Postdoctoral Researcher, tree ecophysiology and ecology

The Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry invites applications for the position of a

POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCHER (tree ecophysiology and ecology)

The postdoctoral researcher will be appointed for a fixed-term of 27 months (start date: May 1, 2024 or as negotiated) to work in a project entitled: “Life after drought: towards a mechanistic understanding of tree resilience (DroughTRes)” and led by Docent Dr. Yann Salmon.

Drought stress is increasing in most parts of the world both in terms of intensity and frequency. As a result, forests which are considered one of our best tools to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions are under threat. To maintain forest carbon sink activity and other services, trees need not only to survive the stress, but to recover from it and regain their ability to grow. Mechanistic understanding of the tree resilience is still poorly understood, and this project aims to fill that knowledge gap.

We will use controlled conditions experiments, ecosystem manipulation and field study in Finland and abroad. Physiological mechanisms related to water transport, carbon assimilation, utilization and transport as well as nutrients will be measured to explain how tree growth, and hence their ability to store carbon, recovers from drought. These results will help better predict forest response to climate change, model carbon storage in forest and guide practitioners and politicians in their decision towards forest management.

The postdoctoral researcher work which will focus on field and ecosystem manipulation studies in Finland and internationally, to study the mechanisms underlying tree resilience to drought, and the implementation of the findings in existing mechanistic models. There will be also collaborations with other parts of the project, including ecosystem ecology and community ecology.

We are looking for a highly motivated and skilled researcher with a PhD degree and experience in plant ecophysiology, ecology or related field.

A successful candidate should be able to

• Design, conduct, and publish research within the scope of the project
• Contribute to undergraduate and graduate student supervision and teaching within the departments
• Contribute to preparing funding and travel grant applications
• Engage with the scientific community, research partners and the wider public through scientific publications and conference presentations

The candidate is expected to have

Education, experience and technical skills:

• A relevant PhD degree with previous experience with ecophysiological methods is (to name a few, gas exchange, point-dendrometer, sap flow, hydraulic, non-structural carbohydrate analyses) and/or stable isotopes (e.g., different tissues, tree rings).
• Fluency in English and excellent writing skills. Working Language is English
• Experience with analytical tool (R is the preferred language but equivalent languages are also fine).

Personal attributes and competencies:

• Excellent analytical and innovative research planning skills
• Rigor and precision are central to the experimental work planned.
• Ability to plan and carry research in the field including abroad.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills. Experienced in working within multicultural and multidisciplinary teams is a plus.
• High motivation for academic research, having initiative and capability of working independently as well as in team environments
• Willingness to continuous improvement based on constructive evaluation, self-reflection and learning

We offer

• to join a young and dynamic group tackling ambitious research questions in tree ecology and ecophysiology
• A supportive and collaborative environment
• Opportunities to develop your academic network in Finland and abroad
• Opportunities for career development (supervision of graduate students, teaching experience, project development and opportunities to apply to own  funding)

The salary of the postdoctoral researcher is based on level 5 of the demands level chart for teaching and research personnel in the salary system of Finnish universities. In addition, the appointee will be paid a personal salary component. The monthly salary in a full time postdoctoral researcher position is usually about 3 500 – 3 700 euros/month, depending on the appointee’s qualifications and experience.

The University of Helsinki offers comprehensive services to its employees, including occupational health care and health insurance, unemployment and pension fund, a generous holiday package, sports facilities, and opportunities for professional development. A six-month trial period will be applied.

How to apply

Please submit your application as a single pdf file in English using the University of Helsinki Recruitment System.

The application should consist of:

1) A concise cover letter explaining the applicant’s motivation for the research work.
2) Curriculum vitae showing the applicant's education, completed qualifications, work experience (max 3 pages), list of publications and recommendation letter or contact information of at least two persons for references
3) Copies of degree certificates and official transcripts of the records, and their translations, if the originals are not in Finnish, Swedish or English.

Please submit your application using the University of Helsinki Recruitment System via the Apply Now button. Applicants who have a helsinki.fi username and a valid employment contract, a grant researcher's contract or a visiting researcher's contract at the University of Helsinki are requested to submit their application by using the Employee login.

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

The closing date for applications is the 2nd of April 2024 at 23:59 EEST.

Further information

About us

The University of Helsinki 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. The University of Helsinki is an equal employer.

Work will take place at the department of Forest science (https://www.helsinki.fi/en/faculty-agriculture-and-forestry/research/forest-sciences ) a part of the Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry (https://www.helsinki.fi/en/faculty-agriculture-and-forestry ), nationally unique faculty with a high international standing. 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.

The appointee will be affiliated with the group of ecosystem processes (https://www.helsinki.fi/en/researchgroups/ecosystem-processes ) a part of the Institute for atmospheric and earth system research (https://www.helsinki.fi/en/inar-institute-for-atmospheric-and-earth-system-research ).