Postdoctoral fellow in police science

About this position

Södertörn University is a higher education institution in Stockholm that conducts education, research, and collaboration for sustainable societal development. We have around 13 500 students, 80 programmes and 300 courses, and we conduct education and research in the humanities, social sciences, education science, police science, technology and natural sciences. The university also offers police education and teacher education with an intercultural profile.

A great deal of our research relates to the Baltic Sea region and Eastern Europe. We combine subjects, perspectives, people and experiences, and are worldminded, curious and questioning, searching for surprising syntheses, challenges and development.

Since 2015, Södertörn University has delivered police education on behalf of the Swedish Police Authority and currently has approximately 800 students enrolled in the Police Programme. The programme is currently offered in three different formats: the regular on-campus programme, the distance-learning programme, and the Function-Oriented Police Education Programme (FPU).

The Department of Police Studies (IPV) currently employs approximately 120 staff members, the majority of whom are lecturers with policing expertise seconded from the Swedish Police Authority. The department also collaborates with lecturers and researchers from other departments across the university. In addition to the Police Programme, the department offers courses and programmes in criminology and police studies.

About the project, SEMUN (Strategic Enforcement for Undermining Criminal Networks)

SEMUN is an EU-funded project based on the principles of Problem-Oriented Policing (POP).

The project aims to implement Problem-Oriented Policing as an operational framework while simultaneously evaluating both the implementation process and the effectiveness of POP-based interventions targeting the criminal economy. In close collaboration with the Swedish Police Authority, the project supports local police districts in identifying and analyzing specific crime and safety challenges, developing targeted interventions and systematically monitoring and evaluating outcomes. Through this work - SEMUN seeks to generate knowledge on how Problem-Oriented Policing can be effectively translated into practice and how such approaches can be used to disrupt and undermine criminal networks.

This project is funded by the European Union and led by Associate Professor Tony Mickelsson Blomqvist at Södertörn University. The postdoctoral researcher will work closely with the project team and collaborate with researchers involved in the project.

Job description

As a postdoctoral researcher, you will conduct independent research within the scope of the position. The primary focus of this appointment will be to contribute to the SEMUN research environment described above. Your responsibilities will include:

conducting evaluations and impact assessments within the field of Problem-Oriented Policing (POP);

taking responsibility for the development and ongoing maintenance of a publicly accessible research database and associated data infrastructure linked to one of the project's sub-studies;

proposing interventions and developing research designs;

publishing research findings in international peer-reviewed journals and presenting results at academic conferences;

collaborating closely with the project's research team as well as with external partners.

In addition, the position includes a limited amount of teaching duties, not more than 20 per cent of the total level of employment.

Other administrative responsibilities may also arise, such as organizing seminars, workshops, and conferences. Teaching is conducted in English.

Qualifications

An individual is qualified to apply for a position as a postdoctoral research fellow if they have a doctoral degree, or a qualification from abroad that is equivalent to a doctoral degree. This requirement must be fulfilled at the time the decision on employment is made. Relevant degrees for this position may include, for example; security studies, social work, psychology or criminology.

Primary consideration should be given to someone who was awarded the above qualifications within the three years prior to the deadline for application for employment as a postdoctoral research fellow. Someone who has a doctoral degree or a qualification from abroad that is equivalent to a doctoral degree from an earlier date may be considered if there are exceptional circumstances. Exceptional circumstances are leave due to ill health, parental leave, positions of trust in trades union organisations, service in the Swedish armed forces, or other similar circumstances, as well as clinical practice or other practice/commissions relevant to the subject.

You must also have the personal skills necessary to do your job well and to represent the university in a way that benefits its activities. For this position, applicants must have an excellent command of spoken and written English, corresponding to a high level of proficiency as defined by the

Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) self-assessment grids.

Research expertise

is demonstrated through a scholarly thesis and other scholarly publications in the relevant subject area and participation in research projects.

Grounds for assessment

The following grounds for assessment have been established for this position (in order of importance). The below items must be documented.

Research expertise in relevant fields.

Documented experience of conducting research and publishing within relevant fields.

Demonstrated knowledge of and experience with police organisations and policing practices.

Documented experience in quantitative and qualitative research methods, including data collection and data analysis.

For complete information about qualifications and the criteria for assessing them, please read

Södertörn University’s Appointments Procedure

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