AALTO UNIVERSITY FINLAND
Aalto University is a new university created from the merger of the Helsinki School of Economics, the University of Art and Design Helsinki and Helsinki University of Technology. The new university's ambitious goal is to rank among the top universities in the world in its areas of specialization. The combination of three universities opens up new possibilities for strong multi-disciplinary education and research.
The goal of the Aalto University School of Art and Design is to be a dynamic, international school that promotes the development of creative fields, the regeneration of Finnish culture and artistic education and furthers innovation-based business that supports sustainable development. The School cooperates actively with industry, the cultural sector and the surrounding society and forms networks with the best international universities and centers of expertise in order to realize its goals. The teaching and research of the School of Art and Design focus on design, media, art education, visual culture and audio-visual presentation. The Aalto University School of Art and Design has approximately 1900 students and 450 staff.
The Department of Design at the School of Art and Design is an academic community of approximately 700 students and 100 staff members. The department conducts research and provides education in bachelor, master and doctoral programmes across a broad range of subjects and themes.
The Department of Design invites applications for:
PROFESSOR OF DESIGN, ESPECIALLY PRACTICE-LED DESIGN RESEARCH
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The Department of Design offers an inspiring research community. The professor will create knowledge and expertise on crossing the borders of art, design and research. She/he will teach and lead research on the phenomena on the dynamic interfaces of these disciplines. The person chosen for the position is expected to become closely linked to the educational development within the unit.
The position will be filled at the Tenure track of Aalto University. The tenure track is open to talented individuals who have excellent potential for academic career. On the basis of their experience and competence, applicants will be placed on any of the four levels of the tenure track system: Assistant Professor (1), Assistant Professor (2), Associate Professor or Full Professor. The candidates for the two first-mentioned levels are appointed for a fixed term, while the candidates for the position of Associate Professor are appointed either permanently or for a fixed term. The full professor positions are permanent positions. For more information on the tenure track system of Aalto University please see www.aalto.fi/en/tenuretrack.
Throughout their careers, those under the academic tenure track system are expected to exercise and guide scientific research and/or artistic activity, to provide related higher education, to follow the advances of their field and to take part in societal interaction and international collaboration in their field. Individuals placed on the Aalto University tenure track for professors have the possibility to advance in their career through regular performance assessments, which take into account their merits in all areas of their scope of duty.
Aalto University follows the new salary system of Finnish universities, but applicants may also provide salary requirements.
DEPARTMENT OF DESIGN
The above-mentioned position is located in the Department of Design, see http://www.taik.fi/mo/english/l and http://www.taik.fi/designresearch/
Within the Department of Design the successful candidate will be expected
– to start and lead the development of the research program in the area of Practice-led Design Research
– to plan, develop and coordinate related education within the department at both Masters and Doctoral levels
For additional information, please contact:
Head of Department, Professor Pirjo Hirvonen, tel. +358 50 3636 011, e-mail: [log in to unmask] or Professor Tapio Yli-Viikari, tel. +358 50 521 6111, e-mail: [log in to unmask]
APPLICATION MATERIALS AND APPLICATION PROCEDURE
The application materials should include the following appendices:
1. Application letter addressed to the President of Aalto University
2. Curriculum Vitae (with contact details)
3. Design / Art Work portfolio
4. List of publications, art works, designs, productions (the most important ones to be marked with an asterisk)
5. Brief overview (max 3 pages) of your ideas regarding the future development of your professional field of interests
6. Description of current research interests, and tentative research proposal
The applications materials for this position are to be written in English, addressed to the President of Aalto University and submitted to the Registry of Aalto University preferably by e-mail to [log in to unmask] no later than 15th March 2011. Electronic documents should be submitted in PDF format and the file names should follow the format lastname_practiceled.pdf. (e.g. lastname_practiceled1.pdf). The postal address is Aalto University, School of Art and Design, P.O. Box 31000, FI-00076 Aalto, Finland. The registry closes at 3.00 p.m.
The language requirements for applicants are described in more detail in the application instructions.
Please find detailed application instructions attached (see application instructions beside).
Should there be a lack of eligible applicants, the application period may be extended. Aalto University reserves the right to also consider other candidates for the professorial positions.
The application materials will not be returned.
Helsinki, 14.01.2011
APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE TENURE TRACK POSITION OF PROFESSOR OF DESIGN, ESPECIALLY PRACTICE LED-DESIGN RESEARCH
DEPARTMENT OF DESIGN
The Department of Design at the School of Art and Design is an internationally acknowledged design education and research community. Its alumni work as design professionals in industry, business, cultural institutions and the media. They also hold positions as design leaders, entrepreneurs and researchers. The department has about 700 students, most of whom are pursuing either a master’s degree or a doctorate. The research focus of the Department is human-centered design and cultural design research. Human-centered design involves research on the interfaces and processes between the user, consumer and designer communities. Cultural design research covers a wide range of research interests related to design history, professions, intercultural connections, and connections between artistic / design practices and research.
