Aalto University is a community of bold thinkers where science and art meet technology and business. We are committed to identifying and solving grand societal challenges and building an innovative future. Aalto University has six schools with nearly 11 000 students and nearly 400 professors. Our campus is located in Espoo, Finland.

Aalto University School of Arts, Design and Architecture (Aalto ARTS) is a global leader in higher education in design, fashion, games, media, architecture, film, art education and art. We also produce world-class research in art education, design and design thinking, digital media and visual culture, urban planning and architecture. Our graduates are innovators in and beyond their fields, drawing from over a century of tradition, a humane and forward-looking approach, and the latest technologies. Our new campus in Espoo, just west of Helsinki, makes working together within and across disciplines easier than ever before.

The Department of Art and Media conducts research and artistic activities across a broad range of subjects and themes. These include art education, contemporary art, curating, game design, new media, photography, visual communication design and visual culture. The department provides education in Bachelor's, Master's and Doctoral levels.

The department was formed in 2022 as a merger of two departments which have both been recognized internationally  for high-quality artistic outputs, media productions and art pedagogical activities, scholarship, and research. The Department of Art and Media, with approximately 800 students and over 100 staff members, is the largest department in the School of Arts, Design and Architecture.

The Department of Art and Media invites applications for the position of:

Assistant or Associate Professor, Arts-based research and pedagogy

The successful candidate will be appointed for an Assistant or Associate Professor position in the Aalto University tenure track system. Aalto’s tenure track principles are explained at www.aalto.fi/en/tenure-track. The position will begin in February 2023 or as agreed, and it is located in the Department of Art and Media, with an emphasis on art education.

The research in art education at Aalto University is internationally recognised for its innovative and interdisciplinary approach to art pedagogy. There is a strong focus on research in contemporary art and arts-based pedagogical practices in a broad cultural and societal context. To maintain its leadership in the field, Aalto ARTS has opened a call to find a tenure track or tenured professor in arts-based research and pedagogy, whose task is to develop research in both art and pedagogy.  

Your role and goals

As an Assistant or Associate Professor, you are expected to carry out and supervise research; to educate students and to participate in curriculum development and lifewide-learning education initiatives. You are expected to introduce students to the complex and versatile relations between art and pedagogy and support them in advancing the field. We also expect you to participate in service to the Aalto University community and to network with researchers and practitioners in the diverse fields of the university. In all levels of the tenure track system, a professor is expected to perform high-quality research with societal impact as well as to teach at the doctoral, master’s and bachelor’s level, to be an active member of the international research community, and to exhibit academic leadership. Advancement in the tenure track is based on scheduled performance reviews which consider the candidate’s merits in all these areas.

These criteria are meant to support the holistic evaluation of applicants. This means that an applicant is evaluated on the overall combination and balance across the dimensions relevant to the field and the type of the professorship.

Your experience

To qualify for the Assistant or Associate Professor position, you need to have significant expertise in pedagogy and arts-based research, artistic research or research of art. A commitment to the development of the field of the professorship through research and teaching activities is expected.

In-depth expertise in the field of the professorship is necessary, and familiarity with the Finnish educational field as well as international experience are an advantage. Education in the Department of Art and Media is provided in English and Finnish. Thus, excellent verbal and written communication skills in Finnish and/or English are expected. We hope that you will commit to learn Finnish, if you do not already know the language. You should have adequate pedagogical training and experience in university-level teaching. Experience in leading research projects and academic leadership positions is an asset.

For this professorship, the applicant is expected to have:

• A doctoral degree in a relevant field
• Broad professional knowledge and experience of arts-based, artistic or art-theoretical research and pedagogical research
• Experience and networks in versatile collaborations with relevant partners in the field
• Competencies in interdisciplinary collaboration
• Adequate pedagogical training and teaching experience in higher education
• International networks within the fields of arts-based, artistic or art-theoretical research and art education
• Experience with holding academic responsibilities in university education and research management relevant to your career stage
• Demonstrated ability to acquire research and/or project funding

The applicants will be reviewed on the basis of the following areas: Research merits in arts-based, artistic or art-theoretical and pedagogical fields; active participation and leadership in the academic art or art-education community. The position will require relocation to Finland for candidates not already living in the country.

What we offer

The professor will be part of an inspiring and supportive community of experienced professionals and highly motivated students. The professor will also have the opportunity to use the department’s extensive networks both nationally and internationally, and enjoy our great resources to pursue artistic activities, education and research with the help of Aalto workshops (https://www.aalto.fi/en/arts-infra).

Aalto University follows the salary system of Finnish universities. As an employer, Aalto University offers excellent learning and development opportunities and occupational health care services.

Ready to apply?

To apply, we kindly ask you to submit your application materials on Monday, 1 August, 2022 (Eastern European time UTC +2) at the latest.

Please apply using the Aalto online application system. For application link, please see the website for the job: https://www.aalto.fi/en/open-positions/assistant-or-associate-professor-arts-based-research-and-pedagogy

The following application materials should be submitted in English (in PDF format, maximum size 5MB per document):

• A short (max. 1000 words) letter of the applicant’s personal view about the relations between arts-based, artistic, art-theoretical and pedagogical research
• A curriculum vitae: A recommended template is available from the Finnish Advisory Board on Research Integrity (TENK) website: https://tenk.fi/en/advice-and-materials/template-researchers-curriculum-vitae
• A teaching portfolio compiled according to Aalto guidelines: https://www.aalto.fi/sites/g/files/flghsv161/files/2019-12/teaching_competence_assessment_guidelines_for_candidate_2019_aalto_university.pdf
• A list of research publications (indicate the five most important with an asterisk)

The departmental committee will invite the shortlisted applicants to visit the Department of Art and Media in autumn 2022 to deliver teaching demonstrations and be interviewed. In addition, the shortlisted applications will be reviewed by external experts.

For more information

If you wish to hear more about the position, please contact the departmental committee chair, Associate Professor Helena Sederholm (helena.sederholm(at)aalto.fi). If you have any questions regarding the recruitment process, please contact HR Coordinator Katja Korpinurmi (katja.korpinurmi(at)aalto.fi).

About Finland

Finland is an excellent place to live – it is a safe, politically stable, and well-organised Nordic society. Finland is consistently ranked high in terms of the quality of life: http://www.oecdbetterlifeindex.org/countries/finland/ and has been listed as the happiest country in the world: https://worldhappiness.report/news/in-a-lamentable-year-finland-again-is-the-happiest-country-in-the-world/ For more information about living in Finland, please visit the university website: https://www.aalto.fi/services/about-finland.

Check out our new virtual campus experience: https://virtualtour.aalto.fi/!