Postdoctoral Researcher in Biodiversity Economics
POST DOC POSITION IN BIODIVERSITY ECONOMICS
The Department of Organismal and Evolutionary Biology and the Department of Economics at the University of Helsinki invite applications for a postdoctoral researcher in biodiversity science and/or environmental economics for a fixed term of 2-3 years with a possibility of continuation. There will be a trial period of six months in the beginning.
The post doc position is part of a new collaborative effort between researchers at the Research Centre for Ecological Change (REC) and Environmental and resource economics group funded by Helsinki Life Science Institute. This interdisciplinary initiative includes professors Marjo Saastamoinen (biodiversity), Anna-Liisa Laine (biodiversity), Jarno Vanhatalo (statistics), Lassi Ahlvik (environmental economics) and Kari Hyytiäinen (environmental economics). There is some flexibility in the starting date, but the position can start as soon as possible and ideally spring 2026.
We are seeking a highly motivated Postdoctoral Researcher to study the economic values derived from climate and land-use driven biodiversity changes, specifically among interacting species (e.g., prey-predator dynamics) and the resulting impacts on ecosystem functions and the services they provide. The successful candidate will play a key role in developing and applying economic models to assess impacts of biodiversity change on ecosystem service provision. The biodiversity-ecosystem function relationships will be analysed via unique long-term observational datasets available at REC. The focus of the specific research questions will be tailored to align with the candidate's background and interests, ensuring a collaborative and engaging research experience.
We seek candidates who have completed a PhD in ecological statistics or environmental economics or a related field, and have strong analytical and problem-solving skills. Prior experience in have experience in valuation of ecosystem services is considered as a strength. Excellent written and verbal communication skills, and the ability to conceive, execute and complete research projects, and to think independently and creatively are also required. The post docs will work as a part of a team at the Centre and excellent communication skills are required.
SALARY AND HOW TO APPLY FOR THE POSITIONS
The salary of the successful candidate will be 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 salary component based on personal performance. The starting salary will be ca. 3800–4100 euros/month, depending on the appointee’s qualifications and experience. The University of Helsinki welcomes applicants from a variety of gender identities, and linguistic and cultural backgrounds.
The application should include the following documents as a single pdf file:
- motivational letter telling which of the positions you are interested in and outlining why you are the right person for this task (max 1 page)
- CV (max 2 pages)
- list of publications
- contact information of two persons who are willing to provide a reference letter by separate request.
External applicants, 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, a visiting researcher's or visiting professor's contract at the University of Helsinki are requested to leave their application by using the employee login.
The deadline for submitting the application is 18.2.2026 (at 23:59 EEST).
FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT BY EMAIL
Marjo Saastamoinen (marjo.saastamoinen(at)helsinki.fi), Jarno Vanhatalo (jarno.vanhatalo(at)helsinki.fi) or Lassi Ahlvik (lassi.ahlvik(at)helsinki.fi).
If you need support with the recruitment portal, please contact HR Specialist Harri Hamara (harri.hamara(at)helsinki.fi).
SOME RECENT PUBLICATIONS
Ahlvik, L., & van Kooten, S. (2025). Distributional impacts of conservation on land prices: Evidence from Natura 2000. Land Economics, 101(2): 183-200.
Guilbault, E., Sihvonen, P., Suuronen, A., Huikkonen, I.-M., Pöyry, J., Laine, A.-L., Roslin, T., Saastamoinen, M., and Vanhatalo, J. (2025). Strong context dependence in the relative importance of climate and habitat on nation-wide macro-moth community changes. Journal of Animal Ecology, 94:1948-1961.
Pesu, L., Ahlvik, L., Assmuth, A., & Pihlainen, S. (2025). Controlling land-use change with a nature loss fee. Available at SSRN 5154007.
Rodrigues AV, Rissanen T, Jones MM, Huikkonen I-M, Huitu O, Erkki Korpimäki E, Kuussaari M, Lehikoinen A, Lindén A, Pietiäinen H, Pöyry J, Sihvonen P, Suuronen A, Vuorio K, Saastamoinen M, Vanhatalo J & Laine A-L (2025) Cross-taxa analysis of long-term data reveals a positive biodiversity-stability relationship with taxon-specific mechanistic underpinning. Ecology Letters 28: e70003.
INFORMATION ABOUT THE UNITS
The Department of Organismal and Evolutionary Biology (OEB) of the Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences comprises roughly 40 research groups which employ 40 principal investigators and 120 researchers. The research programme is situated in the Viikki science park. https://www.helsinki.fi/en/faculty-biological-and-environmental-sciences/research/organismal-and-evolutionary-biology. The overreaching aim of the Research Centre for Ecological Change is to generate a coordinated analysis of long-term ecological data to understand the drivers and consequences of global change on biodiversity and ecosystem functions. REC also develops state-of-the-art methodology for analysing long-term spatially structured data sets within a joint species distribution modelling framework. For more information, see: https://www.helsinki.fi/en/researchgroups/research-centre-for-ecological-change.
The Department of Economics and Management, 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. The group of environmental and resource economics studies the interaction of society and environment, environmental issues and problems, and nature conservation by applying economic theory and methods: https://www.helsinki.fi/en/researchgroups/environmental-and-resource-economics.
The Helsinki Institute of Life Sciences (HiLIFE) is a life science institute at the University of Helsinki established in 2017 supporting high quality research across campuses and life science faculties. HiLIFE builds on existing strengths and new recruits and partnerships to create an attractive international environment for solving grand challenges in health, food, and environment. https://www.helsinki.fi/en/hilife-helsinki-institute-life-science
The University of Helsinki, founded in 1640, is one of the world’s leading universities for multidisciplinary research. The university has an international academic community of 40,000 students and staff members. The University of Helsinki offers comprehensive services to its employees, including occupational health care and health insurance, sports facilities, and opportunities for professional development. The International Staff Services office assists employees from abroad with their transition to work and life in Finland.