Postdoctoral Researcher in the Field of Ecology of Plant-Microbe Interactions

The University of Helsinki, founded in 1640, is one of the world’s leading universities for multidisciplinary research. The university has an international academic community of 40,000 students and staff members. 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 International Staff Services office assists employees from abroad with their transition to work and life in Finland.

The Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme (OEB) of the Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences comprises roughly 40 research groups which employ 40 principal investigators and 120 researchers. The research programme is situated in the Viikki science park.

The Organismal and Evolutionary Research Programme invites applications for

A POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCHER for a two-year position

We are seeking a postdoctoral researcher to work in a consortium project aiming to understand how plant biodiversity could be integrated into our food production systems to develop sustainable and climate-smart farming practices. Specifically, we are addressing questions regarding how above-ground plant diversity links with below-ground microbial diversity, and how these jointly affect plant fitness, resistance and resilience to both biotic and abiotic stress using experimental approaches. The consortium joins expertise in agriculture, plant ecology, soil microbial ecology and climate science. It is an exciting interdisciplinary effort addressing cutting edge scientific questions with direct applicability.

Opportunities for professional development, e.g. in project management, leadership, mentoring, teaching and grant writing, are available and encouraged.

Postdoctoral position requirements:

• The successful applicant should have a doctoral degree in ecology, plant biology, microbial ecology or agricultural sciences (or similar)
• Previous experience working with questions and methods related to plant diversity, ecosystem functioning and ecology of plant associated microbes (mycorrhizae / plant pathogens etc.)
• Statistical knowledge: Expertise in Structural equation model and/or Joint Species distribution models is not necessary considered an advantage
• Previous experience in analysis of microbial community sequence data is not necessary but considered an advantage.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Ability to conceive, execute and complete research projects
• Ability to think independently and creatively
• Ability to work in a team and independently

SALARY AND HOW TO APPLY FOR THE POSITIONS

The salary of the successful candidate 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 will be ca. 3400–3800 euros/month, depending on the appointee’s qualifications and experience.

Starting date in March 2023 but will be determined by mutual agreement. The position has funding for 2 years.

The application should include the following documents as a single pdf file:

• motivational letter outlining why you are the right person for this task (max 1 page)
• CV (max 2 pages)
• list of publications

Include also contact information of two persons who are willing to provide a reference letter by separate request. Please submit your application using the University of Helsinki Recruitment System via the link Apply for the position. Applicants who are employees of the University of Helsinki are requested to leave their application by using the employee login.

The deadline for submitting the application is 2 December 2022.

For more information, please contact Prof. Anna-Liisa Laine (anna-liisa.laine(at)helsinki.fi). For more information on the research group of Prof. Laine, please visit our website https://lainelab.net/  and for more information on the consortium, please visit https://carbonaction.org/en/front-page/ .

If you need support with the recruitment system, please contact HR Coordinator Harri Hamara (harri.hamara(at)helsinki.fi).