Professor of Psychology

Ref no: ORU 2.1.1-07328/2025

Örebro University shapes the future through internationally competitive research and offers professional-oriented education among the best in Sweden. We are now looking for someone to work as a professor of psychology at the School of Behavioural, Social and Legal Sciences. You will have the opportunity to be part of Örebro University's continued journey, with research and education in focus.

Subject area

The subject area for this position is psychology.

Background

The School of Behavioural, Social and Legal Sciences (BSR) offers a unique combination of disciplines: psychology, social work, law, and criminology, enabling cross-disciplinary collaboration and exchange of expertise. Psychology education is offered at all three levels—undergraduate, advanced, and doctoral. Teaching includes standalone courses, the professional psychology programme, and contributions to other programmes.

Research spans various areas of psychology, primarily cognitive, developmental, social, health, and clinical psychology. It is mainly conducted within two research environments: LEADER (Center for Lifespan Developmental Research) and CHAMP (Center for Health and Medical Psychology). LEADER focuses on understanding fundamental aspects of psychological development and psychosocial adaptation across the lifespan (https://www.oru.se/english/research/research-environments/hs/leader---center-for-lifespan-developmental-research/research/), while CHAMP studies how psychological processes interact with biological and social processes in health and disease (https://www.oru.se/english/research/research-environments/hs/champ/champ-research/).

We are now seeking a new professor whose research can further develop one of these thematic areas.

Duties and responsibilities

As professor, you are expected to take a leading role within the subject. You will spend most of your working hours on research activities and doctoral education, but also on courses and study programmes at the bachelor’s and master’s levels. Your duties and responsibilities also include working actively to bring in external research grants to the subject, take overall responsibility for its research activities, and contribute to developments within the subject field nationally and internationally. As professor, you are expected to communicate and collaborate around your own and the subject’s research activities. Administrative duties are also included.

You are expected to make yourself available for management and administrative assignments at the university. Through presence and dedication you are expected to take special responsibility for supporting a collegial and inclusive atmosphere within the organisation.

As a professor of psychology, you share a special responsibility with other psychology professors to lead and develop the subject’s research activities. The position also includes responsibility for educational quality at all levels. Research within the subject is conducted in two thematic areas and their respective research environments. You are expected to carry out independent research that aligns with one of these research areas.

Qualifications

A person who has demonstrated both research and teaching expertise is qualified for employment as a professor.

The applicant is required to have completed qualifying courses on teaching and learning in higher education, or equivalent, corresponding to ten weeks, as well as courses on supervising doctoral students. Knowledge and skills equivalent to such courses may also be assessed to establish whether these provide eligibility. This assessment will be made by Örebro University. If either of these requirements are not met, the successful applicant is expected to complete the requisite training course(s) within two years of their appointment.

Assessment criteria

When appointing a professor, the degree of the expertise required within research activities and teaching respectively is assessed. The assessment criteria research expertise and teaching expertise both encompass a consideration of collaborative and leadership skills. In addition, the applicant’s suitability for the position is assessed, meaning for instance that the applicant has the personal qualities required to successfully perform the duties and responsibilities at hand, the ability to cooperate, and the ability to contribute to the development of the operations.

Research expertise

The applicant’s research expertise is demonstrated through their independent research contributions. These are to significantly exceed the qualifications required for appointment as a docent, in terms of both quality and quantity. Scientific publications are to be at a high continuous level and published in quality-assured channels of relevance to the subject in question. Research expertise includes the ability to obtain funding in competition, experience of serving in academic positions of trust, and experience of doctoral supervision. In addition, research expertise encompasses leadership and administrative skills, notably the ability to initiate, organise and lead research projects or research teams, as well as collaborative skills, notably the ability to conduct research in collaboration with the wider community.

A research background relevant to the psychological research conducted at Örebro University is considered a prerequisite. You should therefore to a significant extent have carried out psychological research in one or more of the following areas: cognitive, developmental, social, health, or clinical psychology.

A particular merit is previous and planned research relevant to developmental psychology, as the subject aims to further develop this area.

Active international collaboration—such as participation in international networks and joint publications, involvement in international scientific organizations, experience with interdisciplinary collaboration, and editorial work—is considered a merit. Previous experience in establishing and developing research environments within psychology is considered a particular merit for this position.

Teaching expertise

When defining teaching expertise at Örebro University, three categories are used: teaching approach, how the teaching approach is put into practice, and professional development as a teacher. The applicant’s teaching qualifications are therefore to be documented accordingly and in compliance with Örebro University’s template for teaching portfolios, relating clearly to the values set out in Örebro University’s educational philosophy.

Teaching expertise is demonstrated through the ability to teach and supervise at the bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral levels, the ability to draw on research in teaching, as well as the ability to develop students’ self-learning and interest in the subject. Teaching expertise also includes considerable ability to independently take responsibility for planning, implementing, examining and evaluating courses and study programmes, as well as the ability to contribute to and lead the pedagogical development of teaching. In addition, leadership skills, such as the ability to organise and coordinate study programmes or other educational activities, as well as collaboration and public engagement skills, such as the ability to develop and implement training courses for outside the higher education sector, are also included.

Experience in teaching and supervision relevant to the subject’s psychology education is a particular merit. This includes experience in teaching and supervision at the doctoral level that is relevant to the subject’s research areas.

Other assessment aspects

Active participation in, and leadership of, international collaborations and networks is considered a merit.

Ability to teach in Swedish and English is required. If you cannot teach in Swedish, you are expected to acquire this ability within two years.

In addition to formal qualifications, university employees must possess the personal qualities necessary to perform the duties of the position well and to represent the university in the best possible way. To be considered for the position, you must have strong collaborative skills, both in research and teaching, as well as in development work and administration.

Information

This is a permanent full-time position. At Örebro University, salary depends on the successful candidate’s qualifications and experience.

For more information about the position, contact professor Katja Boersma, email: katja.boersma@oru.se, or the Head of School Sven Helin, email: sven.helin@oru.se

At Örebro University, we expect each member of staff to be open to development and change, take responsibility for their work and performance, demonstrate a keen interest in collaboration and contribute to development, as well as to show respect for others by adopting a constructive and professional approach.

Örebro University actively pursues equal opportunities and gender equality as well as a work environment characterised by openness, trust and respect. We value the qualities that diversity adds to our operations.

Örebro University aims to improve the gender balance among professors and especially encourages female candidates to apply.

Application

Apply for the position via Örebro University’s website. Click the button “Apply” to begin the application procedure.

For the application to be complete, the following electronic documents must be included:

• Covering letter, outlining how you believe you can contribute to the continued development of the university and the research field
• CV with a relevant description of your overall qualifications and experience
• Teaching portfolio (as instructed in Örebro University's guidelines)
• Research portfolio
• Publication list
• Relevant scientific publications (maximum of 10 and in full-text format)
• Copies of relevant course/degree certificates and references verifying eligibility and criteria met

Only documents written in Swedish, English, Norwegian or Danish can be reviewed.

More information for applicants will be found on our career site: https://www.oru.se/english/career/available-positions/applicants-and-external-experts/

The application deadline is January 31, 2026. We look forward to receiving your application!

After the application deadline, no supplements can be made electronically. If you have scientific publications that cannot be attached electronically directly in the application, please refer to them in your application and contact hr@oru.se.

As we have already made our choices in terms of external collaboration partners and marketing efforts for this recruitment process, we decline any contact with recruitment agencies and advertisers.

As directed by the National Archives of Sweden (Riksarkivet), we are required to deposit one file copy of the application documents, excluding publications, for a period of two years after the appointment decision has gained legal force.