Lund University, Faculty of Science
Lund University was founded in 1666 and is repeatedly ranked among the world’s top universities. The University has around 46 000 students and 8 500 staff based in Lund, Helsingborg and Malmö. We are united in our efforts to understand, explain and improve our world and the human condition.
We are looking for an up-and-coming researcher who wants to conduct pioneering research to take up a position as Assistant Professor in Computational Science.
Computational science research is conducted across the Faculty of Science and organised in research clusters at all departments. In addition, such research is also carried out at the Institute of Advanced Neutron and X‑ray Science (LINXS), hosted by the Faculty of Science, and at the large‑scale neutron and X‑ray research facilities ESS and MAX IV. The Faculty of Science has a strategic ambition to build and further expand the field of computational science. To date, this effort has included the establishment of a Master’s programme in Computational Science as well as a doctoral subject in Computational Science. The Faculty of Science research school COMPUTE offers courses and activities for PhD students in computational science. In addition, Lund University provides access to local and national e‑infrastructure for high‑performance computing and data management.
Computational science is broadly defined as research that applies and develops methods for advanced computation with the aim of addressing research problems in the natural sciences, engineering, or medicine. This may include, for example, the integration and development of models, as well as advanced computational and data‑analysis methods and software, including simulation, modelling, and data management.
To strengthen the field of computational science at the Faculty of Science, we are now advertising two positions as Assistant Professor (tenure‑track). In order to build a strong and sustainable research programme, it is important that the applicant’s research can be linked to research environments and subject areas that are already established or currently under development at the Faculty of Science. Applicants are therefore encouraged to contact relevant research environments within the Faculty of Science.
What we offer the successful candidate
Do you want to become a research leader of tomorrow through pioneering projects and research ideas? If so, you have the opportunity to start as an assistant professor (associate senior lecturer) as part of Lund University Programme for Global Excellence.
As an Assistant Professor you will develop your qualifications over a period of 6 years after which you may be promoted to a tenured position as a senior lecturer, with opportunities for further career advancement. You will receive five weeks of training in teaching and learning in higher education and get the opportunity to learn Swedish through the University’s Swedish language courses for new international staff. As you prepare to move to Sweden, we offer you support through our relocation service, and if you’re bringing your family, they’ll receive support and be able to make new connections through Lund’s International Citizen Hub, which provides a gateway to Swedish society and your new community.
In order to support the formation of a research team, resources corresponding to one doctoral studentship and one postdoctoral position, will be linked to the appointment. With this employment you will be given the opportunity to join the career programme for associate senior lecturers.
At the turn of the year 2026/2027, Sweden’s largest scientific funder, the Swedish Research Council, will announce attractive funding for Assistant Professors with an international background. Our ambition is that appointments within the framework of the Lund University Programme for Global Excellence will be nominated for this funding. To be eligible for nomination, in addition to meeting the requirements for employment, you must have documented good leadership skills, for example through positions of trust, leadership training, and assessed leadership ability, and must not have received a salary or scholarship from Sweden since 31 December 2022. Read more about the Swedish Research Council here.
Ready to shape the future of research? Learn more about why Lund University might be the right choice for you here, and more about working in Sweden here. These films will also give you more information about Working in Lund, Moving to Lund and Living in Lund.
Read more about the University joint announcement: https://www.lunduniversity.lu.se/lund-university-programme-global-excellence
Duties – what we expect from you
We want you to thrive and make the most of your time at Lund University and Faculty of Science. As an assistant professor, you will therefore have the opportunity to engage whole-heartedly in the research you are passionate about. As the holder of this position, most of your time will be allocated for your own research in collaboration with strong research environments, research infrastructures and international platforms.
In addition to conducting research, during your time as Assistant Professor you will also develop your teaching expertise, outreach and collaboration skills, along with Swedish language proficiency. Throughout your employment, you are an active member of your department and participant in its diverse work.
We hope that one of your first duties will be to conduct an innovative research project that is funded by the Swedish Research Council.
