Environmental Soil Science Unit is part of the Department of Agricultural Sciences at the faculty of Agriculture and Forestry, University of Helsinki.

Environmental Soil Science invites applications for a

POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCHER

in Tandem Industry funded project MiNiMi (Mitigating grassland N2O emissions - towards carbon neutral milk production) between University of Helsinki and Valio. The project aims at minimizing the climatic impact and achieving carbon neutrality in milk production in Finland. The position is for a fixed term of 2 years.

The postdoctoral researcher will join Environmental Soil Science unit (https://www2.helsinki.fi/en/researchgroups/environmental-soil-science) led by Professor Mari Pihlatie at the University of Helsinki, and Climate Solutions unit led by Juha Nousiainen at Valio Ltd. The MiNiMi project is a collaborative project between the University of Helsinki and Valio Ltd., and it facilitates science-business dialogue between partners and collaborators both in industry (Yara Finland, SoilScout, Vaisala) and academia (Finnish Meteorological Institute, Natural Re-sources Institute Finland). The project utilizes state-of-the-art measurement methods to quantify greenhouse gas (CO2, CH4, N2O) emissions and the total climate impact of grasslands, and through the collaboration it provides science-based solutions to mitigate N2O emissions.

The Environmental Soil Science unit comprises of researchers and technical staff working in the fields of soil science, biogeochemistry and plant-soil interactions. The research group of M. Pihlatie is also part of the Institute for Atmospheric and Earth System Research (INAR, https://www2.helsinki.fi/en/inar-institute-for-atmospheric-and-earth-sys...), and it coordi-nates the newly established SMEAR-Agri research station at Viikki research farm (https://www2.helsinki.fi/en/infrastructures/viikki-research-farm) of the University of Helsinki. We offer an internationally competitive package and access to state-of-the-art infrastructures, providing the opportunity to interact in dynamic and highly international research environments with vast ex-pertise in questions related to both earth-ecosystem interactions and climate change.

Tasks of the postdoctoral researcher will be: 1) to plan and conduct greenhouse gas flux meas-urements at selected Valio grassland farms across Finland, 2) to analyze and present the scientific findings in national and international communities, and 3) to actively participate in the science-business dialogue with project partners and to facilitate the scientific understanding to farmers, stakeholders and the public.

We are seeking a highly motivated researcher with a recent Ph.D. in the subject area in soil sci-ence, biogeochemistry, plant production science, agrotechnology, agroecology or other relevant fields. Experience and interest towards field work, stakeholder interaction and good communication skills are essential. Good language skills in Finnish are considered an advantage.

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.

The salary of the successful candidate will be based on level 5–6 of the demands level chart for teaching and research personnel in the salary system of Finnish universities. In addition, the ap-pointee will be paid a salary component based on personal performance. The starting salary will be ca. 3300–3800 euros/month, depending on the appointee’s qualifications and experience.

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 signing into https://msap.helsinki.fi

The deadline for submitting the application is 3 February 2022.

The position can be filled in March 2022, or as soon as suitable for the candidate.

For additional information, please contact Professor Mari Pihlatie, (mari.pihlatie@helsinki.fi)

If you need support with the recruitment system, please contact HR Coordinator Sari Aaltonen (sa-ri.aaltonen@helsinki.fi).

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

Due date

03.02.2022 23:59 EET