For Appointment and Promotion to Professor

After at least four years as an Associate Professor Level 3, a candidate can apply to be promoted to Professor Level 4. The candidate is required to provide the following materials:

• CV (proposed content at https://tenk.fi/en/advice-and-materials/template-researchers-curriculum-vitae), including list of publications.
• Personal statement, which includes a description of past and on-going research, research collaboration with other scholars, contributions to international scientific networks, involvement in applications for external research funding, contributions to the pedagogical development in the department or university beyond own teaching, contributions through institutional service to the department and own university, and contributions through societal impact. The personal statement needs to be written with the position in question in mind.
• Copies of ten recent research publications that, in the candidate’s opinion, best demonstrates high scientific quality research in their field.
• Teaching portfolio (proposed content at https://www.hanken.fi/en/faculty-staff/job-opportunities/job-opportunities/applications-and-selection-process).

A Department Committee is appointed by the Rector based on a proposal from the HoD and will consist of a Chair who should be a professor of the subject and could be the HoD, a minimum of additional 4 professors including one professor from another department/university, and one person from HR as secretary. Hanken’s recommendations regarding conflict of interest will apply in terms of academic cooperation with the candidate. 

An associate professor is required to have a doctoral degree. In addition, an associate professor will have achieved and can demonstrate internationally high levels of research within the scientific field of the position. An associate professor is also expected to have achieved high levels in teaching and contributed through institutional service and societal impact. 

The Department Committee assesses all complete applications using both qualitative and quantitative indicative examples of evidence for the extent to which each candidate fulfills the criteria in the Hanken Personnel Instruction (2024) and the criteria in the tables provided below for associate professorship. 

• The Department Committee will make a first assessment of the candidate using both qualitative and quantitative indicative examples of evidence (see Qualification Requirements above) and, if the Committee finds it conceivable that the candidate may fulfil the requirements for promotion, proposes a list of a minimum of 5 external evaluators, of which three will be approached first with at least two in reserve.
  • If the Department Committee finds it unlikely that the candidate fulfils the requirements for promotion, the Committee proposes to the Rector that the candidate may at the earliest re-apply for promotion in two years. Rector makes the final decision.
• Rector will appoint three external evaluators (plus at least two additional external evaluators in reserve) based on the proposal from the Department Committee. The candidate is given an opportunity to present objections regarding disqualification and/or insufficient impartiality in the selection of external reviewers. 
• The external evaluators are contacted first by the Chair of the Department Committee to determine willingness to act in this capacity, then by HR.
• The external evaluators are sent a letter and all materials provided by the candidate as above.

All the following must take place to enable an appointment and promotion decision to be made:

1. A teaching demonstration and an interview with the Teaching Evaluation Committee (TEC)  is organized at Hanken unless the candidate has already provided an approved teaching demonstration at Hanken. TEC provides a statement to the DC as to whether it assesses that the candidate has demonstrated continued high levels of teaching quality. In the statement, TEC also provides feedback to the candidate. 
2. The Library provides a Publication Report on the candidate.
3. Using both qualitative and quantitative indicative examples, the he Department Committee meets and evaluates, based on the materials provided by the candidate and the statements of the external evaluators and the teaching evaluation committee (unless the candidate has already provided an approved teaching demonstration at Hanken), that the qualification requirements of the Personnel Instructions (Board decision, 2024) and the criteria in the table above (see Qualification requirements) are fulfilled and conclude whether or not the candidate is indisputably qualified to be promoted to Professor Level 4.
4. Department Committee prepares a proposal for the Faculty Recruitment and Promotion (FRP) Committee considering all aspects of point 1-3 above.
5. Chair of the Department Committee is invited to present the case for the FRP Committee, after which the Chair has to leave the meeting. The FRP Committee assesses the Department Committee’s proposal and all supporting documents underlying the Department Committee’s decision document and provides a recommendation to the Rector.
6. Rector makes the final decision to award, or not to award, appointment as Professor.
7. Rector informs the candidate about the decision. The candidate and the HoD are invited to a meeting to discuss the work contract and salary as Professor, or alternatively, to present the reasons for the decision not to award appointment to Professor.
8. In case of a decision to award appointment to Professor, the Head of Department submits the material for the work contract to HR; HR completes the work contract, which is signed by Rector and the candidate.
9. In case of the candidate not being promoted to Professor, the candidate can submit a new application no earlier than two years after the submission of the focal application.

The employer and the employee may under certain exceptional circumstances agree to begin the process sooner. Such circumstances may include exceptional success in fulfilling the qualification criteria and/or competitive situations with other universities over an employee.

In such a case where the candidate would like the process to begin sooner than after four years, the candidate submits an application to the Head of Department (HoD) and provides the following materials:

• CV (proposed content at https://tenk.fi/en/advice-and-materials/template-researchers-curriculum-vitae), including list of publications.
• Personal statement, which includes a description of past and on-going research, research collaboration with other scholars, contributions to international scientific networks, involvement in applications for external research funding, contributions to the pedagogical development in the department or university beyond own teaching, contributions through institutional service to the department and own university, and contributions through societal impact. 
• Copies of the ten recent research publications that, in the candidate’s opinion, best demonstrate high scientific quality research in their field.
• Teaching portfolio (proposed content at https://www.hanken.fi/en/faculty-staff/job-opportunities/job-opportunities/applications-and-selection-process).

All the following must take place to enable the process to begin sooner:

1. HoD and a professor who is a topic expert from the department/subject make an initial assessment whether the candidate meets the qualification requirements of the Personnel Instruction and Hanken’s Tenure Track Guidelines.
2. HoD and the professor who is a topic expert prepare a document and makes a proposal whether or not they support that the promotion process is initiated.
3. Rector decides whether or not the application to begin the process sooner is approved.
4. If Rector approves the application, the promotion process outlined above is initiated and followed. 
5. If Rector does not approve the application, the candidate reverts to the normal time frame of the promotion process outlined above. 
6. Rector informs the candidate and HoD about the decision.

The remainder of the assessment process follows the steps outlined above for promotion in the normal course.