Tenure Track Assistant Professor position in Distributed Systems - Befattningen är under tillsättning eller redan tillsatt, och det är inte längre möjligt att lämna in en ansökan

Umeå University welcomes applications for a tenure track position as Assistant Professor in Computer Science with focus on Distributed Systems, at the Department of Computing Science. Last date for application is June 16, 2020. 

Work description

The primary focus is research on autonomous systems management for distributed systems. Typical research problems focus on how to design automated and autonomous management systems to provide or enhance reliability, availability, performance, and cost- and energy-efficiency for virtualized ICT infrastructures and their applications. The infrastructures span from individual servers, clusters, and large-scale datacenters to federated cloud infrastructures and highly distributed mobile edge clouds (or Fog) environments, combining cloud datacenters and future (5G) telecom networks. The problems often require multidisciplinary approaches combining distributed systems competence with methods research in performance modelling, feedback control, discrete optimization, mathematical statistic, and machine learning. Central to the research, however, is the fundamental systems research and systems experimentation.

The position offers stimulating and challenging tasks. A main criterion for employment is a strong commitment to research. The successful candidate will have an important role in developing the area of distributed systems at the department, both in research and in undergraduate and graduate education. The candidate is also expected to develop collaboration across institutional boundaries inside and outside the university as well as to establish strong collaborations and obtain external funding from national and international funding agencies.

The purpose of the position is to make it possible to develop and establish long-term research activities. An assistant professor will be given the opportunity to develop his / her independence as a researcher, and is also expected to be engaged in research environments as well as in seminar activities, supervision of doctoral students and / or participate in postgraduate education courses.

The position is for 5 years, of which 80 % is for research and 20 % for pedagogical qualification/teaching / supervision.

The position is part of Umeå University’s tenure track system, which means that an Assistant Professor has the right to apply for promotion to a position as Senior lecturer/Associate professor. Such an application shall be submitted at least six months before the end of the employment as Assistant Professor.

Eligibility

Those eligible for employment as an Assistant Professor (biträdande universitetslektor) are individuals who have been awarded a PhD, or equivalent academic competence. Preference should be given to those who were awarded a PhD or attained equivalent research competence no more than five years prior to the expiry of the application period for the position as assistant professor.

We are looking for a candidate who has a doctoral degree in Computer Science/Computing Science, or equivalent scientific competence in an area of relevance for the position.

A high level of proficiency in both spoken and written English is a requirement.

Assessment criteria and their weight

In the selection of candidates, particular emphasis will be put on the degree of research expertise. In this assessment, the attached research plan shall be given significant weight. In addition, the degree of educational expertise as well as the ability to develop and manage operations and staff shall be taken into account. In addition, the degree of administrative and other expertise of importance must be taken into account with regard to the subject content of the employment and the duties to be included in the employment.

Research expertise
Research expertise must relate to distributed systems with focus on how to design automated and autonomous management systems to provide or enhance reliability, availability, performance, and cost- and energy-efficiency for virtual ICT infrastructures and their applications. The degree of research expertise will be assessed on the basis of scientific work published in internationally well-respected conference proceedings and scientific journals that apply a peer review system and also on the applicant’s documented ability to develop and conduct research projects, where the quality, originality, and timeliness of the research contributions will be assessed. The research expertise will also be assessed from the enclosed research proposal, where the scientific level of the proposed research, the relevance that the proposed area of research has for the objectives of the employment, and the degree of novelty will be assessed. Postdoctoral experience from academy or industry is a merit. Finally, documented ability to competitively obtain research funding and the ability to create or actively participate in competitive national or international consortia for larger grant proposals is a merit.

Educational expertise
Educational expertise should relate to the subject area of computer science. Educational expertise should be assessed on the basis of documented ability to plan and conduct research-based teaching and supervision at the basic and advanced levels.

Other assessment criteria

Skills to lead and develop operations and personnel, shall refer to documented ability to initiate and lead research activities, collaborate with other research groups, and the ability to interact with the surrounding community.

Application
The application, preferably written in English, should include:

• A cover letter incl. contact information
• A Curriculum Vitae containing academic and professional merits, including experiences from research and education, and a complete list of scientific publications
• An account of research experiences (see instructions in link below)
• An account of teaching experiences (see instructions in link below)
• An account of experiences of developing and managing activities and staff
• An account of experiences regarding interacting with the surrounding society, and popularizing science
• A research plan describing the research you plan to pursue in this position (max 5 pages)
• Certified copies of relevant diplomas, grades and degree certificates
• Copies of at most ten relevant publications, numbered according to the list of publications
• Support letters from three reference persons
• Names and current contact information (position, affiliation, email address, and work phone number) of three reference persons

Instructions for how to describe the account of scientific and educational activities can be found here (pdf)

The department of Computing Science is actively striving for gender balance, and thus encourages applications from women.

The application is to be submitted electronically using the e-recruitment system of Umeå University, June 16, 2020 at the latest.

Information

Further information can be obtained from Head of Department Erik Elmroth, erik.elmroth@umu.se. 

The Department of Computing Science is a dynamic department with around 130 employees from around 20 different countries. We conduct research on a broad range of topics in the area of Computing Science. We also offer a broad selection of courses and study programs at bachelor, master, and doctoral level. The research at the department is internationally well established, and is motivated both by fundamental questions and application needs within different areas. We develop new theory and methods as well as realise the results in new software.

Consideration for promotion to Associate Professor

An Assistant Professor shall, upon application, be promoted to Associate Professor if he or she is qualified for an appointment as an Associate Professor and upon review is deemed to meet the requirements for such appointment according to the assessment grounds to be applied in a promotion to Associate Professor. Such a promotion entails an open-ended contract as an Associate Professor. The application for review for promotion must be submitted six months before the fixedterm appointment ends. If an Assistant Professor is not promoted after review, the fixed-term appointment ends. The criteria for promotion can be found in the employment profile established by the Dean of Faculty of Science and Technology April 28th, 2020.

Umeå University is dedicated to providing creative environments for learning and work. We offer a wide variety of courses and programmes, world leading research, and excellent innovation and collaboration opportunities. More than 4 100 employees and 34 000 students have already chosen Umeå University. We welcome your application!