Professor or Assistant Professor / Associate Professor in Arctic Ecosystem Ecology

The Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, invites applications for the position of

PROFESSOR OR ASSISTANT/ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR IN ARCTIC ECOSYSTEM ECOLOGY

The candidate is expected to have a strong track record in the field of Arctic ecosystem ecology and/or environmental change in the Arctic, and to be committed to excellence in research, funding acquisition, researcher training, undergraduate education and societal interaction. The selected candidate is expected to take scientific leadership of Kilpisjärvi Biological Station to develop broad-based Arctic ecosystem and environmental research with Kilpisjärvi Biological Station as its center, and build and strengthen existing ties to regional stakeholders, including science education. This position entails being located at least 30-50% of work time in Kilpisjärvi Biological station. The scientific aim is for the professorship to result in improved understanding of the structure and functioning of Arctic ecosystems and factors that affect their state. The tasks include acquiring external funding and supervision of undergraduate and postgraduate students and actively participating in the teaching of Bachelor’s and Master’s courses related to the field of the position.

The successful applicant may be appointed to an  assistant / associate professorship (tenure track) (https://www.helsinki.fi/en/university/careers-at-the-university-of-helsinki/tenure-track-at-the-university-of-helsinki), or to full professorship depending on the applicant’s qualifications and career stage.

An appointee to a professorship must have a doctoral degree; have high quality scholarly qualifications, experience in the supervision of scientific research, and the ability to provide high quality research-based teaching and to supervise theses and dissertations. Evidence of international cooperation is required in the chosen research field.

 An appointee to an assistant or associate professorship must have a doctoral degree, ability to conduct independent scholarly work, and teaching skills necessary for the position. Other requirements include the ability and motivation to pursue a scientific career, as demonstrated by publications or other means. Early-stage independent researchers are also encouraged to apply, as assessment takes career stage into account.

When considering each applicant’s qualifications, attention will be given to scientific publications and their impact in the applicant’s field of research, teaching experience, pedagogical competence, and training supervision of undergraduate and graduate theses, as well as participation in doctoral education. Experience in leading multidisciplinary scientific consortia and/or collaboration with scientists from different fields is considered an advantage, as is activity in the scientific community, success in obtaining external research funding, international research experience, positions in international organizations, and interactions with stakeholders of relevance for the position. The University of Helsinki has signed the COARA Declaration and applies its principles when assessing the scientific merit of applicants.

Due to position being central to developing broad-based Arctic ecological and environmental research and related research infrastructure in Kilpisjärvi, successful performance in this position requires a proficiency in Finnish. If the appointee is not proficient in Finnish, they are expected to acquire intermediate level skills (CEFR level B2; https://europa.eu/europass/en/common-european-framework-reference-language-skills) within five years after the appointment. The University will support the appointee in acquiring the necessary Finnish language skills and time for language studies can be included in the annual working plan. Further, to successfully attend to the duties of the position, the appointee must have good English language skills.

The starting annual gross salary for assistant/associate professors typically amounts to 60,000 - 72,000 euros and for professors to 72,000 – 92,000 euros, depending on the appointee’s career stage and scholarly qualifications. In addition to the facilities and research infrastructure that are currently available, the Faculty will provide a startup package to the appointee.

The University of Helsinki offers comprehensive services to its employees, including occupational health care and health insurance, language courses, and opportunities for professional development. The International Staff Services office (https://www.helsinki.fi/en/university/working-at-the-university) assists employees from abroad with their transition to work and life in Finland.

The University of Helsinki is an international scientific community of 40,000 students and researchers. It is one of the leading multidisciplinary research universities and ranks among the top 100 international universities in the world. We are committed to the principles and practices of open science. We are an equal opportunity employer and offer an attractive and diverse workplace in an inspiring environment with a variety of development opportunities and benefits.

The Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences (https://www.helsinki.fi/en/faculty-of-biological-and-environmental-sciences) is Finland’s premier hub for life science research and education. Kilpisjärvi Biological Station is part of the Research Stations Unit of the faculty. Around Kilpisjärvi Biological Station, a wide range of research on terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems is conducted, increasingly addressing the changes in climate and biodiversity. The station provides a range of resources, field technician , vehicles, and laboratory facilities, which support extensive field studies. The station is home to numerous long-term monitoring initiatives, with the oldest—focused on vole populations—dating back to 1946.

The professorship is based both in Kilpisjärvi and Viikki,Helsinki, with 50/50 or 30/70 time-allocation, within the Ecosystems and the Environment Research Program, which is one of the three research programs (soon to be renamed as Departments) in the Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences. For further information, see https://www.helsinki.fi/en/faculty-biological-and-environmental-sciences/research/ecosystems-and-environment. The research and teaching activities at the Viikki Campus are supported by state-of-the-art infrastructures (https://www.helsinki.fi/en/faculty-biological-and-environmental-sciences/research-infrastructures ).

Application procedure. Applicants are requested to enclose with their applications the following documents in English:
1) CV
2) A report on the applicant’s previous research activities and acquired external funding (total funding, broken down over the last 10 years amounts, status as PI or co-PI, funding agency, project name), and a plan for how the applicant intends to develop their research and focus their activities in the future. (max. 3 pages)
3) A report (max. 3 pages) of experience and merits which are of relevance for the evaluation of teaching skills (please see the evaluation guidelines at https://www.helsinki.fi/sites/default/files/atoms/files/bytdk_teaching_skills_assessment_matrix_010418.pdf)
4) A numbered list of publications in English and other works with which the applicant wishes to demonstrate their competence and merits, with maximum 10 most important publications highlighted with brief explanations.
Alternatively, an academic portfolio maybe provided containing the above documents and information (for instructions, please see https://www.helsinki.fi/en/university/academic-portfolio).

Applications must be submitted through the University’s electronic recruitment system by clicking on the link below. Internal applicants (i.e., current employees of the University of Helsinki) must submit their applications through the SAP Fiori. The deadline for applications is 15 January 2026.

Further information:

• On the position and on the research environment: Vice-Dean Jussi Eronen, jussi.t.eronen@helsinki.fi; Director Jouni Heiskanen, jouni.heiskanen@helsinki.fi

• On the recruitment process: HR Specialist Harri Hamara, harri.hamara (at) helsinki.fi

• Technical support for using the recruitment system: rekrytointi (at) helsinki.fi