More detailed information on the department, its education, various programs and research can be found from the following links:
http://www.taik.fi/mo/english/
http://www.taik.fi/designresearch/
http://designresearch.fi/dcds/
POSITION SUMMARY
Professor of Design, especially Practice-led Design Research is an expert in the connection between art, design and design research, artistic practices and/or conceptual modeling of design. The professorship strengthens the connection between art and contemporary design thinking and supports the development of applied arts and design towards a more active and communicative area of research both culturally and academically. The professorship is linked to the Cultural design research focus at the Department of Design. The professorship requires advanced skills in design research and a good knowledge of at least some design practices.
The tasks of the Professor of Practice-led Design Research include conducting, instructing and leading world-class design research in the research team of the Department of Design. The Professor will conduct and supervise scientific and artistic work, follow the international development of research and art in his/her field and review assignments and theses. In addition, the Professor will promote and develop the teaching of her/his discipline, supervise students, organize examinations, report to the University on their results in teaching, publishing, their scientific and artistic activity and examinations, to manage the administrative and other responsibilities assigned to them by the University and participate in the student admissions process.
KEY SELECTION CRITERIA AND QUALIFICATIONS
The applicants will be reviewed on the basis of their professional artistic or design competence, research merits, production, teaching, academic leadership and activity in the academic community. The Professor has a PHD level degree in design or applied art or other relevant discipline. Applicants selected for the second stage will be asked to supplement their application with material that describes their merits in the areas in more detail.
The position will be placed on the Tenure track of the Aalto University. For more information on the tenure track system of Aalto University, please see www.aalto.fi/en/tenuretrack.
APPLICATION MATERIALS
The applications materials for this position are to be written in English, addressed to the President of Aalto University and submitted to the Registry of Aalto University preferably by e-mail to [log in to unmask] no later than 15th March. The application materials will not be returned.
The application materials should include
1. Application letter addressed to the President of Aalto University
2. Curriculum Vitae (with contact details) in English
3. Design / Art Work portfolio
4. List of publications, art works, designs, productions (the most important ones to be marked with an asterisk)
5. Brief overview (max 3 pages) of your ideas regarding the future development of your professional field of interests
6. Description of current research interests, and tentative research proposal
Electronic documents should be submitted in PDF format and the file names should follow the format lastname_practiceled.pdf. (e.g. lastname_practiceled1.pdf). The postal address is Aalto University, School of Art and Design, P.O. Box 31000, FI-00076 Aalto, Finland. The registry closes at 3.00 p.m.
APPLICATION PROCESS
From amongst the applicants, Aalto University will select those who will be asked to supplement their application materials. Supplemented applications are submitted for review by experts (the second stage of the application process). The experts also have an opportunity to accept other applicants for review than those originally selected by the University. According to the Aalto University’s tenure track policies and procedures, the eligibility and merits of the applicants will be reviewed by at least four experts. The disqualification of experts will be determined as provided in the Sections 27–29 of the Administrative Procedure Act (434/2003). Both the external experts and the departmental committee will evaluate the applicants.
LANGUAGE REQUIREMENTS
Applicants are required to have such proficiency in English as is required for the exercise of the duties.
ADDITIONAL LANGUAGE REQUIREMENTS FOR NATIVE FINNISH CITIZENS
Native Finnish citizens in teaching and research positions at universities are required to have good command of the language of instruction, Finnish or Swedish, used on their courses. Those in teaching and research positions at universities which offer degrees in both Finnish and Swedish are also required to have at least satisfactory oral and written proficiency in the other official language of Finland.
Foreigners and non-native Finnish citizens may be appointed notwithstanding the provisions pertaining to teachers’, researchers’ and officials’ requisite proficiency in Finnish and Swedish.
The applicant is deemed to be sufficiently proficient in Finnish if he or she has demonstrated excellent oral and written proficiency in Finnish as defined in the decree on the requisite proficiency of Finnish and Swedish of State civil servants (481/2003) or
• has demonstrated excellent command of written and oral Finnish in an examination by the Language Examination Board set by the National Board of Education or
• has received his or her basic education in Finnish or taken a maturity test at a higher education institution;
• has taken the Finnish matriculation examination with at least the grade of magna cum laude approbatur in the required Finnish examination
• has taken the Finnish matriculation examination with at least the grade of eximia cum laude approbatur in its ‘Finnish as a second language’ examination. ‘Finnish as a second language’ is an examination for foreigners, substituting the Finnish examination.
The applicant is deemed capable of understanding Swedish if he or she
• has demonstrated at least satisfactory ability to understand oral and written Swedish as provided in the decree on the requisite proficiency in Finnish and Swedish of State civil servants (481/2003);
• has, according to a certificate issued by the language examination board of some Finnish university, or by a member thereof, adequate command of written and spoken Swedish.
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