Pictured from left: Jennifer Graham and Adela YiYu Zhang. Photos: Private.

The Swedish Research Council has announced the first funding decisions under its Strategic Recruitment of Associate Senior Lecturers programme. Two of the grants have been awarded to the Faculty of Science through the recruitment of Jennifer Graham at the Department of Physics and Adela YiYu Zhang at the Centre for Mathematical Sciences.

The initiative forms part of a government assignment to the Swedish Research Council to establish a strategic recruitment programme focused on the national career-development position of Associate Senior Lecturer. The aim is to strengthen universities’ ability to recruit outstanding early-career researchers and create long-term conditions for research of the highest scientific quality.

Through the programme, successful candidates receive funding at Associate Senior Lecturer level for five years, with the possibility of additional funding at Senior Lecturer level following evaluation.

“I am deeply grateful for this fantastic opportunity and would like to thank the Centre for Mathematical Sciences for supporting my application. This grant will help attract talented researchers and serve as a catalyst for new research initiatives in algebra and topology. I am very much looking forward to joining Lund University this autumn,” says Adela YiYu Zhang.

“My project will explore how to stabilise exotic quantum magnetic ground states. This grant will really accelerate my research, and I am incredibly excited to welcome new members to my group so that we can get started on the fun part – the science,” says Jennifer Graham.

In total, 109 applications were submitted to the Swedish Research Council, of which 22 were awarded funding. In addition to Jennifer Graham and Adela YiYu Zhang at the Faculty of Science, Danqing Shi from the Faculty of Engineering (LTH) also received funding.

“This is a real grand slam for the Faculty of Science. It is tremendously exciting and a fantastic start for both Jennifer Graham and Adela YiYu Zhang. The fact that both of our nominations were successful makes this especially gratifying and is also a strong testament to the dedicated work carried out by the recruiting departments, the Academic Appointments Board and the Faculty throughout the recruitment process,” says Karin Rengefors, Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Science.

Read the Swedish Research Council press release: 22 researchers recruited as Associate Senior Lecturers (vr.se/english)

Author: Johan Joelsson and Cecilia Schubert