Pro­fessor or As­sist­ant/​As­so­ci­ate Pro­fessor, Chemistry of Cir­cu­lar Eco­nomy

The University of Helsinki (https://www.helsinki.fi/en ) is among the leading multidisciplinary research universities in the world. In addition to its 11 faculties, the University includes several independent institutes, some of which are jointly operated with other universities. Some 35,000 students are currently pursuing an undergraduate or a postgraduate degree at the University of Helsinki.

As a part of the Faculty of Science, the Department of Chemistry has a wide profile and it carries out international level research in three research programs, i.e., materials chemistry, synthesis and analysis, and molecular science. The Department operates on an annual budget of 20 million euros and reports more than 200 FTE person-years per annum. The Department has 15 tenured professors, 2 tenure-track associate professors, and 1 visiting professor. Details on the Department of Chemistry and its research activities are given at https://www.helsinki.fi/en/faculty-science/faculty/chemistry

Sustainability and sustainability science are at the hub of research in the department, and cover topics from biomass to fundamental and theoretical aspects of climate research and carbon cycle, including topics from CO2 capture to catalysis research in general. To strengthen the central role of chemistry in these timely topics, the Department of Chemistry at the Faculty of Science at the University of Helsinki invites applications for a

PROFESSOR OR ASSISTANT/ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR IN CHEMISTRY OF CIRCULAR ECONOMY

The aim of this position is to strengthen experimental research on chemistry of circular economy. The research focuses on conversion and utilization of organic waste, side streams or renewable raw materials to commodity chemicals, materials or products. Illustrative examples of research topics could be chemical recycling of plastics, or valorization of lignocellulose waste to industrial raw materials and new products. In general, we welcome applications with various chemistry research topics that have a strong impact on sustainability.

The general research area is fundamental research on organic chemistry, having applicability to circulation related topics and handling of materials also on a large scale. The successful candidate has deep understanding in organic chemistry and knowledge of separation and purification methods, the composition, conversion and separation of raw materials, as well as their availability.

The teaching duties focus on chemistry, and circular economy at the bachelor, master and doctoral levels. The new position in chemistry of circular economy will be situated at the Department of Chemistry and will be closely associated with the Helsinki Institute of Sustainability Science, HELSUS. The aim of HELSUS is to gather different disciplines to build systematic approaches to meet challenges of future society.

The appointee is expected to conduct research on internationally high level and have broad experience of experimental work and modern laboratory methods. To be successful in the position, the candidate is expected to collaborate in-house and should establish strong network of national and international cooperation. Good communication and collaboration skills are mandatory as the professor is also expected to build connections between academic research and industrial partners (the position has been established with donated funds). In addition, the appointee must take advantage of national and international research funding opportunities, participate in doctoral education at the Department, and participate in the interaction between science, industry and the society.

Qualifications
The successful applicant may be appointed to a permanent full professorship or a fixed-term assistant/ associate professorship (tenure track), depending on their qualifications and career stage. For more information on the career path and a description of the tenure track model at the University of Helsinki, please see https://www.helsinki.fi/en/about-us/careers/academic-careers/tenure-track .

A professor must hold a doctoral degree in chemistry or other relevant field and have high-level academic qualifications and experience in heading scientific research. The professor must also be able to provide research-based teaching of high quality, supervise dissertations and theses as well as show evidence of international cooperation in the field.

An assistant/associate professor must hold a doctoral degree in chemistry or other relevant field and have demonstrated ability for independent scientific work as well as teaching skills required for the position. Furthermore, the successful candidate is expected to have competence and motivation for scientific career proven by scientific publications and other academic activities.

When assessing the qualifications of each candidate, attention will be paid to scientific publications and other research results of scientific value, teaching experience and pedagogical training, the ability to produce teaching materials, other teaching merits, and, if deemed necessary, teaching skills as demonstrated in a lecture as well as participation in doctoral education. Furthermore, attention will be paid to the applicant’s activities within the research community, success in obtaining research funding, shown activity in industrial collaboration, as well as research work abroad and elected positions in international organizations.

What do we offer?
The University will offer the appointee a challenging career opportunity in top-level research and research-based teaching, possibilities for international collaboration, and for the appointed assistant/associate professor prerequisites to grow into full professorship. In addition to the funding possibilities offered by the national funding agencies, the Faculty of Science also has infrastructure funding available, allocated based on departmental infrastructure plans. The selected person will get a startup package of 160 000 EUR/year for the first three years.

A typical starting salary for a newly appointed full professor is ca. 6300-6800 euros/month. The starting salary for an assistant professor is ca. 4900 euros/month and for an associate professor ca. 5700 euros/month.

The University of Helsinki offers comprehensive services to its employees, including preventive occupational health services and general medical care, sports facilities, and opportunities for professional development. The Faculty of Science is an equal opportunity workplace committed to advance wellbeing and diversity and promote gender equality in science and education. We support the compatibility of work and family-life e.g. by providing an opportunity for 6 weeks of paid annual leave.

The University assists employees from abroad with their transition to work and life in Finland. Finland is a very family-friendly country with generous parental leaves, very affordable state-subsidized daycare that is available for all children, as well as world-renowned free primary education and public healthcare. For more on the University of Helsinki as an employer and living in Helsinki, please see https://www.helsinki.fi/en/about-us/careers and https://welcome.helsinki .

How to apply
We welcome applicants from a variety of genders, linguistic and cultural backgrounds, and minorities.

Applications must have the following enclosures as a one single pdf file (in English):

1) a cover letter describing the candidate´s suitability for the position and motivation to apply for it (1–2 pages)

2) an academic portfolio approved by the Faculty (as set out at https://www.helsinki.fi/en/faculty-of-science/faculty/join-us/academic-p... ), containing e.g. a summary of supervision duties of master’s and doctoral theses, plans how the applicant will develop her/his research field and its teaching, and a list of publications

3) a research plan (max. 7 pages) describing the scope of research, and long-term goals of the applicant.

Please submit your application through the University of Helsinki Recruitment System via the link “Apply for the position”.

The shortlisted candidates will later be asked to submit up to 10 selected publications into the University of Helsinki Recruitment System upon request of the Faculty.

The deadline for applications is February 10, 2022.

Further information
Further information on the position and the working environment may be obtained from:
• Professor Heikki Tenhu, Head of the Department of Chemistry, heikki.tenhu(at)helsinki.fi
• Professor Ilkka Kilpeläinen, Department of Chemistry, ilkka.kilpelainen(at)helsinki.fi