Assistant Professor (universitetslektor) in Contemporary Art

This is NTNU

NTNU is a broad-based university with a technical-scientific profile and a focus in professional education. The university is located in three cities with headquarters in Trondheim.

At NTNU, 9,000 employees and 43,000 students work to create knowledge for a better world.

You can find more information about working at NTNU and the application process here.

     

Video: https://youtu.be/Xt-yHCN5QS0

About the job

The Trondheim Academy of Fine Art at NTNU is excited to announce an opportunity for an 80% permanent position within teaching in the field of contemporary art. Applicants are expected to engage in the teaching within the two study programs of the department, Bachelor and the Master of Fine Arts. Applicants are also expected to contribute to the ambitions of the department to develop, test and consolidate new standards, formats, and methods of higher education in Fine Art.

At the Trondheim Academy of Fine Art, we are dedicated to shaping the roles and impact of artists in society. The successful candidate will thrive in an environment characterized by high ambitions, access to relevant networks and facilities, and a strong international reputation in artistic research. 

The Trondheim Academy of Fine Art is a department within the Faculty for Architecture and Design at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU). With a dynamic and experimental approach to education and research, our department comprises 30 staff members including 15 PhD candidates, and approximately 80 students across bachelor and master programs.  

Your immediate leader is Head of Department.

Duties of the position

• Responsible for one of the five main courses (15 ECTS/term) within the 3-year BFA or 2-year MFA programs
• Teaching courses within contemporary art with a particular focus on exhibiting and curating
• Individual supervision of students
• Develop and further expand syllabi, pedagogical methods, or textbooks in the respective subject areas
• Contribute to the admission process of students to bachelor's and master's programmes
• Other tasks

The position is mainly a teaching position, but with research and development work within its subject area to the extent that a university lecturer position opens up. Normally, 20% of the time in the position of Assistant Professor can be used for research and development work, including academic updating.

At the core of the position lies the responsibility to teach main and elective courses within both the Bachelor (BFA) and the Master of Fine Arts (MFA), as well as individual supervision of students and their artistic projects.

The focus of the position is to develop pedagogical models and methods that reflect and build on the international standards and the state of the art in exhibiting and curating within the fields of contemporary, visual art.

The education in the Trondheim Academy of Fine Art seeks to provide theoretical and practical skills in Fine Art including artistic research and exploring new roles of artists in society at large. 

We expect the successful applicant to have significant experience with and relevant knowledge on exhibiting and cross-disciplinary curatorial strategies within art galleries, exhibition halls, museums, biennales and beyond. 

The bachelor's degree in visual arts requires Scandinavian language skills, while the international master’s degree in fine art is taught in English. 

Required selection criteria

You must have the following qualifications required for the position of assistant professor:

• Master’s degree or equivalent in a relevant subject area
• educational competence
• Norwegian language skills at level B2 and
• Good oral and presentations skills
• Good written and oral English skills
• relevant professional or teaching experience.

 

You must document relevant basic competence in teaching and supervision at a university/higher education-level, as referenced in the NTNUs guidelines for academic positions. If this cannot be documented, you will be required to complete an approved course in university pedagogy within two years of commencement. NTNU offers qualifying courses.

New employees who do not speak a Scandinavian language by appointment is required, within three years, to demonstrate skills in Norwegian or another Scandinavian language equivalent to level B2 of the course for Norwegian for speakers of other languages at the Department of Language and Literature at NTNU. 

Preferred selection criteria

• Knowledge of IT systems such as Canvas, Inspera and MS office
• Good written and oral skills in a Scandinavian language. 

 Personal characteristics

• Highly motivated to engage with colleagues and students to encourage the creative confidence 
• Motivated as an educator of students in all, three cycles
• Motivated for management and self-development of teaching tasks
• Capable of working in structured and highly collaborative ways with colleagues and management, as a “team player”
• Open-minded and curious to meet colleagues, students and diverse scientific communities across NTNU
• Good collaboration skills

Emphasis will be placed on personal and interpersonal qualities.

We offer

• exciting and stimulating tasks in a strong international academic environment 
• an open and inclusive work environment with dedicated colleagues 
• favourable terms in the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund 
• employee benefits 

Salary and conditions

The gross salary for the position of assistant professor (code 1009) is normally from NOK 650 000 to NOK 850 000 per year, depending on qualifications and seniority. From the salary, 2% is deducted as a contribution to the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund. 

