Tenure Track Assistant Professor STEM Education

Job description

We have an opening for an Assistant Professor to strengthen our position in the field of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) higher education. STEM education is primarily concerned with the theories, tools, methods, and approaches that facilitate the practice of STEM or the study of STEM through an interdisciplinary approach. As such, the field engages with questions related to STEM literacy, STEM thinking, problem-solving, critical thinking, teaching and learning, as well as connections between the STEM disciplines.

We offer you a full-time position and excellent career opportunities in our faculty’s career system Career Paths in Science and Engineering, including the perspective to get a permanent appointment (tenure) in 1-3 years and become Full Professor in approximately 10 years.

As Assistant Professor with a focus on research you will:

• Play a significant role in the development of research and education at the Faculty of Science and Engineering, both at the course and the program level, in the area of STEM education
• Set up and develop your own research line and research group as part of the Institute for Science Education and Communication
• Supervise PhD students in the Institute for Science Education and Communication
• Acquire external funding
• Promote the societal relevance of your research
• Contribute to the organization of the faculty, for example by participating in working groups and committees
• Teach an introductory course in one of the undergraduate programs of the Faculty of Science and Engineering
• Supervise scientific research projects in STEM education for the students in the master’s program Science Education and Communication
• Teach the master’s level course “Research Methods in Education”
• Contribute constructively to interdisciplinary collaboration in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education at the Institute and Faculty levels
• Participate actively in international research networks.

At the stage of Assistant Professor, 60% of your time is dedicated to research, 30% to teaching and education development, and 10% to organizational tasks.

Organisation

The University of Groningen is a research university with a global outlook, deeply rooted in Groningen, City of Talent. Groningen is the lively capital of the Northern Netherlands with a high quality of life and affordable living conditions. The University has 37000 students in BSc and MSc programmes, 4400 PhD students, and 4600 staff members. Our students and staff come from all around the world.

Quality has been our top priority for over four hundred years, and with success. The University is currently in or around the top 100 on several influential ranking lists. The Faculty of Science and Engineering (FSE) is the largest faculty within the University. We offer first-rate education and research in a wide range of science and engineering disciplines, from classical disciplines such as mathematics, astronomy and mechanical engineering, to interdisciplinary fields such as artificial intelligence, pharmacy and nanoscience. At FSE, education and research are strongly intertwined, and we value a strong disciplinary basis for our students. Our programmes in science and engineering, while diverse, share a common view on best practices for research-driven, international education. We are proud of the open, inclusive, and informal character of our community.

The position we offer will be embedded in the Centre for Learning and Teaching which aims to improve Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education at the university level through research. This is done through explorative and intervention-based studies that include the development, implementation, and impact evaluation of curriculum materials, course design, pedagogical tools and instructional strategies as well as the use of digital tools in teaching and learning.

The Centre for Learning and Teaching works closely with the Science Shop, Science LinX, research schools (e.g. Aletta Jacobs School of Public Health) institutes and units (e.g. Teacher Education, Professionalisation and Innovation of Education, Science and Society, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) at the University of Groningen and it is affiliated with international organizations and associations (e.g., European Society for Research in Mathematics Education, Young European Researchers in Mathematics Education, International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education, European Science Education Research Association, National Association of Research in Science Teaching).

The two-year MSc-programme Science Education and Communication caters to students with a BSc in science, mathematics or engineering, and trains them to become either a science teacher in high school or a professional in the broad field of science communication.

Qualifications

We seek candidates with the following qualifications and skills:

• A PhD degree in STEM Education or a related field (e.g. Science Education, Mathematics education, Biology Education, Artificial Intelligence in Education) with a focus on higher education
• Excellent research skills in research methodologies relevant for studying STEM learning and teaching in higher education: quantitative and/or qualitative research methods, practice-based research, participatory action research, or ethnography
• Excellent research qualities, as shown by a publication record in international peer-reviewed journals and proceedings of renowned conferences and a research statement
• A great affinity with and a good track record in teaching, appropriate for the career stage
• Preferably at least two years of postdoctoral experience outside of the Netherlands
• A relevant international network
• The potential to acquire substantial research grants from external sources
• Demonstrable communicative and organizational competences
• The ambition and the potential to develop academically
• The ability to work well with others in international and diverse teams
• Good command of spoken and written English.

