Aalto Tenure Track

Tenure track is the core academic career system of Aalto University.  It is the foundation of Aalto University’s objective to be a world-class university with a distinct profile, in which science and art meet business and technology.  

Aalto tenure track offers well-supported career path aimed at the Professorial level for successful academics. Tenure track is based on the principle of commitment from university and individual to academic career; it has clearly defined expectations, incentives, and assistance in personal development.

General principles

  1. Clear and transparent rules and processes – Clear and transparent criteria and processes for entry, support, evaluation, and promotion to reduce personal ambiguity over career advancement
  2. Compensation of success – Adequate salary and compensation to motivate people to work towards Aalto’s vision and objectives.
  3. Equal opportunity to succeed – People do not compete against one another in the tenure track. Therefore, personal motivation and cooperation will flourish. 
  4. Ensuring world-class tenure track support – Aalto aims to create world-class tenure track support, which ensures continuous professional development, and knowledge dissemination within the organization. To that end, Aalto has in place a mentoring system, research support, pedagogical and leadership development programs, as well as sabbatical and junior leaves.

Structure and processes

The Aalto tenure track structure consists of four basic levels. The tenure track levels are:

  1. Assistant professor, first term 3-5 years
  2. Assistant professor, second term 4 years
  3. Associate Professor (tenured/non-tenured)
  4. Professor (tenured)

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Assistant Professors (1st term) are appointed for a term of three to five years. Each Assistant Professor receives a reappointment review, where the decision is made in granting a second four-year term. The full length of the Assistant Professor term is normally seven to nine years. Each Assistant Professor receives a tenure review, where a decision is made to grant tenure and promote the candidate to Associate Professor. Associate Professors may receive a promotion review to Full Professor based on merit. No time limit is set for the initiation of Full Professor review.

Each faculty member on the tenure track has an annual discussion with his/her direct superior concerning the member’s work and need for competence development. The reappointment review, the tenure review and the promotion review are conducted along with the annual discussion (one year before the contract ends).

Evaluation criteria

Evaluation criteria on the tenure track are based on the principles of predictability, transparency, and comparability with international standards. Performance is evaluated through three dimensions:

  1. Research and/or Artistic and Professional Work
  2. Teaching
  3. Activity in Scientific Community and Academic Leadership.

The aim of Aalto University is to strengthen the connection between research/ artistic and professional work with teaching. Therefore, the scientific/artistic and the teaching dimensions are closely interlinked.

Excellence in either or both of research and teaching is required to be awarded tenure. Nonetheless, it is expected that everyone on the tenure track meets high international level in other evaluation dimensions.

Aalto University follows a set of guiding principles when applying evaluation criteria in different tenure track decision-making steps. First, evaluation is conducted through a holistic evaluation in each of the three evaluation dimensions described below. Second, the candidate’s compatibility with Aalto’s strategy and values are separately evaluated at each tenure track evaluation point.

Research

In the research portfolio, the quality, impact and originality of the candidate’s scientific output are described together with his/her future research plans.

The research portfolio includes the following elements (as an example):

  • Research plan
    • Current state (including at the Assistant Professor level a demonstrated ability to conduct independent research)
    • Vision and goals
  • Research output and scientific impact of research
    • Publications in international peer reviewed forums (within last 8-10 years)
    • Citations
    • Other research publications (books, book chapters)
    • Work in progress
    • Plenary talks and other high impact talks such as invited talks, keynote lectures, etc.
    • Research artifacts/tools produced (software etc.)
  • Scientific collaboration and external research grants
    • Collaboration with concrete outcomes: joint articles, joint funding, etc.
  • References
    • Awards, exhibitions, etc.

Artistic and professional work

In the artistic portfolio, a candidate’s artistic, design, and architectural output and professional impact are described together with his/her plan for artistic and professional work. The artistic portfolio includes the following elements (as an example):

  • Plan for artistic and professional work
    • Current state
    • Vision
  • Artistic, design, and architectural output and professional impact
    • Implemented and/or published projects, productions, concepts, exhibitions and other artistic and professional activities
    • Real life developing projects and productions
    • Professional publications
    • Documented presentations in professional bodies, conferences, and professional journals
    • Membership in competition jury
  • References
    • Awards, exhibitions, etc.

Teaching

The teaching portfolio is a tool to document and assess teaching qualifications and pedagogical work in a systematic way. The aim is to support continuous development of pedagogical competence. The teaching portfolio includes the following elements (as an example):

  • Teaching experience including:
    • Teaching/supervising in graduate and undergraduate education with focus shifting from delivery and development of courses to wider responsibilities for curriculum development
    • Supervising (as a main or as a co-supervisor) in Doctoral education measured by elapsed time in doctoral studies and current positions of DSc /PhDs
  • Teaching and learning materials and objects with focus shifting from using basic learning material to producing multimodal learning material and objects  (e.g. video or web page) used by wider audiences to achieve learning outcomes
  • Teaching philosophy (e.g. Understanding of learning outcomes, the process of learning and how individual teaching affects  the engagement  of students)
  • Teaching methods (Application and development) 
  • Formal pedagogical education
    • Pedagogical studies and/or excellence in teaching demonstrated by evidence-based examples
    • Demonstration of continuing  professional development
  • Honors and assessments of pedagogical competence
  • Good results received in student and peer evaluations, including international audience and ability to develop teaching according to feedback
  • Learning outcomes achieved according to course plan 
  • Awards and other acknowledgements (e.g. invitations to teach in top universities)
  • Teaching networks and collegial co-operation at the department, school/faculty, Aalto, national and international levels, such as pre-conference tutorials and panels

Activity in Scientific Community and Academic Leadership

In the Activity in Scientific Community and Academic Leadership portfolio, a candidate’s internal and external service to the research community is described together with the societal impact of his/her academic activities.  Activity in Scientific Community and Academic Leadership portfolio includes the following elements (as an example):

  • Service to research community
    • Conferences (organizing)
    • Editorial tasks
    • Major evaluation tasks
    • Memberships in academic institutions (e.g. Chair, Fellow)
  • Academic leadership and internal service
    • Mentoring and tutoring
    • Academic leadership
    • Research management
      • Research group management
  • Societal interaction
    • Societal visibility
      • Contribution in own field of expertise (e.g. through expert tasks, popularized works, media visibility, interaction with alumni, participation in business and societal posts and networks external to Aalto)
    • Aalto collaborative platforms
      • Active participation or leadership (e.g. in Aalto factories and other units, Aalto incubation services and Aalto generated start-up companies, Aalto executive education/other continuing education, as well as raising private funding for Aalto projects)
    • Interaction with stakeholders
      • patents and other commercial rights, significant new methods for industry or other business, etc.
    • Other collaboration with the community

Support and competence development

Tenure track is based on the principle of mutual commitment involving the University and individual to academic career, with clearly defined expectations as well as adequate resources and support, including competence development. Aalto provides many forms of support for professional growth and competence development, as well as support for knowledge sharing and well-being. These include, for instance, health care, sports activities, and services for international employees. Forms of support of particular importance for tenure track are research resources, pedagogical and leadership competence development, sabbaticals, and mentoring. Annual discussions provide a forum where these issues are agreed upon.

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