Academic appointments and docentur

Karolinska Institutet is one of the world’s foremost medical universities. Our vision is to advance knowledge about life and strive towards better health for all.

Recruitment and appointment of faculty staff

Karolinska Institutet is one of the world's leading medical universities. In order to continue to conduct high-quality medical research in an international perspective, the recruitment and employment of qualified teachers and researchers is a prerequisite.

As a university, the Karolinska Institutet is also a public authority. When making appointments to posts within the State administration, only objective factors, such as merit and competence, shall be taken into account. In addition to general public law legislation, appointments to teaching positions in State higher education institutions are also regulated in general Swedish legislation in the Higher Education Act and the Higher Education Ordinance. Each university must establish an appointment procedure and Karolinska Institutet has established Appointment Procedure for Teachers at Karolinska Institutet and associated supplementary instructions.

The Recruitment committee at Karolinska Institutet prepares employment matters for Professor, Visiting Professor, Adjunct Professor, Senior Lecturer, Adjunct Senior Lecturer and promotion matters regarding applications for promotion from Assistant Professor to Senior Lecturer.

Karolinska Institutet advertises job vacancies that are open to all qualified applicants. The requirements and bases of assessment stated in the advertisement form the basis for assessing the applicants' qualifications. To facilitate the assessment, all applicants shall use Karolinska Institutet's "Qualifications portfolio for teachers and researchers” when applying. Only the qualifications that the applicant has gained before the end of the application period are evaluated. Independent expert reviews are done by external experts before preparations and interviews in the Recruitment Committee (regarding employment as Senior Lecturer or Professor). Decisions on the appointments of all Professors are made by the President and decision on the appointments of all Senior Lecturers and Assistant Professors are made by the Head of department.

Docentur

The institution of docentur has deep historical roots in the Swedish academic establishment. A docentur (i.e. being a Docent, docentship) at Karolinska Institutet confers both rights and duties.

The title of Docent is a nationally well known and recognised indicator of scientific and pedagogical expertise. Obtaining a docentur implies that the holder has achieved a degree of independence such that he or she can lead, supervise and evaluate research and academic instruction. The docentur is a valuable motivator toward the acquisition of scientific credentials in research and education, and confers scientific legitimacy on the holder. The docentur also allows individuals working outside Karolinska Institutet to become associated with the university in order to make important contributions to research and teaching.