Furthermore, we expect all new staff members to either have a University Teaching Qualification (Dutch: Basiskwalificatie Onderwijs) or obtain it within 3 years and, if they do not already speak it, to learn the Dutch language within at most five years.

Organisation

Conditions of employment

The Faculty of Science and Engineering of the University of Groningen was the first on the European mainland to introduce a tenure track career policy, 20 years ago, and with significant success. We have attracted great talents that have contributed strongly to the worldwide leading position of our faculty’s ten research institutes. Our career system has helped our staff members to develop highly successful and rewarding academic careers. The latest version of this system, ‘Career Paths in Science and Engineering’, offers:

• Diverse career paths with a focus on research, education or impact
• Dynamic career paths, in which staff members can switch focus in the course of their career
• Promotion to Assistant Professor level 1, in combination with a permanent contract, already after 1 - 3 years, provided the relevant criteria are met
• Promotion to Associate Professor after 5 years, and promotion to Full Professor after another 5 years, if the corresponding criteria are met
• Significant freedom for staff members whether and when to apply for promotion.

For more information about Career Paths in Science and Engineering, see: https://www.rug.nl/(...)catures/careerpaths/. Please consider the career path with a focus on research for the criteria for tenure and for promotion to more senior position.

As starting conditions, we offer a salary, depending on qualifications and work experience, from €4,332 up to a maximum of €6,737 gross per month (scale 11 or 12 CAO Dutch Universities, depending on your career stage) for a full-time position as Assistant Professor. Additionally, we offer:

• A holiday allowance and an end-of-year bonus of respectively 8% and 8.3% of your yearly salary
• A pension scheme
• Maternity and parental leave
• The possibility of working part-time (0.9 FTE or 0.8 FTE)
• A mentor programme and a broad range of opportunities for personal development
• Dual career support for partners of new faculty members moving to Groningen.

Consider our website for more information about the working conditions at the University of Groningen: https://www.rug.nl/about-ug/work-with-us

Application

We invite you to submit a complete application including:

• A cover letter in which you describe your motivation and qualifications for the position
• A curriculum vitae, including a list of your publications, a description of your teaching experience, and a list with names and contact details of references
• A list of five self-selected papers with an explanation of your contribution and what impact it made on science and/or society
• A statement of your teaching goals and experience
• A research statement, including a description of your scientific interest and plans.

You may apply for this position until 9 May 11:59pm / before 10 May 2024 Dutch local time (CEST) by means of the application form (click on "Apply" below on the advertisement on the university website).

The first round of the selection interviews will take place virtually on May 30th and the starting date is September 2024.

The University of Groningen strives to be a university in which students and staff are respected and feel at home, regardless of differences in background, experiences, perspectives, and identities. We believe that working on our core values of inclusion and equality are a joint responsibility and we are constructively working on creating a socially safe environment. Diversity among students and staff members enriches academic debate and contributes to the quality of our teaching and research. We therefore invite applicants from underrepresented groups in particular to apply. For more information, see also our diversity policy webpage: https://www.rug.nl/(...)rsity-and-inclusion/

Our selection procedure follows the guidelines of the Recruitment code (NVP): https://www.nvp-hrnetwerk.nl/nl/sollicitatiecode and European Commission's European Code of Conduct for recruitment of researchers: https://euraxess.ec.europa.eu/jobs/charter/code

We provide career services for partners of new faculty members moving to Groningen.

Unsolicited marketing is not appreciated.

Information

For information you can contact:

• Prof. Lucy Avraamidou, +316-27194432, L.Avraamidou@rug.nl

Please do not use the e-mail address(es) above for applications.

Additional information

• Profile report in which the position is described in more detail
• More information about the research institute
• More information about the Faculty of Science and Engineering
• Career Paths in Science and Engineering