Your question is not entirely correct, as the criteria is not at all always based on scientific output.

1. Still plenty of the research positions that we announce have their core within teaching; we evaluate their skills in both arenas, including their documented work in teaching, assessment of students' work, in developing courses and course material and examination; and they have to perform lectures in front of the recruitment committee on a theme that may not be their own. Almost every researcher *is* also a teacher - and the experience at my place is that we do it quite well in both arenas.

2. Yes, documented research work is important, and for positions with a focus on research we do have a higher emphasis on publications in journals of good reputation, student advisement, PhD committee work, conference work and - more important these days - coordinating research projects, membership in editorial boards for journals and science foundations, and so on. They are asked to present their frame of reference in research and their plans, should they be given the position.

It is a rather hefty deal to run a recruitment round - it takes a lot of time and resources, but if we do not do it well we end up with the wrong staff for the purposes of our work.

Dear @Patriksson, I thank you for your first reply to a concern that I am sure is not only mine. Yes, you're right by underlining the two arenas of teaching and research - as you mention the components of a faculty position - to which I have to add also the administrative tasks. However, my concern is mainly related to the research part of a faculty position.

Ok, you are narrowing the items down then - your post was quite a bit unclear on that point. Still, you are slightly wrong. It is not only journal paper production that counts nowadays, and I have several cases that back my characterization of the status.

So, on that note, I can say that perhaps 40% or so is attached to the research output you have had. It is relatively even more important nowadays to show that you can get grant money - preferably the big ones, in stiff competition - and that you have administrated these projects very well - that is, bringing forth junior faculty members who can get big grants, too, and prestigious awards as well. They are not many to be had in a country like Sweden, and so the competition in some fields are quite fierce.

This is not new; our entry into the EU made the availability greater, but also the competition, of course. Sweden I think has had a turn-out that is better than several other countries, and definitely better than what, let's say, the number of citizens would indicate.

But - to end my rant - publications bear a big part of the "value" of a researcher, yes. And I fear that the question has a simple answer: no committee knows all sub-fields well, so it's easier to simply list things, according to:

(1) Big grant awards in heavy competition

The journal publications are closely related to improve the university's ranking (reputation) as well as financial stability (through a big grant). Nowadays, the number of students are decreasing, even a rapid speed, which is mostly caused by low birthrate yet aging population, suggesting that the research grant competition among faculties is more cutthroat. Since the journal publication represents the candidate's chance of success, universities seek for such a promising scholar with a strong journal publication record.

Dear @Patriksson,

I thank you very much for expanding on the research component of faculty jobs. If I have you well understood, all faculty positions that are said open to international candidates are more addressed to these countries where governments or universities give more money for the research. May these quite standard international occurrences be shamed for low moral standards, as they increase the rate of competitivity so artificially with candidates given lost since the beginning?

To be more concrete, candidates from Albania, my country, or any other country, where it is well known that both governments at central and local levels and universities give so little quantity of money, which is not even to be mentioned, to researchers and, moreover, have even not such consolidated practices of documenting their teaching and administrative activities, can never be successful international candidates to any faculty job in Sweden, your country, or any other Western or whatsoever country, even though these candidates have so many potential for writing papers and books, having spent from their pocket so much money to participate with their papers in globally renowned conferences, therefore surpassing the castes and cliques and so many moral problems associated to publishing everywhere, not to mention their potential in teaching and performing administrative tasks.

Do you really share this opinion?

Kind regards,

Krenar.

I may not understand you fully, but I will stress the fact that almost every position is open for everyone to apply; the only exception that I can think of is that there is a small number of teaching positions dedicated to undergraduate education, where *some* courses are given in Swedish. This portion however is very small, whence I can safely say that the system welcomes everyone who is experienced enough or has the right skills.

Faculty positions are available at LUMS:

https://hr.lums.edu.pk/job/assistantassociatefull-professor-department-chemistry-and-chemical-engineering