Assistant Professor in Musical Performance and Interpretation

The University of Gothenburg offers a research environment where internationally recognised excellence meets an open and collaborative culture. Here, early-career researchers are given the conditions to grow, build networks, and contribute to research with global relevance.

This position is part of the University of Gothenburg’s recruitment initiative Gothenburg Global Scholars. Learn more about the initiative and the University here: Gothenburg Global Scholars.

The Artistic Faculty consists of the departments HDK-Valand – Academy of Art and Design and  Academy of Music and Drama. As a combined faculty of art and learning, we are an independent, visionary and critical force in the necessary work to create a more sustainable and open society.

The Academy of Music and Drama offers education in music and the performing arts and conducts research in artistic and educational practices. The Academy provides an environment where artistic practice, education and research intersect, and where collaboration takes place across genres, disciplines and professional fields.

We are now seeking an Assistant Professor in Musical Performance and Interpretation, specialising in improvisation and/or composition.

You will join the Music Unit, where improvisational, compositional and technology-based practices come together in education and artistic practice. The Academy has a well-established environment for research and doctoral education in Music Performance and Creation, with projects in improvisation, composition, interpretation, sound and media, as well as collaborations across artistic fields and academic disciplines. The Academy is also home to the Lindblad Studio, an experimental laboratory for sound, media, music technology and computer-assisted composition.

More about the Academy of Music and Drama: https://www.gu.se/en/music-drama

Subject area

Musical Performance and Interpretation

Subject area description

Musical Performance and Interpretation encompasses artistic research in which musical practice is an integral and indispensable part of knowledge creation. Research in the subject area explores questions relating to the creation of music and sound, musical practice, artistic processes, performance, listening, materiality, technology, notation, embodiment, interpretation, musical interaction, and the relationship between music and its social and cultural contexts.

For this position, the focus is on improvisational and/or compositional practices, understood in a broad sense. This may include improvisation rooted in, for example, Nordic jazz traditions, free improvisation, electronic music, or other experimental or tradition-based forms of musical expression. It may also include composition with an emphasis on areas such as electroacoustic music, sound art, music and sound production, live electronics, generative or interactive systems, digital instruments, and other artistic methods for creating music and sound.

We welcome applicants with a range of profiles and areas of emphasis within the field. Applicants may be primarily rooted in improvisation, composition, or at the intersection of these areas.

Duties

The Assistant Professor will conduct and further develop independent artistic research in Musical Performance and Interpretation, primarily rooted in improvisation, composition, or the intersection of these areas.

The duties include developing and carrying out artistic research projects; documenting, critically reflecting on, and communicating research processes and outcomes in relevant artistic and academic formats; and actively seeking external research funding. The candidate is expected to initiate and participate in national and international collaborations and to contribute actively to the Academy’s research environment.

The duties also include teaching and supervision at first-cycle and second-cycle levels and, where applicable, at doctoral level. Teaching will be within the subject area of Musical Performance and Interpretation, with the main emphasis on the candidate’s area of expertise. The candidate is expected to contribute to the development of programme content and teaching formats, and to foster a close and critically reflective relationship between artistic practice, research, and teaching.

The duties also include collaboration with the professional music and cultural sectors, participation in the Academy’s collegial work, and administrative duties. At least 50% of the position is allocated to research.

Responsibilities and tasks may change over time.

Eligibility

Eligibility for appointment as Assistant Professor is governed by the Higher Education Ordinance and the Appointments Procedure for Teachers at the University of Gothenburg.

Qualification requirements for employment as an Assistant Professor are fulfilled by someone who has been awarded a doctorate in Musical Performance and Interpretation or has the corresponding research competence. Primary consideration should be given to someone who has been awarded a doctorate or achieved the equivalent competence within seven years of the deadline for application for employment as an Assistant Professor. However, someone who has been awarded a doctorate or achieved the equivalent expertise at an earlier date may also be considered if there are special grounds. Special grounds are sick leave, parental leave or other similar circumstances. The reason, dates, and extent of the absence must be clearly specified in the application and supported by documentation/certificates.

The applicant must also demonstrate documented experience of artistic practice at a high level in improvisation and/or composition, evidenced by publicly presented works, productions, performances, or comparable artistic commissions.

The ability to teach in English is a requirement. 

Assessment criteria

The assessment criteria for appointment as Assistant Professor are governed by the Higher Education Ordinance and the Appointments Procedure for Teachers at the University of Gothenburg.

We are seeking candidates who have demonstrated the ability to independently initiate, develop, and conduct high-quality artistic research within the subject area of the position.

Both artistic research expertise and teaching expertise will be assessed. In the overall ranking of candidates, the greatest weight will be given to artistic research expertise, followed by teaching expertise. The ability to collaborate, contribute to collegial work, and carry out administrative duties will also be taken into account.

Artistic research expertise

Expertise in artistic research is assessed according to the standards and publication practices that apply within the field of artistic research. Public performances, artistic presentations, participation in internationally curated projects, and dissemination through internationally recognised artistic platforms may therefore count as forms of publication and knowledge dissemination comparable to peer-reviewed publication in other disciplines.

Artistic research expertise is demonstrated through publications and ongoing participation in national and international research collaborations.

In assessing artistic research expertise, particular emphasis will be placed on:

Applicants are not required to have comparable qualifications in both improvisation and composition. The assessment will be based on the quality of the applicant’s individual profile and its relevance to the field and to the Academy’s activities.

Teaching expertise

Teaching expertise is demonstrated through documented experience of planning, delivering and developing teaching, as well as supervising students, in Musical Performance and Interpretation or other areas relevant to the position.

