Doctoral Researcher, Institute for Atmospheric and Earth System Research

Institute for Atmospheric and Earth System Research (INAR) of the Faculty of Science are seeking a DOCTORAL RESEARCHER in AI for enhancing sensing and scientific instrumentation for the project of Artificial Intelligence systems for enhancing sensing technologies and scientific discoveries.

The Doctoral Researcher will work on a project funded by the Academy of Finland. The project aims to develop data science and Artificial Intelligence (AI) based methods to identify and analyze anomalous and drifted data from atmospheric and environmental measurements. Automatic methods will then detect, isolate, and identify the drifted data and/or the faults in scientific instruments. The main goals are to ensure high data quality generation, increase the quality of instrument diagnostics, minimize measurement downtime (I.e., minimize missing data), and reduce engineer workloads in maintaining continuous measurements. The project mainly uses data sets generated from several field campaigns and big data sets generated via the Stations for Measuring Ecosystem-Atmosphere Relations (SMEAR stations) and other related research infrastructure, such as ACTRIS, etc.

The hired candidate will have an opportunity to interact and collaborate with world-class atmospheric scientists in the Institute for Atmospheric and Earth System Research (INAR) and industries, as well as top scientists at the Department of Computer Science (CS), University of Helsinki. 

Position description

The doctoral researcher position will discuss actively with experimentalists to gather information on technical problems (which often occur in field campaigns and/or continuous measurements) and then collect potential data sets to be used in the research. Based on the identified technical problems, the doctoral researcher will develop data science methods, such as anomaly detection and machine learning, to automate the process of fault and data drift detection, isolation, and identification.

The position will require the doctoral researcher to advance research in specific technological areas, such as data analytics, artificial intelligence, sensing, and instrumentation. The doctoral researcher will be encouraged to design their own research project within the scope of the overall project in collaboration with the Principal Investigators (PIs). High cooperation between the doctoral researcher and scientists in CS and INAR is a key requirement for the project's success. The successful candidate will be primarily supervised by Dr. Martha Arbayani Zaidan, Prof. Tareq Hussein, and Prof. Tuukka Petäjä. The position will be a fully funded contract for 3 years with a possibility of extension for a fourth year.

Requirements and eligibility criteria

A successful candidate should have a master's degree in atmospheric and/or environmental sciences, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, or a related field. The candidate must have scientific curiosity and a meticulous work ethic. Based on the position of interest, prior experience in data sciences, sensing and measurements, instrumentation designs and development is highly desirable. A good track record of previous and relevant scientific publications will be considered a big plus. The candidate must have good organizational and time management skills and be able to work both independently and as part of a team. Excellent communication skills in English, both verbal and written, are expected. The University of Helsinki seeks to promote an equitable and inclusive working environment and welcomes applicants from diverse genders, linguistic and cultural backgrounds.

Applicants who do not currently hold a doctoral study right in the Doctoral Programme in Computer Science (DoCS) at the University of Helsinki are eligible to apply, but in the event of hiring, they are expected to acquire the status during the standard 6-month probationary period. Please check the admission periods and eligibility criteria to DoCS: https://www.helsinki.fi/en/admissions-and-education/apply-doctoral-programmes/doctoral-school-and-doctoral-programmes/doctoral-programmes-natural-sciences/doctoral-programme-computer-science/admissions-doctoral-studies.

Salary and benefits

The starting salary of a doctoral researcher is typically 2531-2662 euros/month, depending on previous 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 provides support for internationally recruited employees with their transition to work and life in Finland. For more on the University of Helsinki as an employer, please see https://www.helsinki.fi/en/about-us/careers.

How to apply

Please submit your application by clicking "Apply now" on the bottom right side of this page. Please submit in a single PDF file in English, which should include the following documents:

• A motivation letter describing why you are the ideal candidate for this role (max. 2 pages)
• A curriculum vitae (max. 2 pages) including a list of publications (if any).
• Names and contact information of two referees, who are willing to provide reference letters upon request (optional).

We aim to fill the position as soon as possible and therefore encourage early applications. However, the latest deadline for submitting applications is October 31th, 2023.

More information

For project and position related questions, please contact

• Dr. Martha Arbayani Zaidan, martha.zaidan(at)helsinki.fi

For support with the recruitment system, please contact

• HR Specialist Laura Karppinen (laura.karppinen(at)helsinki.fi.

The University of Helsinki (https://www.helsinki.fi/en) is an international scientific community of 40,000 students and researchers. It is one of the leading multidisciplinary research universities in Europe and ranks among the top 100 international universities in the world. We are an equal opportunity employer and offer an attractive and diverse workplace in an inspiring environment with a variety of development opportunities and benefits.

As a part of the Faculty of Science, the Department of Computer Science (https://www.helsinki.fi/en/computer-science) is a leading unit in Finland in its area and responsible for the teaching and research in computer science at the University of Helsinki. The number of professors at the department has grown in recent years and there are now 32 professorships. The main research fields at the department are artificial intelligence, big data frameworks, bioinformatics, data analysis, data science, discrete and machine learning algorithms, distributed, intelligent, and interactive systems, networks, security, and software and database systems. The department has extensive international collaboration with companies and universities. Within teaching, the department’s professors and staff are in charge of the Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctoral Programmes in Computer Science, as well as the separate Master’s Programme in Data Science, in which other departments also participate.