Postdoctoral Researcher in Analytical / Food Chemistry

We are looking for highly motivated and skilled researcher with a PhD degree and experience in chemical analysis, mass spectrometry, and chromatography. The postdoctoral researcher will be appointed for a fixed-term 2 year contract to work in a Novo Nordisk Foundation funded project entitled “VegeSense ”. This project aims to reveal the mech­an­isms of post pro­cessing sen­es­cence to se­cure the sup­ply of high-qual­ity ve­get­ables for the plan­et­ary diet. We seek to remarkably advance the field by using advanced chemical analytical tools to monitor changes occurring in cut plant tissues, and provide know-how to control and minimize those changes. The appointed researcher will work in collaboration with the other members of the multidisciplinary research team and will be co-supervised by Dr. Mari Lehtonen.

A SUCCESSFUL CANDIDATE SHOULD BE ABLE TO:

• Identify, design, conduct, and report research on vegetable senescence from a chemical perspective.
• Contribute to proposal writing to apply for further research funding.
• Contribute to master/doctoral student supervision and teaching of food science or chemistry.
• Engage with the scientific community, research partners and the wider public, internationally and domestically through scientific publications, conference presentations, press releases, blogs etc.

The candidate is expected to have

Education, experience and technical skills

• A relevant doctoral degree including experience in analytical/food chemistry or other related fields.
• Fluency in English and excellent writing skills.
• Experience in working with chromatographic or spectrometric approaches.

Personal attributes and competencies

• Interest in basic and applied science.
• Excellent analytical and innovative research planning skills.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, experienced in working within multicultural and multidisciplinary teams.
• High motivation for academic research, having initiative and capable of working independently as well as in team environments.
• Values continuous improvement based on constructive evaluation, self-reflection and learning.
• Flexible mindset and ability to work together and communicate with people from different disciplines.

The salary of the postdoctoral researcher will be 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 salary component based on personal performance. The starting salary of the postdoctoral researcher will be ca. 3200–3500 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, sports facilities, and opportunities for professional development. The university (https://www.helsinki.fi/en/university/working-at-the-university ) assists employees from abroad with their transition to work and life in Finland. A six-month trial period will be applied.

HOW TO APPLY

Applicants are requested to enclose with their application the following documents in English. Please compile all documents as a single PDF file.

External applicants, 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, 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 closing date for applications is 2.10.2022 at 23:59 EEST.

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

FURTHER INFORMATION

Further information about the positions may be obtained from Associate Professor Kirsi Mikkonen ([email protected] ).

If you need support with the recruitment portal, please contact HR Coordinator ([email protected] ) or HR Specialist Mirkka Juntunen ([email protected] )

WHAT WE OFFER

The Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry is located on the Viikki campus, ten kilometres from the Helsinki city centre. 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 . The Food Materials Science research group, led by Associate Professor Kirsi Mikkonen, is in the Department of Food and Nutrition, one of the six units of the Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry.