Professor or Associate Professor (Level 2) in Computer Science

Åbo Akademi University (ÅAU) is an internationally acknowledged research university with an extensive responsibility for providing education in Swedish in Finland. The Faculty of Science and Engineering develops solutions and processes for a sustainable society. Our research is done in cooperation with the industry, research institutes and other universities both in Finland and abroad. The faculty is located in Turku and Vaasa.

Åbo Akademi University invites applications for the position as Professor or Associate Professor (Level 2) in Computer Science at the Faculty of Science and Engineering (FNT), starting 1 January 2024 or by separate agreement. The location of work is Turku.

The position is part of the study programme in Information Technology. The study programme today consists of two subjects, Computer Engineering and Computer Science, and the educations leads to either a Master of Science degree in Computer Science or a Master of Science (Technology) degree in Computer Engineering. The research in Information Technology focuses on producing software-based solutions that support industry and digitization of the society. Central application areas are industrial internet and mission-critical systems.

The recruitment is executed within the ÅAU tenure track system. If appointed as Professor, the employment will be permanent. A person holding a tenure track position on level two as Associate Professor is employed on a fixed-term contract for four years. A successful evaluation facilitates the advancement from Associate Professor to a permanent position as Professor.

WORK DESCRIPTION AND QUALIFICATIONS
The field of activity for the position is Computer Science. At ÅAU the focus is on development methods for reliable, secure, sustainable, scalable, and safe-critical systems in applications such as autonomous, automotive, maritime, aerospace, and energy systems, as well as health and life sciences.  Recently, there is an emphasis on the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning to develop solutions for these application areas.

A professor’s tasks are defined in 33 § of the Universities Act (558/2009) and the general duties and tasks of professors and associate professors are stated in the Regulations on Personnel of Åbo Akademi University (approved 1.4.2022).

A professor’s tasks include conducting scientific research and providing research-based tuition and teaching. In addition to this, a professor’s tasks also include leading and developing research and instruction activities, securement of research funding and participation in national and international collaboration within their respective area of responsibility.

An Associate Professor within the tenure track system are usually required to contribute to teaching and supervision, no more than one third of the total working time.

• A Professor is required to hold a doctoral degree, possess solid scientific competence along with the ability to provide qualitative, research-based instruction and supervision, the ability to lead research projects and raise funding for research, experience in international research, and collaborative and leadership skills.
• An Associate Professor (Level 2) is required to hold a doctoral degree as well as possess solid experience in research, the potential to lead research groups and raise funding for research, and experience in international research. Moreover, teaching skills are required.

Detailed information about the position, the qualification and evaluation criteria and the recruitment process are found in the appointment plan.

LANGUAGE REQUIREMENTS
The language requirements at Åbo Akademi University are defined in Section 78 of the University Act (558/2009) and in § 1 and 2 of the Åbo Akademi University internal language instructions (25.2.2010).

For teaching positions, native Finnish citizens are required to have excellent proficiency in Swedish (written and oral) and sufficient proficiency in Finnish.

Foreigners and non-native Finnish citizens are exempt from the requirement to have knowledge of Swedish and Finnish. Knowledge of Swedish is meritorious. As the administrative and teaching language of the university is primarily Swedish, the person appointed is expected to acquire such knowledge of Swedish during their employment, so that they will be able to successfully participate in teaching in Swedish and administrative tasks in the future. The university offers actively support for learning Swedish.

Applicants that have not yet a certificate of their Swedish language skills can demonstrate their skills and, if necessary, take a language test arranged by the ÅAU Language Board. Please see instructions regarding demonstration of (Swedish) language skills (in Swedish).

Oral and written knowledge of English is necessary for managing the duties of the position successfully.

SALARY AND WORKING TIME
The salary for Professors is set on levels 8-11 and for Associate Professors (Level 2) on levels 6-7 of the job demand level for teaching and research staff in the salary system of Finnish universities. In addition, a salary component based on personal work performance will be paid. Salary chart for teaching and research staff.

APPLICATION
Submit your electronic application via the ÅAU recruitment system. The closing date for applications is on 9.8.2023 at 12:00 (Finnish local time). Please see guidelines on the electronic application.

The application should include the following enclosures in English:

1. A curriculum vitae (CV) in compliance with the TENK model (The Finnish National Board on Research Integrity), including a complete list of publications (please see guidelines).
2. A teaching portfolio (please see guidelines).
3. A separate list of no more than 10 publications that the applicant has chosen to demonstrate their competence. The publications should be available electronically. The applicant will provide links to the publications in the list of publications or upload them to a separate system for file transfer.
4. A research plan (max. 2 pages).
5. A description of the applicant’s view on the position and visions about the future development of the discipline (max. 2 pages).
6. Contact details to three referees, whom the recruitment committee may contact if necessary.

Applicants may be asked to supplement their application with copies of degree diplomas and language and other certificates.

INFORMATION
For questions regarding the position, please contact Professor Ivan Porres Paltor (ivan.porres[a]abo.fi). For questions regarding the recruitment process, please contact HR-specialist Sabina Ringvall (sabina.ringvall[a]abo.fi). Please note that July is a holiday month in Finland, which may result in some delay in answers from the University.

We welcome applicants of all backgrounds within the scientific field in question to apply for the position. Åbo Akademi University works for equal gender distribution and diversity in all staff categories.

Application period starts: 2023-05-09 09:00. Application period ends: 2023-08-09 12:00