The Tenure track career system
At Åbo Akademi University, the tenure track career system is used to complement the four-level employment structure for research and teaching staff. Recruitments within the Tenure track-system are open and internationally oriented.
A tenure track position offers the recruited individual an opportunity for permanent employment and career advancement up to a professorship within the scientific discipline in question.
The person to be hired may, depending on his or her experience and competence, be positioned on any of the three tenure track levels:
1) Assistant Professor (level 1)
2) Associate Professor (level 2)
3) Professor
When the recruitment is initiated, the position may be announced open on all three levels or prioritized on any of the levels.
Assistant Professors (tenure track) can be employed for a period of 3 years. Upon a successful evaluation, an Assistant Professor (level 1) will advance to the next level. Alternatively, the employment can be extended by 2 years. Associate Professors (level 2) can be employed for a period of 4 years. A successful evaluation and undeniably established competence as professor facilitate advancement to the next level. Alternatively, the employment as associate professor can be extended by 2 years. A professor is employed on a permanent employment contract.
External experts are involved in the evaluation of the applicants’ competence in the recruitment process.
Åbo Akademi University offers the tenure track employed researchers the opportunity to advance to the next level by setting clearly defined goals for each stage of employment in order for the researcher to evaluate and plan his/her career. The Faculty dean will decide on the specified criteria for advancement for each stage within two months after the employment has begun.
The criteria for evaluation for advancement may include number of published articles (including their quality), a person’s ability to obtain research funding, assignments within supervision, international research corporation or other scientific qualifications. Pedagogical and other merits such as language competences may also be included in the criteria for advancement within the system.
The goals needed to be reached are stated in a separate appendix to the contract of employment and followed up in the annual development discussions. The evaluation for advancement should be initiated at least one year before the temporary employment contract ends. The evaluation process will to a large extent follow the process of the recruitment process, with a recruitment group as well as external experts.
Read more about the tenure track career system in the Regulations on Personnel (1 April 2022). For recruitment processes initiated earlier, the previous Personnel Guideline for Åbo Akademi University (24 January 2019) may apply.