Assistant / Associate Professor in Distributed Artificial Intelligence in Agriculture

The Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry (FAF) and the Faculty of Science (FS) invite applications for the position of

TENURE TRACK ASSISTANT / ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR IN DISTRIBUTED ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN AGRICULTURE

from 1.9.2024 onwards or as agreed. The position may be filled as a tenure track assistant professor or tenure track associate professor depending on the candidate’s merits and career stage. Information about our tenure track system: University of Helsinki tenure track . The goal of the tenure track is to advance to a permanent professor position.

The appointee must have comprehensive knowledge in the field of artificial intelligence and appropriate evidence to apply these technologies in real-life applications of agriculture. The appointee is expected to master several AI technologies, especially expertise in computer vision and deep learning is highly appreciated.

The research focus is expected to enhance the development of integrative and interdisciplinary intelligent methods in agriculture with an emphasis on methods addressing distributed AI. This, for example, includes but is not limited to the following:

The appointee must show evidence of independent research in at least one theme from above. Research expertise in several themes is considered an advantage. The position is new both at FAF and FS, and thus the chosen candidate has an opportunity to develop a pioneering and nationally unique research and education track at the University of Helsinki.

The appointee maintains and strengthens the teaching resources of both the Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry and the Faculty of Science by participating in teaching and supervising students in bachelor's, master's, and doctoral programs. The tenure track assistant or associate professor is expected to focus their main teaching contributions to the Master’s programmes in Data Science and Agricultural Sciences, as well as possible contributions to Bachelor’s and Master’s programmes in Computer Science, Bachelor’s programmes in Science and Agricultural Sciences, depending on the selected person. Contributing to the development of new education and teaching design in the field of technology is part of the role. PhD level teaching is expected to focus on Doctoral programmes in Sustainable Use of Renewable Natural Resources (AGFOREE) and Computer Science. The exact courses and content of the teaching will be coordinated and decided with the relevant degree programmes and departments.  The appointee participates in the development of teaching at the faculties and is also expected to work in the management teams of the degree programs.

REQUIREMENTS

An appointee to the position of assistant professor or associate professor in the tenure track system shall have

• a doctoral degree
• the ability to conduct independent scholarly work
• the teaching skills required for the position
• the ability and motivation to pursue an academic career, as demonstrated by publications and other means

The degree requirements must be met by the end of the application deadline.

When considering the candidates’ qualifications, attention shall be given to scientific and teaching merits. In addition, the candidates’ leadership and interaction skills, as well as activity in the scientific community and public engagement shall also be taken into account.

Scientific merits include

• scientific publications and other research results of academic value
• success in obtaining external research funding
• international research experience
• international elected positions

Teaching merits include

• teaching experience
• pedagogical training
• the ability to produce learning material
• other teaching merits
• a teaching demonstration
• participation in doctoral education

To successfully attend to the duties of the position, the appointee must have good English skills.

According to the Government Decree on Universities, tenure track associate/assistant professors must be proficient in Finnish. They must also have at least satisfactory spoken and written skills in Swedish. Foreign citizens, non-native Finnish citizens or citizens who have not been educated in Finnish or Swedish may be exempted from this requirement without a separate application.  If the appointee is not proficient in Finnish, they are expected to acquire intermediate level skills 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 annual working plan.

WHAT WE OFFER

We offer an interesting opportunity to work in a diverse research environment. At the Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry you will carry out research-based teaching at the highest education level in the field in Finland and have the opportunity to take part in internationally valued, first-class research activities. The position is also an opportunity to develop your own professional skills in a multidisciplinary work community of the faculty. Your work will be supported by the research and teaching staff of the department and the faculty as well as the administrative and technical staff at Viikki campus.

The assistant/associate professor’s salary will be on level 7 of the job requirement scheme 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 work performance. Annual gross salary for an assistant professor amounts to approximately 55,000–63,000 euros, and for an associate professor to approximately 60,000–70,000 euros depending on the appointee’s qualifications and experience.

Furthermore, the university takes care of your well-being by flexible work arrangements, comprehensive occupational health care and wide-ranging, low-cost UniSport services. Professional development is supported in different ways, i.e. by offering versatile staff training, mentoring etc.

