May 24, 2021 In Open positions By Benjamin Puha

Associate professor or assistant professor (Gamification), 4 positions

Tampere University and Tampere University of Applied Sciences create a unique environment for multidisciplinary, inspirational and high-impact research and education. Our universities community has its competitive edges in technology, health and society. www.tuni.fi/en

Tampere University is now seeking four associate professors or assistant professors in the broad field of gamification. View the job listing and apply in Tampere University’s application system HERE before July 28, 2021  (23:59 EEST / UTC+3).

Academy of Finland funded Games as a platform to tackle grand challenges is a newly opened profiling initiative and part of the strategic research area Gamification and Augmented Reality of Tampere University. The aim of the platform is to further strengthen multidisciplinary research excellence in the area of applying gamification and extended reality in the pursuit of tackling grand challenges in such areas as education, health and well-being, ecological sustainability, economical and technological progress and social sustainability.

 

The following four tenure-track positions are being filled:

 

The tenure track professors will have access to the newly developed research infrastructures at Tampere Universities,  including the laboratory of digital interaction LUDUS, and the public research facility PAIDIA. LUDUS facilitates a wide range of research activities related to gamification, human-computer interaction and gaming. PAIDIA, thematically aligned with gamification, will allow further access to diverse audiences and research collaboration. Extant infrastructures related to interaction between humans and technologies such as CIVIT and TAUCHI further strengthen the methodological facilities supporting these positions. The tenure track professors will be joining an internationally recognized research community of Tampere University related to gamification, game research and extended reality that holds for example Academy of Finland Flagship UNITE, Center of Excellence Game Culture Studies.

JOB DESCRIPTION

Tampere University is seeking highly motivated and accomplished academics who will become active and innovative co-constructors of gamification research in Tampere University. The tenure track professors will be expected to strengthen and expand the research carried out in the profiling area. They will have wide experience from the area of gamification/gameful/game-based technologies, practices, environments, or services as well as of applying rigorous empirical research methods for studying their effects both on human factors (e.g., cognitive, affective, social, and motivational) and further consequences to society, technology, economy and other dimensions of sustainability. A combination of innovativeness, research rigor and co-creative multidisciplinarity is appreciated, and the tenure track professors are expected to become future vanguards of development of theory, methods and praxis of the field. The tenure track professors should seek to fully employ rich laboratory infrastructures and apply versatile empirical methods, including especially experimental designs.

In general, the tenure track professors are expected to pursue and supervise scientific research in their field; lead, conduct and develop research-led teaching, curriculum development and student supervision; seek, secure and manage research funding from different sources, such as EU instruments; demonstrate effective academic leadership and engage with external stakeholders.

Tampere University is particularly looking for young scholars with research focus on one of the four research fields listed in the table below. As these research fields are interconnected, several key aspects are shared between the positions as shown in the table.

Gamification in Learning Sciences 

The tenure track position is located in the Faculty of Education and Culture. It involves both gamification research in learning sciences and the training of general education teachers on this thematic area. We appreciate a versatile research profile, wide-ranging familiarity with education and learning sciences, gamification, and experience of collaboration with various actors in the field of education and other external stakeholders. The tenure track professor should hold a track-record of designing experiments and measuring key aspects of learning. Depending on your area of expertise, you may focus, for example, on the following themes: gamification of learning and educational practices; gamification of literacy and numeracy; cognitive, motivational, social, and emotional aspects in gamified learning; design and evaluation of gamified learning environments; data science and learning analytics in gamified learning environments; citizen science games; gamified learning assessment; game-based learning.

Gamification in Information Management 

The unit of Information and Knowledge Management conducts research related to value creation in the areas of information systems management, knowledge-based management and digital business. We are committed to research that delivers practical benefits and to generating new knowledge, solutions and expertise that support informed decision-making across society. Emphasis on either information systems management or knowledge-based management is appreciated. The tenure track professor should hold a track-record of setting up rigorous empirical research designs (preferably experiments) and measurement of behavioral, organizational or other key outcomes of the application area.

The views on gamification of information management may, for example, relate to: knowledge work, knowledge management, business processes, IT-enabled innovation processes, competence and capability management, digital organizing, dark side of knowledge management and IT-enabled collaborative work.

