Department of Chemistry is seeking a highly qualified and motivated early-career researcher for a tenure-track position associate Professor in Quantum Chemistry as part of the Onsager Fellowship Program Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Norway- Feb 2023.

Qualification Details

Required qualifications

The Onsager Fellows program is designed to attract talented early-career scholars, with documented excellent supervised work, with ambitious research plans to work independently and with the potential for scientific breakthroughs. You must have the qualifications required for the position as an associate professor in the field of theoretical chemistry, as outlined in the regulations concerning appointment and promotion to teaching and research posts

Your Ph.D., or comparable academic work, must be within the field of theoretical chemistry (or a comparable relevant field). The Ph.D. should have been awarded no more than 5 years prior to the application deadline, excluding law-entitled leave.
Strong competencies in advanced wave function theory for molecules with a focus on quantum dynamics, molecular properties, and/or spin systems.
Teaching experience in higher education.
Excellent skills in written and spoken English.

You must document relevant basic competence in teaching and supervision at a university/higher education-level, as referenced in the Norwegian national Regulations. If this cannot be documented, you will be required to complete an approved course in university pedagogy within two years of commencement. NTNU offers qualifying courses. New employees who do not speak a Scandinavian language by appointment is required, within three years, to demonstrate skills in Norwegian or another Scandinavian language equivalent to level three of the course for Norwegian for speakers of other languages at the Department of Language and Literature at NTNU.

Preferred qualifications

Strong track record of developing electronic structure software.
Experience with strong coupling between electrons and photons.

Personal qualities

You have a strong commitment to high-quality and ground-breaking research
You have a strong motivation for fulfilling and developing the roles of research, education, and innovation at the university
You are independent and team-oriented, and genuinely interested in working in an inter-disciplinary environment
You are able to think strategically and work systematically to reach goals
You have excellent communication and teaching skills

Responsibilities/Job Description

About the position

The tenure-track position is located within the quantum chemistry group that currently has two permanent faculty members. The group focuses on the development and application of a broad range of electronic structure methods with the aim to build competencies in polaritonic and plasmonic chemistry. The group has established collaborations with experimental groups in nanotechnology within the faculty. As an Onsager Fellow we will help you qualify for a professorship within 6-7 years, through a start package consisting of funding of two PhD students and 200.000 NOK/year for 4 years. You will additionally get an international and local mentor. During the tenure track period, you will need to work towards specific goals relevant to qualify for the full professorship. If you reach these goals you will be offered a permanent position at the end of the tenure track period. The immediate leader is Hallstein Hemmer, Head of the Department of Chemistry.

Duties of the position

As a faculty member within the quantum chemistry group, you will be expected to build up a solid research program complementing and strengthening our current research efforts. Your time will be shared between research, teaching, and supervision. During the tenure track period (6-7 years) we expect that you:

Initiate and lead a strong research activity in quantum chemistry in collaboration with the quantum chemistry group and experimental groups in nanotechnology.
Participate actively in national and international scientific networks and collaborate scientifically with other faculty members in the Department of Chemistry and NTNU.
Develop and submit one or more competitive applications to the European Research Council
Develop and submit project applications to the Research Council of Norway and similar funding sources
Teach subjects on all levels, including taking part in teaching one of our basic courses in general chemistry
Supervise master students and Ph.D. students in your discipline
Fulfill the requirements for formal pedagogical competence at the university level
Contribute to the development of innovative teaching and supervision resources
Participate in public outreach activities

How to Apply?

