Call for applications: Postdoctoral Researcher at the Academy of Fine Arts

Filling the post of Postdoctoral Researcher

The Academy of Fine Arts of the University of the Arts Helsinki will fill the post of Postdoctoral Researcher for a fixed term (1/8/2018–31/7/2021) by an application procedure. The application period will open on 11 May, 2018, and close on 30 May, 2018, at 3 o’clock p.m. local Helsinki time (UTC +3). The position is administratively based in the research unit of the Academy of Fine Arts.

 

Research activities at the University of the Arts Helsinki and the research unit of the Academy of Fine Arts

Research is an integral part of the University of the Arts Helsinki. Research activities support the critical development and conceptual understanding of artistic practices as well as the University’s and art community’s ability to engage in reflection. The research done at the University of the Arts Helsinki comprise artistic research, research of art, art pedagogical research and development activities.

The guiding principles of research arise from the traditions and practices of the fields represented by the University of the Arts Helsinki. The diverse artistic, research-based and pedagogical activities coexist in a form of mutually supportive interaction, which also lays the foundation for the doctoral education at the University.

The Academy of Fine Arts includes a research unit, which is responsible for the Academy’s doctoral programme in addition to everyday research activities.

The research done at the Academy of the Fine Arts focuses on artistic research and research on contemporary art. Research topics relate to the subject areas of the Academy of Fine Arts (sculpture, painting, printmaking, photography, moving image, site and situation specific art, exhibition practices and curating) – their theory, methodology, teaching, and the development of the related mediums, materials and forms of expression. Research is regarded as an integral part of contemporary art at the Academy of Fine Arts. Artistic research and the research of contemporary art promote the interaction between different forms of art and enhance the social impact of art. The dialogic relationship between contemporary art and the audience, as well as exhibition practices, technology and spatiality, all relate to the research done at the Academy both methodologically and pedagogically.

 

Duties of Postdoctoral Researcher

In addition to research, the duties of Postdoctoral Researcher include the development of the research activities at the Academy of Fine Arts. This may include e.g. project planning and applying for external research funding, as well as taking part in the communal activities of the University. The researcher will also provide personal supervision to the students at the doctoral programme.

 

Eligibility and qualification requirements

To be considered for the post, the applicant must hold a Doctoral degree in a relevant field, be able to carry out independent artistic research, and have the necessary teaching skills that are required for the successful management of the post. The applicant is also expected to have good interactional skills and be able to work as a member of a research group and an international research network. Previous experience in international artistic research in the field of visual arts will be considered a merit. Wide-ranging knowledge of contemporary art and its technological preconditions is considered a further merit.

The appointee is expected to have a good command of Finnish, at least a satisfactory command of Swedish[1] and an excellent command of English. The University may exempt an applicant from the language requirements in accordance with the staff regulations of the University of the Arts Helsinki.

 

Working hours and salary

The researcher’s working hours will be based on a total annual workload of 1,624 hours, as defined in the collective agreement. The duties of the researcher will be specified, and their quantitative ratios confirmed in the annual workload plan.

The job-specific salary component will be based on level 4–6 of the requirement scheme for teaching and research positions in the salary system of Finnish universities, depending on the stage of the appointee’s career. In addition, the appointee will receive a salary component based on personal work performance.

 

The selection process

The call for applications will be posted on the website of the University of the Arts Helsinki on 11 May, 2018. The call for applications may also be published in other contexts. The application period will open on 11 May, 2018, and close on 30 May, 2018, at 3 o’clock p.m. local Helsinki time (UTC +2).

The Recruitment Committee of the Academy of Fine Arts prepares the appointments to the teaching and research positions at the Academy. Based on an assessment given by the “assessment committee”, the Recruitment Committee selects the applicants for interviews and potential teaching demonstrations. The Recruitment Committee will decide on the format of the interview and the potential teaching demonstration. In the interview, the applicant’s suitability to the post and the research environment will be assessed by the committee. The Recruitment Committee will conduct the interviews in a private and confidential setting.

Based on the expert evaluations, interviews and potential teaching demonstrations, the Recruitment Committee, headed by the chair of the “assessment committee”, will write a report with an assessment of the applicants’ merits to the dean. The committee will also write an appointment proposal, which includes a list of candidates who are deemed to be best-suited for the post (1–4, in order of preference). The committee may request an external expert assessment of the applicants’ suitability to the job and the research environment. The dean may also ask for references of the applicants proposed by the Recruitment Committee.

The Dean of the Academy of Fine Arts makes the final decision on the recruitment and concludes an employment contract with the selected candidate.

 

How to apply

The application need not follow a specific stylesheet. Each application must include the following appendices:

• A research proposal on artistic research with a focus on the visual arts (max. 5 pages)
• CV (written in accordance with the template provided by the Finnish National Board of Research Integrity: http://www.tenk.fi/en/template-researchers-curriculum-vitae )
• List of publications, which includes previous research output and artistic activities (written in accordance with the CV template provided by the Academy of Finland: https://www.aka.fi/en/funding/how-to-apply/appendices-required/guidelines-for-list-of-publications/ )
• A research portfolio (max. 10 pages)
• Proof of language skills

 

The application must also include a letter of motivation (max. 2 pages), in which the applicant describes how they position themselves as part of the research activities and the development of research within the University of the Arts Helsinki and the Academy of Fine Arts. The application may include 1-3 electronic publications relevant for the position.

The applications, with the relevant appendices, are to be submitted as a single PDF file to kuva.kirjaamo@uniarts.fi. The subject line of the e-mail should be: “Application to the post of Postdoctoral Researcher”. The closing date for applications is 30 May, 2018, at 3 o’clock p.m. (UTC +3). Late applications will not be considered.

For more information on the position, please contact Professor Mika Elo, mika.elo@uniarts.fi . For more information on the application process, please contact Coordinator Ulla Tissari, ulla.tissari@uniarts.fi.

 

[1] Proficiency in Swedish or Finnish must be demonstrated as follows: 1) a certificate provided by a member of deputy member of the State Board of Language Examinations or another method described in Government Decree No 481/2003 (e.g. by completing a language test included in an academic undergraduate degree); 2) a certificate provided by a professor, assistant professor or lecturer who teaches the language in question at a Finnish institute of higher education; or 3) a passing grade in the language in question awarded in the Finnish matriculation examination.

 

Image credits: Veikko Kähkönen