. 
  • Possible categorisation of applicants as qualified or not, with motivation. 
  • Assessment of each qualified applicant in relation to the subject area, subject description and assessment criteria described in the advertisement.
  • Assessment and ranking of the most qualified candidates in relation to the subject area, subject description and assessment criteria as described in the advertisement.
  • A suggestion of which candidates to invite for a trial lecture and interview. Normally 3–5 candidates are invited.

Application documents

The applicants have been instructed to structure their application as specified in the Stockholm University template for applications for employment and to attach a maximum of ten selected publications. The applicants cannot include qualifications that were achieved after the deadline for application.

Procedure in the Faculty

Once the reports of the external experts are received by the University, they will become public documents according to the Swedish Public Access to Information and Secrecy Act and the Freedom of the Press Act. This means that anyone, including the applicants, is entitled to read the report. The reports will, together with the minutes be distributed to the applicants after the first appointment committee meeting.

The external experts participate via video conference in the appointment committee’s first meeting. During this first meeting, the committee selects the candidates to invite for interviews and trial lectures and/or research presentations. The second meeting of the committee takes place in direct connection with the trial lectures, the research presentations and interviews. At the end of this second committee meeting, the committee recommends a candidate for the position. We expect the external experts to participate on this occasion. The external experts contribute with recommendations at the appointment committee’s meetings, but do not have formal voting rights.

 

Disclaimer:

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