Assistant Professor / Associate Professor / Professor of Sustainable Pharmacy

Pharmaceutical drug research is a strong field within the University of Helsinki’s Life Sciences strategic area and is highly ranked internationally. Such a high scientific level is a prerequisite for new discoveries that are urgently needed for translating the findings of basic research into therapeutic applications. One of our new research areas, sustainable pharmacy, belongs to the sustainability-related profiling areas of the University of Helsinki. The position is part of the recently funded Resilient and Just Systems (RESET) profiling area that aims to build an inter- and transdisciplinary research environment that bridges life and social sciences, offering sustainable and just solutions and increasing system resilience, nurturing national and international collaboration.

The Faculty of Pharmacy at the University of Helsinki:

• is ranked #50 in the world in the Shanghai Ranking's Global Ranking of Academic Subjects 2022
• is located on the Viikki Campus in Helsinki and provides good access to local and national research infrastructures
• has about 200 employees, out of which some 20 are professors
• has about 800 undergraduate students and 140 doctoral researchers with well-organized doctoral programs
• hosts the cross-disciplinary Drug Research Program, and the University of Helsinki Doctoral School
• is a European and global pioneer in sustainable pharmacy activities since 2014

The Faculty of Pharmacy invites applications for the world’s first position of

Assistant Professor / Associate Professor / Professor of Sustainable Pharmacy

Sustainable pharmacy is a new discipline at the University of Helsinki and internationally. As an entirely new field, the selected person has a unique opportunity to develop the frontiers of the discipline. The aim of sustainable pharmacy is to identify and address sustainability gaps over the entire life-cycle of medicines, from drug discovery and preclinical development to drug development and production, distribution, pharmaceutical digitalization, use and end-of-life. The discipline involves creating new solutions to overcome these challenges and reduce the environmental footprint of drugs in a holistic manner under the legal and regulatory frameworks governing human and veterinary medicines. While green chemistry, advanced drug delivery/targeting technologies, medication adherence, and precision medicine strategies are essential to reducing unnecessary environmental load and hazards by pharmaceuticals, sustainable pharmacy is a holistic discipline that aims to translate the recent scientific, and regulatory developments into greener pharmacy practice. We aim to recruit a candidate who can create sustainable solutions to overcome current and future challenges in pharmaceutical research rigorously, reproducibly and responsibly.

The main responsibilities of the appointee are to lead frontier research projects in sustainable pharmacy, and to conduct independent and collaborative research nationally and internationally. Societal impact is essential and can be done in close cooperation with regulatory bodies, pharmaceutical industry, and other healthcare professionals, where relevant, or via new innovations.

In addition to scientific research, the appointee is expected to be an active academic staff member and develop the quality of research and teaching. The appointee is responsible for the field's graduate and postgraduate/doctoral level education. The graduate level education includes the domestic language programs of Bachelor/Master in Pharmacy; as well as the English language Master’s Program in Pharmaceutical Research, Development and Safety, which leads to a Master in Science degree. The teaching tasks can focus on certain aspects of sustainable pharmacy, depending on the appointee’s background and prior expertise. Still, the appointee is expected to actively develop teaching curriculum in sustainable pharmacy together with the faculty and stakeholders.

Qualification requirements and assessment of qualifications

The successful applicant may be appointed to a permanent full Professorship or a fixed-term Assistant/ Associate Professorship (tenure track), depending on his or her qualifications and career stage. The aim of the tenure track system is to grant tenure and a permanent position as Professor.

An appointee to the position of Assistant/Associate Professor in the tenure track system shall hold a doctoral degree, have the ability to conduct independent scientific research work, have the teaching skills necessary for the position, and have the ability and motivation for an academic career.

An appointee to a full Professorship shall hold a doctoral degree and have top-level scholarly qualifications, experience in the supervision of scientific research, and the ability to provide top-level research-based teaching and supervise theses and dissertations. In addition, the appointee shall present documentation evidencing international cooperation in the field of research that he or she represents. Holders of professorships shall also have the skills necessary for serving as an academic leader.

To successfully carry out the duties of the position, the appointee is expected to have research and teaching experience in sustainable pharmacy and fluency in English. If the appointee is not proficient in Finnish (or Swedish), he/she is expected to acquire moderate proficiency within a reasonable time after the appointment. Support for language studies is offered.

When considering the applicants’ qualifications, attention will be paid to research qualifications, teaching and supervision qualifications and experience, as well as public engagement and interaction within the university/scientific community. For more information on the tenure track model, career path and assessment criteria at the University of Helsinki, please see https://www.helsinki.fi/en/about-us/careers/academic-careers/tenure-track. The assessment is always conducted as an overall assessment.

Salary and benefits

The salary is based on the salary system of Finnish universities. Annual gross salary for an Assistant/Associate Professor generally amounts to 57,000 - 72,000 euros and for a Professor to 67,000 - 90,000 euros, depending on the applicant’s merits and career stage. The position is also associated with a negotiable start-up package.

Read more about the employee benefits at the University of Helsinki and why the University of Helsinki is an excellent career choice: https://www.helsinki.fi/en/university/working-at-the-university.

How to apply

Please submit your application and the required attachments through the University of Helsinki Recruitment System, preferably as a single pdf file.

The attachments should include (in English):

The closing date for applications is 15 August 2023 (23:59 EEST).

After the application period, short-listed applicants may be requested by the Faculty to submit up to 5 to 10 of their most important publications for the external assessors (unless open access publications).

Further information (please note that July is a typical holiday month in Finland)

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), excellent family benefits and healthcare, and was recently ranked as the best country in the world for expat families . Finland also repeatedly tops the World Happiness Report .