In assessing teaching expertise, particular emphasis will be placed on:

Emphasis will also be placed on documented contributions to course and programme development, evidence of pedagogical reflection, and the ability to create inclusive and intellectually challenging learning environments for students from diverse artistic backgrounds.

Collaboration with the community at large and Administrative Competence

Expertise in collaboration with the wider community is demonstrated, for example, through the ability to develop existing collaborative relationships or to establish new collaborations between academia and relevant societal stakeholders, as well as through the ability to communicate research findings to the public.

Administrative competence refers to experience of academic leadership, such as coordinating research or educational activities, as well as contributing to the development of the department or faculty.

Overall Assessment

A position as Assistant Professor is a career-development position targeting researchers and teachers who defended their doctoral thesis relatively recently. The position will be offered to the candidate who is assessed to have the best prospects for carrying out the duties required in the position, collaborating and cooperating with other staff, and contributing positively to the development of activities based on an overall assessment of their expertise and development potential.

Extensive experience in academic environments outside Sweden is highly meritorious.

Employment

An appointment as Assistant Professor is a fixed-term career-development position. The purpose of the position is to provide the successful candidate with the opportunity to develop their independence as a researcher and to strengthen their scientific and pedagogical qualifications in order to meet the requirements for eligibility for appointment as Senior Lecturer.

The appointment may be extended, but for no more than a total of two years, if additional time is required to fulfil the purpose of the appointment due to sick leave, parental leave, or other special circumstances.

Promotion to Senior Lecturer

An Assistant Professor is entitled, upon application, to be assessed for promotion to a permanent position as Senior Lecturer in the same subject area as the Assistant Professorship. Promotion requires that the applicant is qualified and deemed suitable for appointment as a senior lecturer within the subject are, in accordance with the Higher Education Ordinance and the University of Gothenburg’s Regulations on the Appointment of Teaching Staff (Ref. No. GU 2024/3252).

In addition, the applicant must have been appointed as an Associate Professor (in Swedish: docent) at the Artistic Faculty. The eligibility requirements for the position of Associate Professor (docent) are set out in the document accessible via this link (Ref. No. V 2014/885): Anvisningar docent

Furthermore, the assessment will evaluate whether you have demonstrated proficiency in Swedish at least at level B2 according to the CEFR. This is demonstrated either by passing a language test, the requirements for which are described here: common-european-framework-reference-language-skills, or by a certificate from the Head of Department stating that the language test is clearly unnecessary.

Moving to Gothenburg

Gothenburg is the second largest city in Sweden, beautifully situated on the west coast. The city is well known for its friendly atmosphere and high quality of life. Choosing a career in a new country is a major step. Gothenburg offers a welcoming environment and strong support for international talent relocating to the region.

Internationally recruited staff are offered a contracted relocation package and tax advisory services (Global Mobility support).

Move to Gothenburg - a guide for international talents

Welcome Services - support for international staff relocating to Gothenburg

Other information

The position of Assistant Professor is a career-development appointment and constitutes a step in an academic career path designed to enable researchers to develop their independence and establish their own research profile, with the right to be assessed for promotion to a permanent position as Senior Lecturer. At the University of Gothenburg, Senior Lecturers are also eligible to be assessed for promotion to a permanent position as Full Professor.

To support a healthy work–life balance, we offer academic freedom, flexible working arrangements, and generous annual leave. Employees are also entitled to a range of benefits, including a wellness allowance, supplementary parental benefits, and an occupational pension scheme. For more information about employment benefits at the University of Gothenburg, please visit: Employment benefits | University of Gothenburg

If you do not have formal training in academic teaching, you will be given the opportunity to undertake such training as part of your employment. Participation in these courses is mandatory.

If you do not have proficiency in Swedish at a minimum of level B2 according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), you will be offered language courses as part of your employment. Participation in these courses is mandatory.

Selection process

Eligibility screening of applicants will take place after the application deadline. The application documents of eligible candidates will subsequently be submitted to external reviewers for assessment.

As part of the selection process, in addition to expert assessment and interviews, trial lectures and reference checks may also be conducted.

Interviews are planned to take place during end of week 49.

Contact information

If you have any questions regarding the position, please contact Erik Jonasson, Head of the music unit, +46766184167, erik.jonasson@hsm.gu.se

If you have any questions about the recruitment process, please contact HR at tha Academy of music and drama, hr@hsm.gu.se

Unions

Information about union representatives at the University of Gothenburg is available here.

Applications

You apply for the position through the University of Gothenburg’s recruitment portal by clicking the “Apply” button. Applicants are responsible for ensuring that their application is complete in accordance with the advertisement and that it is submitted no later than the application deadline.

Please submit your application in English, as it will be reviewed by external reviewers whose working language is English.

Audio, video, and web-based media materials that cannot be uploaded to the application platform could be submitted via stable direct links in a Word or PDF document under the relevant eligibility criterion. The document must clearly state what the material contains and explain its relevance to the application.

The links must remain accessible throughout the entire recruitment process, and the material must be available for download in order to be considered as supporting documentation submitted with the application.

Publications that cannot be attached to the application digitally should be sent to:

and must be received no later than the application deadline.

Application deadline: 30 October 2026

The University works actively to achieve a working environment with equal conditions, and values the qualities that diversity brings to its operations.

Salaries are set individually at the University.

In accordance with the National Archives of Sweden’s regulations, the University must archive application documents for two years after the appointment is filled. If you request that your documents are returned, they will be returned to you once the two years have passed. Otherwise, they will be destroyed.

In connection to this recruitment, we have already decided which recruitment channels we should use. We therefore decline further contact with vendors, recruitment and staffing companies.