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. The University of Helsinki has an international academic community of 40,000 students and staff members, and it offers comprehensive services to its employees, including occupational health care and health insurance, sports facilities, and opportunities for professional development.

The Sustainable Urban Systems research group, led by Assistant Professor Sanna Ala-Mantila, is affiliated with the Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences (https://www.helsinki.fi/en/faculty-of-biological-and-environmental-sciences) and Helsinki Institute of Sustainability Science (https://www.helsinki.fi/en/helsinki-institute-of-sustainability-science). Recently established and growing research group focuses on the ecological and social sustainability of human behaviour in urban context. The Sustainable Urban Systems research group (https://www.helsinki.fi/en/researchgroups/sustainable-urban-systems) is seeking for a

1 YEAR POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCHER on the project ‘Smart land use policy for sustainable urbanization’ + possibility for 2 year extension

The selected applicant will study the socioeconomic segregation and relocation patterns in Finnish urban areas. The research is funded by The Strategic Research Council (SRC) at the Academy of Finland and is related to the SMARTLAND-project (“Smart land use policy for sustainable urbanization”, https://smartland.fi/). Other partners in the consortium are Aalto University, University of Turku, and Finnish Meteorological Institute, and the appointee will work closely in collaboration with researchers from the above-mentioned organizations, as well as with the international collaborators of the project.

The project is focused on identifying and understanding the interlinkages between land use policies and the possible segregated development of neighborhoods, relocation decisions of different types of households and housing market developments. The main goal of the postdoctoral researcher is to assess the potentials of land use policy tools and practices, and their combinations, in preventing negative segregation in urban areas. The analyses will be conducted at the detailed neighborhood level, using micro-level register-based data and GIS-data from various sources, and advanced statistical models will be used to analyze the effects of policies.

The appointee shall have completed an applicable doctoral degree before the start of the employment. The position requires the ability and motivation to conduct independent scientific research, and good oral and written proficiency in English. The candidate must also have demonstrated experience in publishing papers in international peer-reviewed journals.

Applications are expected from researchers interested in multidisciplinary research with a doctoral degree in fields such as urban studies, economics, human geography, engineering or social sciences. Also, applicants from purely quantitative backgrounds, such as statistics, geoinformatics or similar are warmly welcomed, if their thematic research interests are aligned with the project. Experience in working with large datasets, using advanced statistical methods and GIS-data are considered essential assets.

The starting date is preferably no later than September 2021, also August is possible. The salary will be based on level 5 of the demands level chart for teaching and research personnel in the salary system applied in Finnish universities. In addition, the appointee will be paid a salary component based on personal work performance. The salary range will be €3,100–3,600 per month, depending on the merits and experience of the appointee. There will be a six-month trial period for the position.

Please attach the following documents as a single pdf file:

1. CV with publications
2. Application letter describing your research interests, experience and motivation and research plan for this postdoctoral period (2 pages)

The application must be submitted as one PDF file through the University of Helsinki electronic recruitment system by clicking on the link below. Applicants employed by the University of Helsinki must submit their application through the SAP HR portal (https://saphr.it.helsinki.fi/irj/portal). The closing date for applications is 8 of August 2021.

Further information on the position may be obtained from assistant professor Sanna Ala-Mantila, sanna.ala-mantila@helsinki.fi.

Technical support for using the recruitment system: rekrytointi@helsinki.fi.

Due date

08.08.2021 23:59 EEST