Job Opportunities in Finland

Postdoctoral Researcher, Green nitrogen transition

The postdoctoral researcher will be appointed for a fixed-term of 36 months (start date: January 1, 2025 or as negotiated) to work in an international project entitled: "Green nitrogen transition: The potential of legumes in control environment agriculture (Gree NTrans)" and led in Finland by Prof. Pirjo Mäkelä.

The Gree NTrans project aims to transition synthetic nitrogen fertilizers production to short-chain, reduced greenhouse gas, and circular economy-based technology using the potential of legume plants for biologically fixed nitrogen. Such a goal will be achieved by adapting plants of the legume family to grow in hydroponic systems and through modelling and experimentation to determine the most suitable conditions for achieving maximum biologically fixed nitrogen in controlled environment agriculture.

We will use different hydroponic systems (deep float, Ebb, NFT) in controlled conditions. The quality, productivity and nitrogen cycle of leafy vegetables will be analysed to explain how biologically fixed nitrogen system can be incorporated into hydroponic leafy vegetable growing system to obtain the highest yield. These results will help to develop approaches to provide a better understanding of the nitrogen cycle in plants, and the estimation of biologically fixed nitrogen in plants and hydroponic solutions will help to determine the optimal requirements for growing plants and contribute to safer food to ensure higher product quality, consistent yields for farmers, and safer food for consumers.

The postdoctoral researcher will study the leafy vegetable quality and mechanisms underlying nitrogen cycle in hydroponic systems with biologically fixed nitrogen sources. There will be also collaborations with other parts of the project in Lithuania and Sweden.

We are looking for a highly motivated and skilled researcher with a Ph D degree and experience in crop physiology or related field.

A successful candidate should be able to

• Design, conduct, and publish research within the scope of the project
• Contribute to undergraduate and graduate student supervision and teaching within the departments
• Contribute to preparing funding and travel grant applications
• Engage with the scientific community, research partners and the wider public through scientific publications and conference presentations

The candidate is expected to have

Education, experience and technical skills

• A relevant Ph D degree with previous experience with crop physiological methods, plant nitrogen dynamics and chemical analyses (to name a few, nitrogenase and nitrate reductase activity, sugars, polyphenols, carotenoids, antioxidants, total micro-, and macro-elements, nitrogen/nitrate/nitrite).
• Fluency in English and excellent writing skills. Working Language is English
• Experience with analytical tool (R is the preferred language but equivalent languages are also fine).

Personal attributes and competencies

• Excellent analytical and innovative research planning skills.
• Rigor and precision are central to the experimental work planned.
• Ability to plan and carry research in the hydroponic systems.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills. Experienced in working within multicultural and multidisciplinary teams is a plus.
• High motivation for academic research, having initiative and capability of working independently as well as in team environments.
• Willingness to continuous improvement based on constructive evaluation, self-reflection and learning

We offer

• To join a group tackling research questions in crop physiology, crop management and cropping systems
• A supportive and collaborative environment
• Opportunities to develop your academic network in Finland and abroad
• Opportunities for career development (supervision of graduate students, teaching experience, project development and opportunities to apply to own funding)

The salary of the postdoctoral researcher is based on level 5 of the demands level chart for teaching and research personnel in the salary system of Finnish universities. In addition, the appointee will be paid a personal salary component. The monthly salary in a full-time postdoctoral researcher position is usually about 3 500 - 3 700 euros/month, depending on the appointee's qualifications and experience.

The University of Helsinki offers comprehensive services to its employees, including occupational health care and health insurance, unemployment and pension fund, a generous holiday package, sports facilities, and opportunities for professional development. A six-month trial period will be applied.

How to apply

Please submit your application as a single pdf file in English using the University of Helsinki Recruitment System.

The application should consist of:
1) A concise cover letter explaining the applicant's motivation for the research work.
2) Curriculum vitae showing the applicant's education, completed qualifications, work experience (max 3 pages), list of publications and recommendation letter or contact information of at least two persons for references
3) Copies of degree certificates and official transcripts of the records, and their translations, if the originals are not in Finnish, Swedish or English.

Please submit your application using the University of Helsinki Recruitment System via the 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 submit their application by using the Employee login.

The University of Helsinki welcomes applicants of any gender and age, linguistic or cultural background, or minority group.

The closing date for applications is the 27.9.2024 at 23:59 EEST.

Further information

• For questions regarding the project: Prof. Pirjo Mäkelä, pirjo.makela(at)helsinki.fi.
• For questions regarding the recruitment system: HR Specialist Mirkka Juntunen, mirkka.juntunen(at)helsinki.fi, tel +358505560748

• 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 and https://ihhelsinki.fi (International House Helsinki)

About us
Work will take place at the department of Agricultural Sciences (https://www.helsinki.fi/en/faculty-agriculture-and-forestry/research/agr...) a part of the Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry (https://www.helsinki.fi/en/faculty-agriculture-and-forestry), nationally unique faculty with a high international standing. 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.

The appointee will be affiliated with the group of crop science (https://www.helsinki.fi/en/researchgroups/crop-science).

Helsinki

Määräaikainen ja projektityö

Yli 100 000 000 €

Yli 1000 henkilöä