Professor in Neurosurgery, combined with a position as specialist physician at Uppsala Unviersity Hospital Full-time

Professor in Neurosurgery, Combined with a Position as Specialist Physician at Uppsala University Hospital

Uppsala University, Disciplinary Domain of Medicine and Pharmacy, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Medical Sciences

The Department of Medical Sciences is a large clinical department with a staff of approximately 250 and over 900 associates working at Uppsala University Hospital. The department, which is divided into four divisions, has a broad research profile with strong research groups working in various fields. Research at the department, which is conducted in close collaboration with the clinical organization at Uppsala University Hospital, covers both basic studies of the causes of disease and the development and evaluation of improved diagnostics and new therapies. The neurosurgery research teams are part of the Department of Clinical Neuroscience. You can find more information about the department's work at www.medsci.uu.se.

Description of the Subject Area

Neurosurgery is a highly specialized medical and scientific field that encompasses diagnosis, surgical treatment and neurocritical care for diseases and injuries affecting the brain, spinal cord and peripheral nerves.

Neurosurgical research ranges from experimental and translational studies to clinical research focused on improving the diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of conditions affecting both adults and children. At Uppsala University, neurosurgical research is conducted in close collaboration with several other research teams, as well as through national and international partnerships, which requires active and inclusive academic collaboration.

Duties

The position includes responsibility for leading and further developing research in neurosurgery, as well as overall responsibility for the quality and development of teaching at first-, second- and third-cycle levels. The successful candidate will be expected to lead an active research team and to initiate and carry out research projects. The successful candidate is also expected to demonstrate the ability to secure external research funding in a competitive field.

Duties also include active participation in institutional and faculty-wide assignments, as well as collaboration with other researchers and organizations both within and outside the university.

The position is combined with an appointment as a specialist physician within the Neuro sphere of activity at Uppsala University Hospital, creating a close integration of clinical practice, research and education. The role includes clinical work as well as contributing to the development of clinical practice, including the education and supervision of specialist trainees and junior colleagues.

Qualifications

A person eligible for appointment as professor is one who has demonstrated both scholarly and teaching competence (Chapter 4, Section 3 of the Swedish Higher Education Ordinance). According to Section 5 of the Appointment Regulations for Uppsala University (AO), the general eligibility requirement for teachers is that the applicant must have the ability to collaborate and otherwise meet the suitability requirements necessary to perform the duties effectively. The research expertise must have been demonstrated by independent research efforts and by the applicant's qualifications in an international perspective maintaining a very high quality.

The applicant shall have demonstrated skill in the planning, initiation, leadership and development of research and the ability to obtain research grants in competition, as well as well-documented skills in supervising doctoral studies. The applicant's contribution to the international and national academic community shall be assessed on the basis of the quality and scope of academic publication, among other aspects. The requirements on the acquisition of international qualifications shall be assessed with due consideration for the nature and specific conditions of the subject. (AR Section 24).

Teaching competence must have been demonstrated through substantial merits in education in accordance with Section 22 of the AO. Furthermore, the applicant shall demonstrate well documented skills in supervision at the undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate levels. One prerequisite for considering the requirement for teaching competence to be met is that the applicant has undergone relevant academic teacher training of at least 10 weeks, or has obtained equivalent knowledge in some other way. If special reasons exist, the successful candidate who does not have training in teaching and learning in higher education may undergo such training during the first two years of employment. Academic teacher training shall include doctoral supervisor training. (AO Section 32)

Eligibility for this position requires a Degree of Master of Science in Medicine and a Swedish certificate of specialist competence in neurosurgery. If the applicant does not hold a Swedish certificate of specialist competence in neurosurgery, they must have submitted an application for it to the National Board of Health and Welfare (Socialstyrelsen) by the closing date for the position. However, the applicant must have obtained a Swedish certificate of specialist competence in neurosurgery by the time the appointment decision is made. If the candidate fulfils Uppsala University Hospital's requirements for appointment as a consultant, they will be offered an appointment combined with the post of consultant.

The applicant shall have a documented ability to teach in Swedish and English. If special circumstances apply, a candidate who does not have the ability to teach in Swedish may be given the opportunity to acquire this ability within the first two years of employment.

Assessment Criteria

In selecting qualified applicants, greater importance will be placed on research expertise than on teaching competence. However, a balanced assessment will be made so that an applicant with significantly greater teaching competence can be ranked ahead of an applicant with a slight advantage in terms of research expertise. Clinical expertise is also important to the position and will be assigned significance.

Research expertise refers to qualifications as a researcher. In the assessment of research expertise, research quality shall be the primary consideration. The research's scope, mainly with regard to depth and breadth, shall also be assigned significance. Furthermore, consideration will be given to the ability to plan, initiate, lead and develop research and education at the doctoral level, the ability to secure research funding competitively, and the ability to engage with the wider society through research. (AO Section 20) Cf. Section 3 of the Guidelines and Assessment Criteria for Recruitment and Promotion within the Disciplinary Domain of Medicine and Pharmacy (RB).

Teaching competence refers to educational qualifications. In the assessment of teaching competence, quality shall be the primary consideration. Scope, both in terms of breadth and depth, shall also be considered. In addition, the ability to plan, initiate, lead and develop education and teaching, as well as the ability to link the education to research are assigned significance.

Teaching expertise includes the ability to interact with stakeholders within and outside the University on issues related to learning and teaching in higher education, (Section 22 of the AO) Cf. Section 4 of the RB.

Clinical expertise is demonstrated through clinical practice and clinical training, as well as participation in clinical development. Clinical development includes measures that have enhanced the quality or efficiency of health and medical care. (AR Section 24)

Assessment, Other Criteria

Administrative and leadership skills are significant to the position and will be assigned considerable importance. The ability to interact with the community and share information about research and development will also be considered.

Administrative expertise is demonstrated by, for example, the ability to plan, organize and prioritize work in an effective manner adapted to the task at hand, as well as the ability to allot and maintain time frames. Administrative expertise includes overall operational planning and the capacity to manage resources in a manner that reflects operational priorities, as well as the ability to work in a structured fashion based on set goals and levels of quality. (Section 28 of the AO) Cf. Section 5 of the RB.

Leadership skills are demonstrated through the ability to lead operations and staff, make decisions, take responsibility and motivate others and provide them with the prerequisites for effectively achieving common goals. Further examples of demonstrated skills include the ability to coordinate a group, foster commitment, encourage participation and create job satisfaction, as well as the ability to manage conflicts. (AO Section 30). Cf. Section 5 of the RB.

In assessing operational ability, significance will be assigned to experience of and skill in popular science, editorship and other activities related to the exchange of knowledge between the University and the world around us, as well as experience of innovation and entrepreneurship. (Section 6 of the RB)

In a holistic assessment of the applicants' qualifications, parental leave, part-time work due to childcare, union duties, military service or similar shall be considered as work experience. (AO Section 94)

When the university is to appoint new teachers, the applicants are to be selected who, through a qualitative assessment of the whole picture regarding competence and skills, are considered to have the best qualifications for the implementation and development of the tasks in question, and for contributing to a positive development of the activities. (AO Section 4)

The aspect of gender equality shall be applied in appointments if, following a qualitative assessment, two applicants of different genders have equivalent or nearly equivalent merits, and if one gender is underrepresented (constituting less than 40% within the relevant position category and at the relevant workplace). (AO Section 95)

All qualifications must be documented in a manner that allows an assessment of both quality and scope.

International experts may be called upon to assess the applications submitted. In this case, application documents written in Swedish may need to be sent to a translator hired by the University.

Links to relevant regulations and guidance

Appointment Regulations for Uppsala University