Doctoral Researcher in Molecular Level Atmospheric Science

Two doctoral researcher positions available in Molecular Level Atmospheric Science at the Department of Chemistry, University of Helsinki, Finland. This is an exciting opportunity for ambitious students aiming to pursue groundbreaking discoveries, which aid to make environmentally sustainable political decisions.

Possible topics:

• Atmospheric oxidation reactions

Solving the reaction mechanisms of oxidation reaction pathways. This includes using quantum chemical calculations, exploitation of machine learning approaches and kinetics modeling. Aim is to connect obtained reaction mechanisms with rate coefficients for chemistry transport models to obtain deep understanding oxidized organic compounds formation in the Earth’s atmosphere.

• Structures of oxidized organic compounds

Utilizing a novel instrumentation for gaining structural information of the oxidation reaction products directly from the reaction chamber. This includes development of mass selection techniques as well as measuring and analyzing matrix isolated vibrational spectrum. Aim is to develop a technique to obtaining exact molecular structures from oxidation reaction studies.

• Atmospheric clustering mechanisms

Modeling the chemical composition and stability of atmospheric clusters. Methods include quantum chemistry, quantum machine learning, and cluster dynamics. Aim is to solve mechanisms and compounds responsible of atmospheric aerosol particle formation.

• Secondary organic aerosols formation

Finding the molecular properties of oxidized organic compounds which best describe the particle formation ability and deriving a parametrization, which can be used in climate models. Aim is to understand how changes in emissions of the precursor compounds will affect the climate.

We offer a chance to work in an international, multidisciplinary research community within excellent research infrastructure and support services. Occupational health service and other personnel benefits are included in addition of competitive salary. The University of Helsinki is among the leading multidisciplinary research universities in the world, belonging in the top 100 in the Shanghai ranking. Finland is again in 2022 ranked as the world's happiest country.

We are looking for a motivated PhD candidate to join a new research group that is studying atmospheric oxidation reactions and aerosol particle formation. The work will be carried out at the Department of Chemistry, University of Helsinki. Completing a PhD degree in Finland takes approximately 4 years and it is full-time paid with a starting salary of 2500–2700 eur/month.

How to apply

To apply, please send (as a single pdf file) an academic CV (including possible list of publications), a motivation letter, degree certificates, and the contact details of two referees.

Please submit your application using the University of Helsinki electronic recruitment system (by clicking on "Apply now"). Internal applicants (i.e., current employees of the University of Helsinki) must submit their applications through the SAP Fiori (by clicking on “Employee login”).

The deadline for applications is October 31, 2022 (23:59), but the position may be filled as soon as a suitable candidate has been found.

Preferred start date is as soon as possible but flexible. Applicant should have (by the date of starting) a master degree in Chemistry, Physics, Atmospheric Science or related fields. Applicant needs to be highly motivated for academic research and capable of working both independently and as a member of an international and diverse team. All genders and cultural backgrounds are encouraged to apply.

More information available from Dr. Nanna Myllys (nanna.myllys(at)helsinki.fi ).