Last Date: 31.1.2024.
The University of Helsinki is inviting applications for a postdoctoral researcher / university researcher position for 30 months contract. The position is opened at the Department of Agricultural Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry located in Viikki campus in Helsinki. The appointed person will be affiliated to the Future Sustainable Food Systems (FS)2 -research group led by Professor Hanna Tuomisto.
The central research environment for the position is the Resilient and Just Systems (RESET), which is one of the profile-building areas of the University of Helsinki. RESET aims at developing a world-leading inter- and transdisciplinary research environment that bridges life and social sciences, enhances sustainable and just solutions, and increases system resilience. RESET builds on the complementary scientific excellence of three key sustainability-driven networks: Helsinki One Health (HOH) focusing on human–animal–environmental health, HELSUS on sustainability transformations, and INEQ on justice and inequality perspectives. The post doc position focuses on contributing to the Theme 3 of RESET-project: Sustainable food and water systems. The research aims at increasing our understanding on the causal interactions between food value chain (including farming, production, consumption), water resources and the ecological state of aquatic ecosystems, and developing solutions for resilient and fair sustainability transition.
The task of the postdoctoral researcher / university researcher is to develop holistic sustainable assessment methods to incorporate sustainability (environmental, social and economic aspects), human and animal health, and resilience within a combined assessment framework and apply the method to assess future food system scenarios. The appointee is also expected to be involved in teaching activities at the Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry and particularly have a major role in the development of life cycle assessment (LCA) courses.
Requirements
We look for candidates in the field of sustainability assessment who:
- have a doctoral degree granted before the beginning of employment (postdoctoral researcher position) or at least 5 years of postdoctoral experience (university researcher position)
- have experience in the field of life cycle assessment (LCA) of agriculture, food production and/or food systems (including a minimum of one scientific peer-review publication related to the topic) and experience in using LCA software (e.g. SimaPro, Gabi or OpenLCA)
- have programming skills (e.g. Python, R, MATLAB, C)
- have ability to conduct scholarly work and research both independently and as member of interdisciplinary research groups
- show keen interest to conduct scientific research in the development of holistic sustainability assessment methods for food systems
- are interested to participate in networking activities within RESET programme and the networks participating (HELSUS, INEQ and HOH), and wider national and international collaborations
- have motivation and capabilities to teach and develop courses related to environmental life cycle assessment and supervise academic theses
What we offer
The salary of the postdoctoral researcher will be based on level 5 and the salary of university researcher at level 5-7 of the requirements level chart for teaching and research personnel in the salary system of Finnish universities. In addition, the appointee will be paid a salary component based on personal performance. The starting salary of the postdoctoral researcher will be c. 3400-4000 €/month and the starting salary of the university researcher ca. 4200 – 4500 €/month. A six-month trial period will be applied. The workplace of the position is in Helsinki.
Finland is one of the most livable countries, with a high quality of life, safety and excellent education system. Finland is a member of the EU, has high quality and inexpensive childcare, free schooling and tertiary training (also in English), generous family benefits and healthcare, and was recently ranked as the best country in the world for expat families. The successful candidate will receive the benefits provided by the University of Helsinki to university employees, including occupational health care services, and obtain access to high-quality public affordable childcare services and schools. Read more about the employee benefits at our university and why the University of Helsinki is an excellent career choice: https://www.helsinki.fi/en/about-us/careers
Further information
- The position: Professor Hanna Tuomisto, [email protected]
- University of Helsinki recruitment system: HR Specialist Mirkka Juntunen, [email protected]
- Future Sustainable Food Systems -research group: https://www.helsinki.fi/en/researchgroups/future-sustainable-food-systems
- Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry: https://www.helsinki.fi/en/faculty-agriculture-and-forestry
- Viikki Campus: https://www.helsinki.fi/en/about-us/campuses/viikki-campus
- Support for international staff: https://www.helsinki.fi/en/about-us/careers/welcome
- 10 reasons to work in Helsinki: https://www.helsinki.fi/en/about-us/careers/why-helsinki
- Welcome to Helsinki: https://welcome.hel.fi/
- International House Helsinki: https://ihhelsinki.fi
HOW TO APPLY
Please submit your application as a single pdf file in English using the University of Helsinki Recruitment System. Please include the following in your application:
- A motivation letter (max. 2 pages) including descriptions of the candidate’s:
- background and methodological skills relevant for the position
- research interest or a vision for the research conducted in this position
- past experience on working in multidisciplinary groups or research environments
- CV that includes a list of publications
- Names and contact details of two referees
External applicants, please submit your application using the University of Helsinki Recruitment System via Apply Now button.
Applicants who have a helsinki.fi -username and a valid employment contract, a grant researcher’s contract or a visiting researcher’s contract at the University of Helsinki are requested to leave their application by using the Employee login.
The University of Helsinki welcomes applicants from a variety of genders, linguistic and cultural backgrounds.
The closing date for applications is 31 January 2024 (23:59 EET)
ABOUT US
The Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry is located on the Viikki campus. The mission of the faculty is to promote the sustainable use of renewable natural resources through scientific research and research-based teaching. We focus on agricultural and forest sciences, food and nutrition, microbiology, as well as on economics and management. We cover the full natural resource chain from farm to fork, the entire field of forest sciences from soil chemistry to marketing, as well as the environmental effects of related activities. Graduates from the Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry are versatile experts in biosciences and business, able to meet the needs of both the business sector and society at large.
www.helsinki.fi/en/faculty-of-agriculture-and-forestry
The Department of Agricultural Sciences is one of the units of the Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry. The department conducts internationally recognized research, related to agricultural sciences and the bio-economy, and provides the highest-level education based on the research. The aim is to carry out research and teaching on plant production in agriculture and horticulture, animal production, and technologies and environmental effects pertaining to them, as well as to yield societal impact through research. The main research fields of the department are agrotechnology, animal science, plant production sciences, and soil and environmental science. The number of Department’s personnel is about 100 and the department provides BSc and MSc study programs. The Department is active in society, and has strong collaboration with companies, government agencies, research institutes and other Universities, nationally and internationally.
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