Closed call 2022-02-28: Up to six postdoc fellows in technologies for digital transformation
Digital Futures postdoc fellowships aim to support talented early-career researchers in pursuing their research ideas in a new research group and institution. The programme of funding aims to provide networking opportunities and career development which will boost successful postdoc fellows’ future careers. The call targets applicants who have recently completed or who soon will complete their doctorate degree (between September 2019 and September 2022). It is a mobility program with an emphasis on early career researchers moving to a new institution to continue their research.
Digital Futures is a cross-disciplinary research centre that explores and develops digital technologies. We bring solutions to great societal challenges in Sweden and globally. We generate knowledge, innovations, and future leaders of high industrial relevance and strategic importance. Digital Futures is jointly established by KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm University, and RISE Research Institutes of Sweden. Digital Futures awards funding to strategic research projects and individuals to support a specific action or project that furthers the vision of Digital Futures. Find out more about Digital Futures here.
The core research themes in Digital Futures are “Trust”, “Learn”, and “Cooperate”, cutting across four prioritized societal contexts — “Smart Society”, “Digitalized Industry”, “Rich and Healthy Life”, and “Educational Transformation”.
Digital Futures Strategic Research Programme
Digital Futures consists of researchers from all schools at KTH, Stockholm University, RISE and external partners. Digital Futures’ physical location is in the award-winning building of the Architecture school at KTH Campus, and the centre is led by Professor Karl H Johansson.
What the call offers
- Up to two years of funding to pursue research ideas and conduct research in a new research group at a leading university or institute within the Digital Futures environment that creates knowledge and expertise for a sustainable future.
- An international workplace and environment.
- Access to Digital Futures’ resources, its network of academic and industrial partners, infrastructure and testbeds, events and happenings.
- Mentorship and support in career development and research leadership education.
How to Apply
Applicants should put together and submit the following materials by 28th February:
- Abstract that provides a brief overview suitable for the general public and includes a description of the proposed research activities, objectives, methods, potential results, and relevance to Digital Futures (less than 300 words).
- Proposal of research activities: this should include brief details of what you plan to do, how you plan to do it, and what is significant about this proposed research for your field, and for Digital Futures. Please use clear language wording to ensure that reviewers from other specialisations can understand your proposal. More information about the Digital Futures research matrix can be found here. (max 1 page).
- CV including relevant professional experience and knowledge (max. 2 pages).
- Research statement describing past and current research (max 1 page).
- Copy of diplomas and transcripts from doctoral studies. If a candidate is yet to obtain a doctoral degree, include diplomas and transcripts from Master studies. Translations into English or Swedish if the original documents have not been issued in any of these languages.
Submissions are made online through our submission site: https://hotcrp.dsv.su.se/. The site will be open to submissions from February 15th.
The last day for submission is 28th February.
Eligibility
A doctoral degree or an equivalent foreign degree obtained between September 2019 and September 2022. The time window of eligibility can be extended for special reasons such as periods of illness or parental leave, kindly indicate if such reason exists in your CV. The doctoral degree must have been received before commencing the proposed postdoc fellowship, and all proposed fellowships in this round are expected to commence no later than October 2022.
Nomination and Review Process
Applications are evaluated based upon their future research potential and the likely significance of the proposed research and so it is important to emphasise this across the application materials.
The evaluation process has three stages which are detailed below.
- Stage 1 – Nomination
A postdoc applicant must have been nominated by two researchers within the Digital Futures environment (working at KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm University or RISE) in order for the application to be reviewed. When a researcher nominates an applicant, it means that they are willing to supervise the postdoc fellow, should the postdoc application be successful. In this call, only faculty at KTH and Stockholm University can act as main supervisors. Faculty at KTH, Stockholm University or at RISE Digital Systems division can act as postdoc co-supervisors. Any researchers nominating postdoc fellows should either already be a Digital Futures faculty member or meet the eligibility criteria to become one.
In this first phase of the nomination and review process all Digital Futures faculty members will be invited to nominate postdoc fellows among the submissions to Stage 2 review and ranking. Digital Futures faculty members can only nominate one postdoc applicant as the main supervisor and one postdoc applicant as a co-supervisor. We therefore highly recommend that postdoc applicants contact and discuss their applications with potential supervisors prior to the submission deadline. A potential list of supervisors can be found here.
Only the nominated postdoc candidates and their projects will pass to Stage 2.
- Stage 2 – Review and Ranking
The nominated candidates and their respective projects will be evaluated by a committee comprised of KTH and Stockholm University faculty, as well as RISE Digital Systems Division researchers. The evaluation process will adhere to and follow national and international standards based on the skills and merits of the candidate and the strength, relevance and likely significance of the proposed project as well as added value of the project to Digital Futures.
When the submissions are ranked, those that are approved for funding will be transferred to the final stage. All candidates will be informed about the outcome of Stage 2. We expect to communicate the outcomes of this call by May 2022.
- Stage 3 – Announcing positions and employment
In Stage 3 the respective hosts (KTH and Stockholm University) will announce a number of postdoc positions connected to the evaluated submissions. To be eligible to apply for a position, the candidate must have passed Stage 1 and been approved for funding at stage 2. If a candidate has reached this stage, he/she/they will be asked to submit a CV and a personal letter to the official recruitment systems for the host organization to process the final stage, which is employment at either KTH or Stockholm University.
Information
All submitted proposals, including documents and personal data, will be handled in accordance with national and international regulations regarding such data and will only be shared within a limited circle. Information will be made accessible for appointed employees at KTH, RISE, and Stockholm University, who participate in nomination (Stage 1) or evaluation (Stage 2) of the postdoc fellowship submissions. The processing of your personal data is necessary for Digital Futures to be able to evaluate your submission.
The submitted proposal, documents and personal data will be stored by Stockholm University for no longer than 6 months from the date of the submission deadline. At any point in time, the candidate has the right to withdraw from the application procedure and all data submitted along with it upon request.
For further questions please contact Linnea Sundling (Operations team, Digital Futures) or Madeline Balaam (Associate Director Mobility, Digital Futures), postdoc-call@digitalfutures.kth.se.
Information for Digital Futures researchers, who would like to nominate candidates and their project
If you are interested in supervising a postdoctoral fellow but are not yet a Digital Futures faculty member then please contact postdoc-call@digitalfutures.kth.se to ensure you are notified when applications reach Stage 1 of the review process.
Read more about how to become a Digital Futures faculty member here: https://www.digitalfutures.kth.se/about/governance/digital-futures-faculty/.