The engagement is to be made in accordance with the regulations in force concerning State Employees and Civil Servants, and the acts relating to Control of the Export of Strategic Goods, Services and Technology. Candidates who by assessment of the application and attachment are seen to conflict with the criteria in the latter law will be prohibited from recruitment to NTNU. After the appointment you must assume that there may be changes in the area of work.

It is a prerequisite that you can be present at and accessible to the institution on a daily basis.

About the application

The application and supporting documentation to be used as the basis for the assessment must be in English.

Please note that applications are only evaluated based on the information available on the application deadline. You should ensure that your application shows clearly how your skills and experience meet the criteria which are set out above.

If, for any reason, you have taken a career break or have had an atypical career and wish to disclose this in your application, the selection committee will take this into account, recognizing that the quantity of your research may be reduced as a result.

The application must include:

• CV, certificates and diplomas
• A teaching portfolio, in which your teaching competence is compiled and presented systematically,   (See guidelines for applicants: Documentation of teaching qualifications in applications and appointments to academic positions at NTNU)
• If you have publications or other relevant research work 
• A description of the academic/artistic works that you regard as most relevant and that you particularly want to be taken into account in the assessment
• A list of your previous works, with details on where they have been published assessment
• Details of the projects you have managed, with information about funding, duration and size 
• Name and contact information of three relevant referees

 

We will take joint work into account. If it is difficult to identify your efforts in the joint work, you must enclose a short description of your participation.

In the assessment of the best-qualified applicant, we will emphasize education, experience and personal suitability as well as your motivation for the position. You will be expected to deliver high-quality teaching at undergraduate and postgraduate levels and undertake supervision. Evaluation of these skills will be based on documented experience and relevant teaching qualifications. Applicants with teaching experience at university level are preferred. Quality and breadth of the teaching qualifications will be evaluated.

NTNU is committed to following evaluation criteria for research quality according to The San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment - DORA. This means that we pay special attention to the quality and professional breadth of these works. We also consider experience from research management and participation in research projects. We place great emphasis on your scientific work from the last five years.

Your application will be considered by an expert committee, and the most suitable applicants will be invited to an interview and to deliver a teaching demonstration.

General information

NTNU believes that inclusion and diversity is a strength. We want our faculty and staff to reflect Norway’s culturally diverse population and we continuously seek to hire the best minds. This enables NTNU to increase productivity and innovation, improve decision making processes, raise employee satisfaction, compete academically with global top-ranking institutions, and carry out our social responsibilities within education and research. NTNU emphasizes accessibility and encourages qualified candidates to apply regardless of gender identity, ability status, periods of unemployment or ethnic and cultural background.

NTNU is working actively to increase the number of women employed in scientific positions and has a number of resources to promote equality. 

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The city of Trondheim is a modern European city with a rich cultural scene. Trondheim is the innovation capital of Norway with a population of 200,000. The Norwegian welfare state, including healthcare, schools, kindergartens and overall equality, is probably the best of its kind in the world. Professional subsidized day-care for children is easily available. Furthermore, Trondheim offers great opportunities for education (including international schools) and possibilities to enjoy nature, culture and family life and has low crime rates and clean air quality.

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As an employee at NTNU, you must continually maintain and improve your professional development and be flexible regarding any organizational changes.

A public list of applicants with name, age, job title and municipality of residence is prepared after the application deadline. If you want to reserve yourself from entry on the public applicant list, this must be justified. Assessment will be made in accordance with current legislation. You will be notified if the reservation is not accepted.

If you have any questions about the position, please contact Head of Department Jacob Jessen, telephone +47 920 97 913, email Jacob.jessen@ntnu.no. If you have any questions about the recruitment process, please contact HR advisor Natalia Swahn, e-mail: Natalia.swahn@ntnu.no.

If you think this looks interesting and in line with your qualifications, please submit your application electronically via jobbnorge.no with your CV, diplomas and certificates attached. Applications submitted elsewhere will not be considered. Upon request, you must be able to obtain certified copies of your documentation.  

Application deadline: 03.05.2026