Career paths at Örebro University

Are you considering a career in academia? Read more about the research support that Örebro University offers its researchers, possible career paths at ORU, and meet three of our staff who talk about how their academic journey led them to Örebro.

Research and teaching skills are more or less required for all appointments, so working in both teaching and research is necessary for pursuing an academic career. This is also at the heart of academia – seeking and acquiring knowledge and passing it on to others.

Below is an illustration of the career paths available at Örebro University. The red arrows show the potential paths to an academic career at Örebro University, where employment begins with an application for a vacancy in competition with other applicants. An academic career usually starts with admission to the doctoral programme and a fixed-term appointment as a doctoral student, leading to a completed doctoral degree. The positions of doctoral student, postdoctoral researcher and associate senior lecturer are all fixed-term positions.

The green arrows indicate that you can apply for open positions, as advertised on the university’s website. Lecturers, senior lecturers, and professors are often permanent positions. To qualify for a specific appointment, the applicant must meet the requirements prescribed at three levles – in the Higher Education Ordinance, in the university’s appointment procedures for academic appointments, and in the employment guidelines established by each faculty board.

The grey arrows indicate an opportunity for teachers who have held permanent employment for one year or more to apply for promotion to senior lecturer and professor. For a senior lecturer with permanent employment, there is also the opportunity to acquire teaching or research qualifications and apply for appointment as an excellent teaching practicitioner or docent respectively.

Career paths at Örebro University, Doctoral student, Postdoctoral appointment, Associate senior lecturer, Senior lecturer, Professor, Lecturer, External recruitment, Proficiency test for promotion to higher appointment.

Illustration of career paths.

The different positions, as well as the duties and responsibilities involved, are described in more detail in the following.

At Örebro University, lecturers are expected to spend their working hours mainly on teaching, primarily at the bachelor’s level. In addition to education and collaboration, duties and responsibilities include development work, administration and continuing professional development. Moreover, teaching encompasses supervision, examination, course development, planning and evaluation.

Admission to the doctoral programme is linked to full-time studies for the duration of the study programme, which corresponds to four years of full-time study.

The appointment as a postdoctoral researcher is intended to enable those who recently have been awarded their doctoral degree to focus on consolidating and developing their research skills. A maximum of 25 per cent of teaching can also be included in their duties and responsibilities.

An appointment as an associate senior lecturer at Örebro University is mainly focused on acquiring research or artistic qualifications (at least 50 per cent of full working hours). The remaining working hours are primarily geared towards acquiring teaching qualifications and engaging in collaboration. The purpose of the position is for junior researchers to receive the opportunity to develop their independence as a researcher and gain qualifications, in both research and teaching, to meet the requirements for appointment as senior lecturer.

At Örebro University, a senior lecturer spends their working hours on teaching at all levels, research, and associated public engagement activities. In addition to teaching, research and collaboration, duties and responsibilities include development work, administration and continuing professional development. Moreover, teaching encompasses supervision, examination, course development, planning and evaluation.

As a rule, a professor at Örebro University spends most of their working hours on research. They are also expected to work actively to bring in external research grants to the subject, take overall responsibility for its research activities, and monitor the international developments within the subject field. In addition, a professor is expected to be involved at all three levels of higher education and to communicate and collaborate around their own and the department’s research activities.

Moreover, within the scope of their employment, a professor is expected to make themselves available for executive and administrative assignments at the university.

Interview with Carolin Zorell

"It’s easy to work across disciplinary boundaries"

Carolin Zorell had studied and researched in Germany, the US and UK before her postdoctoral appointment within Örebro University.

Interview with Dimitri Beeckman

"We share the importance of open and creative collaboration"

Dimitri Beeckman worked in Australia and England before coming to Örebro University as a visiting professor at the Faculty of Health Sciences.

Interview with Amy Loutfi

From exchange student to professor and Pro-Vice-Chancellor

Amy Loutfi is an internationally recognised researcher in robotics and AI.

A meeting where researchers gets support

Research support for researchers and doctoral students

There is a wealth of support available for each step of the research process.