Senior Curator (mycology and/or bryology)

The Finnish Museum of Natural History invites applications for the permanent position of

Senior Curator

specialised in relevant fields in mycology (inc. lichenology) and/or bryology. The appointment will begin on 1 March 2023 at the earliest or as agreed.

The position of senior curator belongs to the level four in the Finnish hierarchy of academic positions and, hence, equals a professorship. The senior curator is expected to conduct high quality research in systematics, taxonomy, evolution, museomics, conservation biology, and/or biogeography of bryophytes and/or lichenized or non-lichenized fungi. The senior curator will lead the Mycology and Bryology team and act as a supervisor for team members. He/She/Ze will be responsible for the development of curation (both digital and traditional) of the mycological and bryological herbarium collections that rank among the top three in size in the world. The senior curator will also teach (max 5% of worktime) relevant topics in BSc and MSc courses and supervise MSc and PhD students. As an expert in the field, the senior curator will participate in the museum’s international collaboration and community engagement in the field. The senior curator is expected to be active in obtaining external funding and building a research group.

Qualifications

According to the Regulations of the University of Helsinki, an appointee to a senior curatorship shall hold a doctoral degree and have top-level scholarly qualifications, experience in leading research, proven success in obtaining external funding, as well as the documentation of international cooperation in the research field that the appointee represents. The degree requirement must be met by the end of the application deadline.

Experience in working with scientific collections, participation in university teaching and supervision, good leadership skills, and an inclination to team work as well as experience of societal interaction are considered as essential assets.

To successfully attend to the duties of the position, the appointee must have good skills in English. The official languages of the University of Helsinki are Finnish and Swedish but 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.

What do we offer?

The position is permanent including a trial period of 6 months. The senior curator’s salary will be based on level 8-9 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. The gross monthly salary will be approximately 5 300 – 6 500 euros, depending on the appointee’s career stage and scholarly qualifications.

In addition to the research and infrastructure funding possibilities offered by the national and international funding sources, Luomus also has occasionally had funding available for networking and small starter grants for research (i.e., trigger funding).

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. Luomus is an equal opportunity workplace committed to advance wellbeing and diversity and promote gender equality in science and education. We welcome applicants from a variety of genders, linguistic and cultural backgrounds, and minorities.

The appointee is expected to reside in Finland while employed by the University of Helsinki. 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 Careers at the University of Helsinki and Welcome to Helsinki. 

How to apply 

Applicants are requested to submit their application as one single PDF file (named as lastname_firstname_Senior Curator), which includes the following documents in English, Finnish or Swedish:

1) CV

2) A report (max. 3 pages) on the applicant’s previous research activities and acquired external funding, and a brief plan on how the applicant intends to develop research and research funding in the future

3) A report (max. 3 pages) of experience and merits which are of relevance for the evaluation of other skills relevant for the position (e.g., leadership, collection work, supervision, and teaching).

4) A numbered list of publications and other works, with which the applicant wishes to demonstrate his or her competence and merits

Or, alternatively, an academic portfolio containing the above documents and information (for instructions, please see Academic Portfolio).

Applicants are kindly asked to prepare for the situation in which, after the closing of the application period, they may be requested to submit 5-10 publications of their choice to be sent to the assessors.

The application, together with the required attachments, must be submitted through the University of Helsinki electronic recruitment system by clicking on the link “Apply now”.

Employees of the University of Helsinki must submit their applications through the SAP Fiori portal: https://msap.sap.helsinki.fi .

Please submit your application through the University of Helsinki Recruitment System. Deadline for applications is 5 December 2022.

Further information 

Further information can be obtained from the Director of Luomus, Dr Marko-Tapio Hyvärinen [email protected] , +358-40-7353643

The Finnish Museum of Natural History LUOMUS (www.luomus.fi/en ) is an independent institute of the University of Helsinki and the national museum in the field of natural history in Finland. The duties of LUOMUS are to amass, maintain and display its collections, and to conduct related research. The collections serve research, teaching, and public education in biology, geology, and biodiversity, and form part of the international network of natural history repositories. LUOMUS has four units: Botany, Zoology, Natural Sciences, and Biodiversity Informatics. The institute has a staff of c. 130. The Botany Unit has a permanent staff of 35 (10 of them in research positions) and approx. 30 temporary employees working in three teams: Mycology and Bryology Team, Vascular plants Team, and the Garden Team.