Researcher in Ecology

The University of Oulu is a multidisciplinary, international research university, with about 3,600 employees who produce new knowledge based on high-standards research and provide research based education to build a more sustainable, smarter, and more humane world. The University of Oulu community has about 17,000 people in total. Our northern scientific community operates globally and creates conditions for the emergence of innovations.  

We are now looking for

Doctoral Researcher in the project “Stream biodiversity under change” in University of Oulu, Finland.

University of Oulu is a multidisciplinary, international research university, with about 3,600 employees who produce new knowledge based on high-standard research and provide research-based education to build a more sustainable, smarter, and more humane world. University of Oulu has a community of about 17,000 people in total.

Specific requirements for the doctoral researcher

We are looking for a highly motivated early-career researcher with a background in community ecology, freshwater ecology or limnology for a project that uses several long-term data sets, allowing up to 40-year perspective to stream biodiversity change. We will also use shorter (up to 4 years) data sets on ecosystem process rates to relate inter-annual variation in ecosystem processes to variation in benthic biodiversity and abiotic variables in 30 streams spanning a gradient from near-pristine to heavily impacted sites. These unique data sets help us evaluate if boreal stream biodiversity has responded positively to water quality improvement and whether this ‘management credit’ overshadows climatic and land-use debts.

The spearhead project of the Kvantum Institute will be based at Oulanka Research Station and Ecology and Genetics Research Unit, which allows access to state-of-the-art facilities, and it will be conducted in close collaboration with researchers from Finnish Environment Institute. The doctoral researcher will become a member of the Stream Ecology research group of University of Oulu (www.streamecology.wordpress.com). The project offers a great opportunity to become part of international networks of senior scientists, postdocs, and PhD students working on similar study questions.

Your tasks will include benthic macroinvertebrate identification, field work,  data compilation, statistical analyses and species distribution modelling, data visualization, writing of manuscripts, and oral presentations at international conferences. A successful candidate is also expected to contribute to teaching and supervision of undergraduate students. In addition to research tasks, the doctoral researcher must carry out the required PhD studies within the duration of the work contract.

You should hold a recent master’s degree (no more than three years) in ecology or limnology, and you should possess advanced skills in statistical analyses, preferably using R. Excellent written and oral communication skills in English are also required. Experience on one or more freshwater organism groups (particularly benthic invertebrates, diatoms, and/or microbes) is considered beneficial

Salary

The three-year (with a trial period of six months) contract should start on 1st January 2025. The salary is based on levels 2-4 of the demand level chart for teaching and research staff of Finnish universities. In addition, a salary component based on personal work performance will be paid (a maximum of 50 % of the job-specific component). The starting gross salary will be about 2600 € per month. 

Regular salary is paid 12 months a year, including paid leave and an additional holiday bonus in the summer.

What we offer

•  Wellness benefit (ePassi) covering sport, culture and well-being services. Read more about other staff benefits 
• Buddy Programme and Spouse Network that supports you and your close-ones in settling into Oulu. We have a HR Excellence in Research -quality label which is a recognition awarded by the European Commission for the development of researchers’ working conditions and careers
• Workplace that promotes flexibility and work-life balance. Read more about working with us.
• Finland is one of the most livable countries in the world, with a high quality of life, safety, excellent education system, and competitive economy. Read more about living in Oulu.

How to apply

Please apply by 8 November, 2024 (23:59 Finnish local time) through our recruitment system. The application should be written in English and include the following documents:

• CV (max 2 pages)
• Motivation letter (max 2 pages)
• Certificates/diplomas
• Contact information of two references

The most promising candidates will be invited to an on-site or remote interview. All applicants will be notified of the result of the selection process. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds, such as people of different genders and members of other language, cultural or minority groups.

Contact Information

For further inquiries, please contact

Riku Paavola, Senior Researcher (Station Manager, Assoc. Prof.), University of Oulu, Oulanka Research Station, riku.paavola@oulu.fi

Timo Muotka, Professor, University of Oulu ecology & Genetics Research Unit, timo.muotka@oulu.fi

Kaisa-Leena Huttunen, Senior Research Scientist, Finnish Environment Institute, Nature Solutions; kaisa-leena.huttunen@syke.fi