Application Method: online_applicationRef. No. -

Application Procedure

Your application and supporting documentation must be in English. Publications and other scientific work must follow the application. Please note that your application will be considered based solely on information submitted by the application deadline. You must therefore ensure that your application clearly demonstrates how your skills and experience fulfil the criteria specified above. If, for any reason, you have taken a career break or have had an atypical career and wish to disclose this in your application, the selection committee will take this into account, recognizing that the quantity of your research may be reduced as a result. Leave to which the candidate is entitled by law or collective agreement shall be excluded when calculating the time since finishing the Ph.D. Your application must include:

CV, diplomas, and certificates
A teaching portfolio, in which your teaching competence is compiled and presented systematically, (See guidelines for applicants: Documentation of teaching qualifications in applications and appointments to academic positions at NTNU)
Academic works – published or unpublished – that you wish to be considered during assessment of your application (up to 3 items)
A description of the scientific/artistic works you consider most relevant, which you particularly wish to be factored into the assessment
A list of your previous works, with details on where they have been published
A research plan
Names and contact information for three relevant referees

Joint work will also be considered. If it is difficult to identify your specific input to a joint project, you must include evidence of your contributions. In the evaluation of which candidate is best qualified, emphasis will be placed on education, experience and personal and interpersonal qualities. Motivation, ambitions, and potential will also count in the assessment of the candidates. Our assessment of the pedagogical skills will be based on documented pedagogical material, forms of presentation in your academic works, teaching experience, PhD, and Masters supervision, and any other relevant pedagogical background. Both quality and scope will be taken into consideration. NTNU is obliged by the evaluation criteria for research quality in accordance with The San Fransisco Declaration on Research Assessment – DORA. This means that we will pay particular attention to the quality and academic range demonstrated by your scientific work to date. We will also pay attention to research leadership and participation in research projects. Your scientific work from the last five years will be given the most weight. Your application will be considered by an expert committee. Candidates of interest will be invited to an interview, and to deliver a trial teaching session. You can find more information about working at NTNU and the application process here.

About the Department of Chemistry

We educate graduates for careers in environmental science, industry, the school system, research and public administration. Chemistry is also a basic discipline for medicine, biology and technology, and an important key in issues related to energy, climate, the environment, food, water and health. Research activities at the Department range from environmental chemistry to applied theoretical chemistry. The Department of Chemistry is one of eight departments in the Faculty of Natural Sciences.

Onsager fellowship programme

The Onsager Fellowship programme at NTNU is designed to attract talented early-career scholars with documented excellent supervised work, ready to work independently and with the potential to become a research leader. The tenure-track associate professor’s duties will primarily include research, but also include supervision, teaching, and other duties necessary to qualify for a permanent professor position within 6-7 years. In the NTNU tenure-track programme, associate professors are subject to two types of review during the tenure-track period:

a mid-career assessment after 3-4 years
a final tenure assessment at the end of the tenure track period.

If the ‘final tenure assessment” is positive, s/he will be employed as a full-time professor. The overall purpose of the review system is to ensure and maintain the high academic standards of the university’s senior faculty staff. To help meet these standards, the associate professor is offered an international mentor and favourable terms. NTNU is now announcing 16 tenure-track positions.

Other details

We offer

exciting and challenging tasks in a dynamic and international academic environment
an open and inclusive work environment with dedicated colleagues
favourable terms in the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund
employee benefits

Salary and conditions

The position as Associate Professor (code 1011) comes with a starting package for new research staff, opportunities for mentoring and is remunerated according to the Norwegian State salary scale. As required by law, 2% of this salary will be deducted and paid into the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund. The engagement is to be made in accordance with the regulations in force concerning State Employees and Civil Servants, and the acts relating to Control of the Export of Strategic Goods, Services and Technology. Candidates who by assessment of the application and attachment are seen to conflict with the criteria in the latter law will be prohibited from recruitment to NTNU. The tenure-track position will have a duration of 6-7 years. During this period the candidate is expected to obtain the necessary qualifications for a full professorship and will be offered permanent employment after a positive evaluation. Leave to which the candidate is entitled by law or collective agreement will be deducted. It is a prerequisite you can be present at and accessible to the institution on a daily basis.

Contact Details

If you have any questions regarding the position, please contact Henrik Koch, e-mail henrik.koch@ntnu.no. If you have questions regarding the recruitment process, please contact Hallstein Hemmer, e-mail hallstein.hemmer@ntnu.no