The duties of the position primarily comprise research and teaching at undergraduate and doctoral levels. The appointment includes teaching corresponding to 10–30 percent of a full-time position, calculated over the entire period of employment. The content of the duties, as well as the distribution between research and teaching, may change over the course of the appointment. Duties may also include participation in departmental and/or faculty boards and committees.
The candidates we seek are expected to conduct research and contribute to the establishment and strengthening of computational science at the Faculty of Science. The successful candidate is expected to build an active research programme within the field and related subject areas, which also entails actively seeking external research funding. The position includes developing collaboration in computational science within the Faculty of Science, as well as with other faculties or universities. It is important that the candidate, through their expertise in computational science, contributes to hypothesis generation in the research questions addressed by collaboration partners.
Teaching duties include undergraduate and advanced‑level courses, primarily within the subject area, in particular within the Master’s programme in Computational Science and Applied Computational Science. The successful candidate is also expected to contribute to the continued development of doctoral education in computational science, for example through the research school COMPUTE. The duties include supervision of Master’s theses and PhD students. The position also includes pedagogical development through courses in higher‑education pedagogy and supervision.
Qualifications for employment as an assistant professor
You hold a doctoral degree or have corresponding research expertise in computational science. We will primarily prioritise those applicants who have been obtained a doctoral degree within the last 7 years from the closing date for applications for the position. If you have official documentation proving that there are special circumstances – such as parental leave, military service or illness, after graduating – that have prevented you from working as a researcher, the doctoral degree in the subject can in such cases have been awarded earlier. In this case, you must include this documentation with your application.
Requirements – what you must have
To be able to be appointed as an Assistant Professor within the framework of Lund University Programme for Global Excellence, the applicant must have:
- A good ability to initiate, develop and implement high-quality research.
- Scientific excellence demonstrated through scholarly publications in computational science.
- A research plan for an innovative project within research in computational science. The research plan, which you submit as part of your application, should describe the research you intend to conduct within the scope of the position. It should also clearly demonstrate how an independent research profile will be developed and be suitable as a basis for obtaining external research funding. In the attached research plan, you should show how your research can complement and strengthen the research at the Faculty of Science, and indicate in which research environment(s) you can develop collaborations.
- Relevant post-doctoral experience in a research environment other than the higher education institution where the applicant obtained their PhD.
- Experience of research collaboration in computationally intensive fields.
- Demonstrated teaching ability including the ability to plan and deliver teaching.
- Ability to supervise students.
- Ability to develop into a good academic leader.
- Good communication skills.
- Very good oral and written English language skills.
- A motivation and the ability to learn Swedish.
- Have very good collaboration skills, strong initiative, effective communication skills, and the ability to work independently.
Additional qualifications – other credentials that we consider desirable
We want you to thrive at Lund University and be able to make the best of your time at the Faculty of Science, for that reason we would like you to demonstrate that you:
- Contribute in a positive way to the work environment.
- Have proven ability to successfully secure external research funding.
- Have been awarded research funding from national and international funding bodies.
- Currently hold an international position in the research field, and that you have not received any renumeration or grant from Swedish employers or funding bodies from 31 December 2022 onwards. [1]
- Have experience in leading and managing research projects.
- Have experience in planning, developing, and delivering teaching.
- Have documented good leadership skills, e.g. through elected office assignments, leadership courses and assessed leadership skills. [2]
- Have experience of engagement with society and external partners.
[1] Must be fulfilled to be eligible for nomination for the Swedish Research Council grant.
[2] Must be fulfilled to be eligible for nomination for the Swedish Research Council grant.
The main assessment criteria are research and teaching expertise, with greater emphasis placed on research expertise.
Form of employment
Fixed-term position, 6 years, in accordance with Chapter 4, Section 12a of the Higher Education Ordinance, with the opportunity for promotion to permanent employment as a senior lecturer.
Design and content of the application
Your application is to be written in English, as it may be reviewed by international external experts. The application is to be completed according to the Faculty of Science’s application instructions for teaching positions. Upload the application to the recruitment system as PDF files by 25 May, 2026 at the latest.