Gameful Technology (GT) and Gameful Experience (GE) 

The positions are located at the Gamification area (e.g. Gamification Group) of Computing Unit of the Faculty of Information Technology and Communication Sciences. The positions are multidisciplinary in nature, however, within the spectrum of computing sciences, they fall close to the field of human-computer/technology interaction. While we expect the thematic foci in the positions to complement the other two tenure track positions being filled simultaneously (i.e. application areas related to for example education, well-being, economics, social issues), the tenure track professors in these positions are expected to be able to cover the research continuum from design and development to rigorous experiment-based empirical research. Positions GT and GE differ from each other in their emphasis:

In the position in Gameful Technology, the tenure track professors show a track-record of prestigiously published and impactful design-driven research (software and/or hardware) related to gameful and/or XR technologies. Successful candidates show relevant skill sets in engineering, game/gamification/XR development that enable creation of gameful artefacts, services, systems or solutions to be further researched in collaboration with other researchers of the area.

In the position in Gameful Experience, the tenure track professors show a track-record of prestigiously published and impactful experiment-based empirical research on the effects of gameful technologies and solutions on human factors (e.g. cognitive, emotional, social, motivational factors), behavior and further larger impacts (e.g. on areas of sustainable development). The tenure track professors should hold a track-record of setting up experiments and of rigorous measurement of psychological, behavioral  (e.g. psychophysiology, psychometrics etc.) and other key outcomes of the application area.

REQUIREMENTS 

Associate Professor qualification requirements:

  • track record of independent scholarly or artistic activity
  • teaching skills required to successfully perform the duties and functions of the position
  • proven ability to lead a research group and acquire external funding

 

Assistant Professor qualification requirements:

  • ability to undertake independent scholarly or artistic activity and potential to pursue scholarly or artistic activity at a high international level of excellence.
  • experience in collaborating with international scientific community

 

TAMPERE UNIVERSITY OFFERS

Initial appointment as an assistant professor and associate professor will be for five years. Subject to successful performance, you will become a tenured faculty member at the end of the first five-year period. You will be well supported throughout the five-year period to ease your transition to a tenured position. Please read more about the tenure track career system at Tampere University. A trial period of six months applies to all our new employees.

Salaries are based on the job demands and employees’ personal performance in accordance with the Finnish University Salary System. The starting salary range will be from €4,100 to €4,700/month for an assistant professor and from €4,700 to €5,500/month for an associate professor. A higher salary may be agreed upon based on the tenure track professor’s experience and/or performance.

We offer you the opportunity to join our dynamic and innovative international community. As a member of staff at Tampere University, you will enjoy a range of competitive benefits, such as a flexible work schedule, good facilities for teleworking, a variety of affordable food and drink outlets across our campuses and a personal fund to spend on sports and cultural activities in your free time. Please read more about working at Tampere University.

You can also find more information about us and working and living Tampere by watching our video: Tampere Higher Education Community – our academic playground Tampere, located between two big lakes, is Finland’s second largest city area and the biggest inland city in the Nordic countries. Nature is close everywhere you turn your head in Tampere. This, combined with a strong industrial tradition, make Tampere a unique environment for living and working. At present the region hosts a great deal of industry and service businesses, and the City of Tampere is a major hub for the Finnish ICT industry. For more information about Tampere, please see VisitTampere and BusinessTampere.

Finland provides one of the most advanced and comprehensive social security in the world, including, for example, sickness benefits, various family benefits and a comprehensive healthcare system. For more information about Finland, please visit InfoFinland and This is Finland.

HOW TO APPLY

Please submit your application through Tampere University’s online recruitment system. The closing date for applications is July 28, 2021 2021  (23:59 EEST / UTC+3). Please write your application and all accompanying documents in English and attach them in PDF format.

In the application form you should indicate which research field(s) you are applying for.

Applications should include the following documents:

  • Cover letter;
  • Curriculum Vitae according to TENK guidelines;
  • List of publications according to Academy of Finland guidelines. Please indicate your ten most important publications and include links to them. You can also combine the publications into a cloud file and add a link to the file to your list of publications;
  • Teaching portfolio (according to Tampere University guidelines);
  • A research plan (max. 4 pages) including your research vision in this field and a plan for your research for the next 5 years;

 

Candidates may be invited for a video interview during the first stage of the recruitment process. The most qualified candidates will be invited for an personal interview and may undergo an aptitude assessment. They will also undergo a review by external experts and may be required to give a demonstration of their teaching skills.

 

For more information about the position, please contact:

Gamification in Learning Sciences:  

Professor Kristian Kiili, kristian.kiili(at)tuni.fi, tel. +358408262951

Gamification of Information Management:  

Associate Professor Henri Pirkkalainen, henri.pirkkalainen(at)tuni.fi, tel. +358504371567

Gameful Technology (GT) and Gameful Experience (GE): 

Professor Juho Hamari, juho.hamari(at)tuni.fi, tel. +358503186861

With questions about the application process, please contact:

HR Partner Päivi Peltonen, paivi.peltonen(at)tuni.fi

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