HOW TO APPLY

Applicants are requested to enclose with their applications a SINGLE PDF file that includes the following documents in English:

1) CV

2) A short motivation letter and report on how the applicant intends to develop his or her research and focus his or her activities, if appointed (1-2 pages)

3) Report on the applicant’s research activities (including activities in scientific communities, the acquisition of research funding and international scholarly work) (max. 5 pages)

4) A numbered list of publications

5) A report on pedagogical expertise (see the instructions via the link below under University portfolio – Teaching and supervision)

For more detailed instructions on the application documents, please see

https://www.helsinki.fi/en/about-us/careers/open-positions/instructions-applicants-teaching-and-research-positions

Applications with the above attachments must be submitted in a single PDF file, which is named:

_lastname_firstname. Other attachments are not required.

The Faculties may request shortlisted applicants to submit 10 publications of their choice to be sent to the assessors via the electronic recruitment system after the application deadline. In the case of shortlisted applicants, aptitude evaluation may be used as part of the recruitment process.

External applicants, please submit your application using the University of Helsinki Recruitment System via the Apply Now link.

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 University of Helsinki welcomes applicants from a variety of genders and linguistic and cultural backgrounds.

The closing date for applications is 31.1.2024 at 23:59 EEST.

FURTHER INFORMATION

• About the position: Head of the Department of Agricultural Sciences, Professor Pekka Uimari, pekka.uimari(at)helsinki.fi, tel. +358 294158383 or Head of the Department of Computer Science Professor Jussi Kangasharju, jussi.kangasharju(at)helsinki.fi, tel. +358 294151379
• Recruitment process and the recruitment system: HR Specialist Mirkka Juntunen, mirkka.juntunen(at)helsinki.fi, tel. +358 294157583

ABOUT US

The 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. We focus on agricultural and forest sciences, food and nutrition, microbiology, as well as on economics and management. We cover the full natural resource chain from farm to fork, the entire field of forest sciences from soil chemistry to marketing, as well as the environmental effects of related activities. Graduates from the Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry are versatile experts in biosciences and business, able to meet the needs of both the business sector and society at large. www.helsinki.fi/en/faculty-of-agriculture-and-forestry

www.helsinki.fi/en/faculty-of-agriculture-and-forestry

The Department of Agricultural Sciences is one of the units of the Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry. The department conducts internationally recognized research, related to agricultural sciences and the bio-economy, and provides the highest-level education based on the research. The aim is to carry out research and teaching on plant production in agriculture and horticulture, animal production, and technologies and environmental effects pertaining to them, as well as to yield societal impact through research. The main research fields of the department are agrotechnology, animal science, plant production sciences, and soil and environmental science. The number of Department’s personnel is about 100 and the department provides BSc and MSc study programs. The Department is active in society, and has strong collaboration with companies, government agencies, research institutes and other Universities, nationally and internationally.

www.helsinki.fi/en/faculty-of-agriculture-and-forestry/research/agricultural-sciences

In terms of the number of students and teachers, the Faculty of Science at the University of Helsinki is the largest faculty of science in Finland. Our Faculty is founded on basic scientific research applied and complemented by the disciplines of geography and geology.

https://www.helsinki.fi/en/faculty-science

As a part of the Faculty of Science, the Department of Computer Science is a leading Computer Science research and teaching unit in Europe. The Department has 31 professors and the main research fields at the Department are artificial intelligence, big data frameworks, bioinformatics, data analysis, data science, discrete and machine learning algorithms, distributed, intelligent, and interactive systems, networks, security, and software and database systems. The Department has extensive international collaboration with companies and universities.

https://www.helsinki.fi/en/computer-science

WHY FINLAND AND HELSINKI

Finland is a member of the EU, has high quality and inexpensive childcare, free schooling and tertiary training (also in English), generous family benefits and healthcare, and was recently ranked as the best country in the world for expat families. Finland repeatedly tops the World Happiness Report (https://toolbox.finland.fi/life-society/finland-the-happiest-country-in-the-world ).