To be considered, the following requirements must be met:
- The applicant must hold a PhD or possess equivalent scientific competence in computational science. Official documentation must be provided.
- The PhD degree should have been awarded no more than seven (7) years prior to the application deadline (25 May 2026), excluding any deductible time. Periods of deductible time, such as parental leave, long‑term illness, or other comparable circumstances, shall be excluded. Applicants must clearly specify any such periods in the application and provide supporting documentation.
- The applicant must have completed a postdoctoral research period at a higher education institution other than the institution at which the PhD degree was awarded.
- The application must be complete and include a research plan (see instructions).
Interviews for the positions are planned to take place on 19–21 October 2026.
Promotion
To be promoted from Associate Senior Lecturer to Senior Lecturer, language level B1* in Swedish must be achieved.
*Common European Framework of Reference for Language, CEFR
An associate senior lecturer is, on application, to be promoted to senior lecturer employed for an indefinite period if they have the required qualifications and are deemed to be suitable with reference to the assessment criteria established by the Faculty of Science when applying for promotion. An associate senior lecturer can only apply for promotion once.
Assessment criteria for promotion to a permanent position as senior lecturer:
- Good national and international standing as a researcher
The applicant conducts research of high quality that garners attention nationally and internationally.
The applicant conducts research with a clear, independent profile. - Good teaching ability
The applicant has good knowledge of the subject and can apply these in practice when teaching.
The applicant has good teaching skills and demonstrates an ability to develop their teaching within the subject area.
The applicant has a reflective approach to teaching and learning.
The applicant has five weeks’ training in teaching and learning in higher education, or the equivalent. - Ability to participate in the supervision of doctoral students
The applicant has documented experience and the ability to supervise doctoral students.
The applicant has a reflective approach to the supervision of doctoral students.
The applicant has at least two weeks´ training in supervision, or the equivalent. - Ability to engage with wider society and communicate their activities
The applicant has documented experience and the ability to engage with wider society and communicate their activities. - General ability to lead and develop activities
The applicant has documented experience of and ability in academic leadership.
Within the Faculty of Science research and education is conducted within Astronomy, Biology, Physics, Geosciences, Chemistry, Mathematics, medical radiation physics, physical geography and Environmental Sciences. The Faculty of Science is organized into eight departments, gathered in the northern campus area in Lund. The Faculty of Science has approximately 1900 students, 330 PhD students and 730 employees.
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| Type of employment | Temporary position |
|---|---|
| Contract type | Full time |
| First day of employment | As soon as possible |
| Salary | Monthly |
| Number of positions | 1 |
| Full-time equivalent | 100 |
| City | Lund |
| County | Skåne län |
| Country | Sweden |
| Reference number | PA2026/927 |
| Contact | Karin Rengefors, Deputy dean, +46702146541, karin.rengefors@science.lu.seStanley Heinze, Docent, Department of Biology, +46723232411, stanley.heinze@biol.lu.seErik Swietlicki, Professor, Department of Physics, +46709924512, erik.swietlicki@fysik.lu.seMarie Skepö, Professor, Department of Chemistry, +46462223366, marie.skepö@chem.lu.sePhilipp Birken, Professor, Center for Mathematical Sciences, +46462223165, philipp.birken@math.lu.seCrister Ceberg, Professor, Medical Radiation Physics, +46725453805, crister.ceberg@med.lu.seAnders Irbäck, Professor, Dep of Earth and Environmental Science, +46462223493, anders.irback@mgeo.lu.seHelen Johansson, Recruitment coordinator, +46462223609, helen.johansson@science.lu.se |
| Union representative | SEKO: Seko Civil, +46462229366, sekocivil@seko.lu.seOFR/ST:Fackförbundet ST:s kansli, +46462229362, st@st.lu.seSACO:Saco-s-rådet vid Lunds universitet, +462220000, kansli@saco-s.lu.se |
| Published | 08.Apr.2026 |
| Last application date | 25.May.2026 |