The Faculty of Science offers a six-year career programme for associate senior lecturers within the faculty. The career programme provides opportunities for you to develop in your role as a researcher, teaching staff member, supervisor and academic leader. The aim of the programme is to ensure that you are qualified for a promotion to senior lecturer and well prepared for a long career in academia. The programme is a key part of the faculty’s investment in creating attractive career pathways for early-career researchers and strengthening research environments within the faculty.

Programme content

Years 1–3

Soon after your employment begins, you will be called to an introductory meeting with the aim of planning your career development. You will meet with the dean, the vice dean for research, the head of human resources, the head of your department, and the career programmer coordinator.  

You will also be invited to join the faculty’s network for associate senior lecturers, which will offer you the opportunity to share experiences and network meetups, amongst other things (read more about the network further down the page).

During the early part of the programme, it is important that you start developing your qualifications for associate professorship. This is because becoming an associate professor is an important step on the way to promotion to senior lecturer. In order to be appointed associate professor, you are required to have undertaken courses in teaching and learning in higher education that qualify you to teach and to be a principal supervisor for doctoral students as well as the preparatory course for associate professorship.

Read about the process of applying for associate professorship

Training in higher education teaching and learning

You should also complete the mentorship programme Learning for Change, which runs over two semesters and is offered every other year. During the programme, you will be assigned a mentor (a professor within the faculty), you will learn about theories of the bifocal approach to mentorship and receive support for your own career planning. Read more about the Learning for Change mentoring programme on the webpage about training in higher education teaching and learning.

After approximately two years, you will be called to a first review along with your head of department, the dean of the faculty and the faculty’s head of human resources. The purpose of the meeting is, amongst other things, to ensure that you are receiving the support you need.

Years 3–6

After around three years as an associate senior lecturer, you should be ready to submit your application for associate professorship.

Apply for associate professorship

After approximately four years, you will be called to a further review along with your head of department, the dean of the faculty and the faculty’s head of human resources. The purpose of the meeting is, among other things, to ensure that you are on the right track ahead of your application for promotion to senior lecturer.

During this part of the career programme, you can also take the opportunity to complete other courses in teaching and learning in higher education that are offered by the faculty or the Division for Higher Education Development. The University also offers professional and career development in several areas.

Training in higher education teaching and learning

Professional and careers development (staff.lu.se)

You will need to submit your application for promotion to senior lecturer at least six months before your employment as associate senior lecturer ends.

Apply for promotion to senior lecturer

Network

Within the career programme, you will have the opportunity to create a personal network along with other new associate senior lecturers within the faculty. The network provides a forum for sharing experiences and the opportunity to take part in network meetups and social activities that benefit both your professional and personal development.

The aim of the network is that it is to be responsive to needs and be characterised by soft values (e.g., how we can manage stress and family life while simultaneously building up a research group), non-formal requirements (e.g. what it means to be a leader in academia) and to show the pluralism the University contains, both in terms of subjects and careers.

The network meetups will take place once or twice each semester, starting in September 2022. The meetups might for example take the form of a half-day focused on a particular theme, followed by “afterwork” socialising or dinner.

The network has a group on Microsoft Teams, which acts as a hub. All new associate senior lecturers are invited to join the group.

The network for associate senior lecturers on Microsoft Teams

The network is coordinated by Magne Friberg and Ruth Pöttgen.

Magne Friberg’s contact details in Lund University’s research portal

Ruth Pöttgen’s contact details in Lund University’s research portal