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We are looking for a
Postdoc in Criminology, at the Department of Criminology, Faculty of Health and Society.
Subject area
Criminology is a multidisciplinary field that focuses on the development and causes of crime at individual and societal levels. It also examines the negative consequences of crime and ways to prevent and deter it.
Job description
As a postdoc at Malmö University, you will be able to develop your independence as a researcher after completing your doctoral degree and enable additional qualifications. The position is primarily intended to allow attainment of research qualifications (80%). Teaching may also be included in the duties, though only at most one-fifth of working hours (20%). The position is also to provide the opportunity for educational qualifications and higher education teaching training.
The position is based in a research environment with a distinctly analytical and theory-driven profile, focused on understanding and explaining crime and other deviant behaviors. Research is conducted in areas such as violent crime, juvenile delinquency, crime trends, and crime prevention. The research environment involves collaboration with other research groups, both nationally and internationally.
Your responsibilities will include conducting research, particularly into the causes of crime. You will be expected to independently initiate, plan and carry out research projects, as well as contribute to the development of the research environment. It would be advantageous if your research aligned with ongoing projects within the environment, such as those focusing on the causes of violence or various studies of youth crime. The research group has access to a wide range of datasets, enabling the analysis of key criminological issues.
The work is carried out both independently and in collaboration with other researchers. You are expected to actively participate in seminars organised by the research community and contribute to joint research initiatives.
Qualification requirements
Qualification requirements refer to requirements that must be met for an applicant to be considered for employment.
Candidates for the position of postdoc are required to have a PhD or have a foreign degree assessed as equivalent to a PhD. Scientific expertise is a qualification requirement for employment as a postdoc.
First and foremost, individuals will be considered who received their doctorate at most three years prior to the end of the application deadline. In special circumstances, the PhD can have been completed more than three years earlier.
Special circumstances refers to leave due to illness, parental leave, clinical service, service as a trade union representative, or similar circumstances. It is a general qualification requirement for teachers at Malmö University that the candidate is appropriate for and have the ability in general required to fully complete the duties of the relevant position.
A postdoc may be employed permanently, but for a maximum period of at least two and a maximum of three years. The position may be extended under special circumstances. Special circumstances refers to leave due to illness, parental leave, clinical service, service as a trade union representative, or similar circumstances.
An individual who has previously been employed at Malmö University as a postdoc for more than one year may not be employed at the university as a postdoc again within the same or related subject area.
It is a general qualification requirement for teachers at Malmö University that the candidate is appropriate for and have the ability in general required to fully complete the duties of the relevant position.
Additional qualification requirements for this position are:
A Ph.D. in criminology or an equivalent degree.
Research experience relevant to the specific focus of the research environment.
Strong methodological and statistical skills.
Assessment criteria
Assessment criteria refer to criteria for assessing how well an applicant meets a certain qualification requirement and criteria that have otherwise been deemed significant for the position.
For employment as a postdoc, research expertise are the primary criteria for consideration. The overall assessment includes teaching expertise, collaborative expertise, academic citizenship, leadership and administrative expertise.
The assessment criteria for research expertise are:
research in the field relevant for the position in question;
ability to initiate, plan, develop, independently implement and lead high-quality research with international impact and of significant scope;
the ability to integrate theoretical and methodological perspectives into research;
methodological and statistical skills;
active participation and being well-established in the scientific community;
capable of national and international research collaboration;
ability to communicate research within and outside of the scientific community;
ability to apply principles for open science;
the ability to contribute to and develop the existing research environment.
The assessment criteria for teaching expertise are:
ability to plan, develop, implement and lead high-quality teaching using different teaching methods on the bachelor’s, and master’slevels;
experience of educational development work and reflection on one’s own educational philosophy and application;
ability to integrate research into bachelor’s, and master’s level both in terms of content and educational methods;
capable of participating in and leading international educational collaborations;
Assessment criteria for collaborative expertise are:
ability to initiate, develop and expand collaboration and mutual exchange with relevant public organisations at the local, national and international levels to strengthen the quality, relevance and benefit of research and education;
ability to communication research and education to external target groups; and
ability to translate research and education into innovation and apply them practically (utilisation).
Assessment criteria for academic citizenship, leadership and administrative expertise are:
work within academia beyond regular duties within education and research and also with external activities and assignments where academic citizenship is practiced;
collegial initiatives at a department, faculty, or equivalent that promote a healthy work environment;
ability to plan, organise, implement and follow up work, assignments and operations and the ability to work in a structured way and contribute to development of organisational processes and procedures.
Assessment of qualifications will be done based on the adopted job description for the position. An overall assessment of the applicant’s qualifications and expertise based on the qualification requirements and assessment criteria will be made prior to a decision to hire an applicant.
See Malmö University’s appointments procedure for additional instructions on how to conduct the assessment.
Faculty
The Faculty of Health and Society conducts research focused on socially relevant issues that seek solutions across multiple fields of study. We develop leading professional education programs that provide the healthcare, social work, and business sectors, among others, with skilled personnel. Learn more about the Faculty of Health and Society
Department
Research within the department has four main areas of focus: the causes of criminal behavior, the geography of crime and insecurity, victims of crime (including hate crimes), and phenomena related to crime such as poor health and substance abuse, as well as preventive measures and evaluation.
Application instructions
Apply for the position through Malmö University’s recruitment system by clicking on the “Apply” button. Application documents are to be submitted electronically. Physical documents are only accepted in exceptional cases; contact hr@mau.se if you have books or other documents that cannot be submitted electronically.
All qualifications are to be documented so that both quality and scope can be assessed. You are responsible for ensuring that your application is complete in accordance with the job description and application instructions and that it is submitted no later than 2026-08-17. The application is to be written in Swedish, English or one of the other Scandinavian languages. When required, you are responsible for translating the application and any submitted documents.
For guidance on compiling qualifications, you can use Academic Qualifications Portfolio at Malmö university,
The application is to include the following:
Curriculum Vitae
Complete list of publications
List of the three scientific works you wish to reference and your doctoral thesis. Provide the DOI code for each publication if there is one.
The scientific works (maximum four)
Doctoral thesis
A research plan
About the research plan
As part of your application, you must include a research plan of no more than 4 pages, including references, that is clearly linked to the specific position and clearly demonstrates how your research will advance the research environment. We welcome proposals that include the following aspects:
The research plan must include a description of:
How you will contribute to the research environment, objectives, and goals.
Research questions of interest.
An overview of current research in the field.
Theoretical and methodological approach.
Timeline and expected results.
A demonstration of your qualifications and competence to carry out the proposed research.
The application is also to include the following:
Degree certificates and other relevant grades and certificates
Note that the documents submitted or produced for this open position (such as applications, expert reports and minutes) are normally general documents and as such public documents. This means that the documents may (except for documents classified as secret) be requested and read by others.
Terms of employment
Starts: As soon as possible or by agreement
Form of employment: Fixed-term employment 2 years according to Agreement on fixed-term employment as a postdoctoral researcher – collective agreement between the National Agency for Government Employers and OFR/S, and Saco S, 19 November 2021.
Scope of the employment: 100 %
Salary: Individual salary setting
Swedish is the primary language at Malmö University, and it is a hope that non-Swedish speaking staff will acquire enough Swedish language skills to allow them to participate in teaching and research and in common and daily work at the department but also as a way to enable them to take on academic leadership positions.
Information
Deputy Head of Department, Eva-Lotta Nilsson, eva-lotta.nilsson@mau.se
Professor, Robert Svensson, robert.svensson@mau.se
For questions about the recruitment process, contact HR Partner Ewa-Marie Dahlgren, ewa-marie.dahlgren@mau.se
Trade union representatives
Saco-S: Rebecka Johansson, rebecka.johansson@mau.se
SEKO: Anne Sundel, anne.sundel@mau.se
OFR/ST: Lutfi Zuta, lutfi.zuta@mau.se