Professor
ecological and evolutionary biology

The University of Helsinki is a multidisciplinary research university which ranks among the leading universities in the world and the top ten in Europe. Some 36,000 students are currently pursuing an undergraduate or postgraduate degree at the University, which employs a staff of over 8,500. The University’s annual budget is €600 million.

The Department of Biosciences in the Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, is Finland’s largest and most prominent institution engaged in the research and teaching of the biosciences. The Department of Biosciences, based in the Viikki Science Park, is among the largest departments of the University. Its budget is €24 million, and it employs over 300 people. The Department of Biosciences is divided into the following six divisions: biochemistry, ecology and evolutionary biology, physiology and neuroscience, plant biology, genetics, and general microbiology. The Department coordinates the administration and provision of basic teaching for all students during the first few years of study, but each of the above major subject divisions are independently responsible for their teaching and research.  The Department also offers a degree programme that provides students with the qualification of a biology teacher.

The Department of Environmental Sciences at the Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, invites applications for a fixed-term

PROFESSORSHIP IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY

The field of the professorship is ecology and evolutionary biology, and the position will be filled for a fixed term from 1 January 2014 to 31 December 2016.

According to Section 33 of the Universities Act (No 558/2009), a professor shall carry out and supervise scientific work, provide education based on it, follow developments in research, and participate in societal interaction and international cooperation in his or her field.

The appointee will supervise research in his or her field, and provide teaching in ecology and evolutionary biology. The professorship is based at the Division of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, which has professorships in the following fields: zoology, population genetics, population ecology, mathematical ecology, conservation decision analysis and evolutionary biology (Swedish as teaching language). The Division is host to the Metapopulation Research Group (Academy of Finland Centre of Excellence), a section of the Centre of Excellence in Biological Interactions as well as two Academy professors.

According to the Regulations of the University of Helsinki, an appointee to a professorship shall hold a doctoral degree and have top-level scholarly qualifications, experience in the supervision of scientific research, the ability to provide top-level teaching based on research and to supervise theses and dissertations as well as documentation of international cooperation in the research field that the appointee represents. Holders of professorships shall also be required to have the skills necessary for serving as an academic leader.

When considering the applicant’s qualifications, attention shall be given to scientific publications and other research results of scientific value, teaching experience and pedagogical training, the ability to produce teaching material, other teaching merits and, if necessary, a demonstration of teaching skills as well as the applicant’s participation in doctoral education. The applicant’s activity in the scientific community, success in obtaining external research funding, scientific work outside Finland and international elected positions as well as leadership and interaction skills shall also be taken into account.

According to the Government Decree on Universities, professors must be proficient in Finnish. They must also have at least satisfactory spoken and written skills in Swedish. Foreign citizens, non-native Finnish citizens or citizens who have not been educated in Finnish or Swedish may be exempted from this requirement without a separate application. To successfully attend to the duties of the position, appointees must also have good English skills.

The salary will be based on levels 8−10 of the job requirement scheme 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 work performance.

Applications must be accompanied by the following English-language documents: a CV, a list of publications, a report on experience and merits relevant to assessing the applicant’s teaching skills as well as other documents that may be relevant to the selection; or, alternatively, an English-language academic portfolio containing the above-mentioned documents and information (for instructions, see www.helsinki.fi/bio/faculty/materials/portfolio-ohjeet_eng.pdf).

In addition, applicants are requested to enclose with their application a report (max. two pages, in English) on how, if appointed, they intend to develop teaching and research in the field. Applicants are kindly asked to prepare for the situation in which, after the closing of the application period, the Faculty might request them to submit 10 publications of their choice to be sent to the assessors. Such publications must be delivered via email in PDF format, as instructed by the Faculty.

An overview of the present position can be accessed in English and Finnish on the Faculty website (http://www.helsinki.fi/bio/faculty/administration/open/index.html, http://www.helsinki.fi/bio/hallinto/henkilosto/avoimet.html).

Applications addressed to the Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, together with the required enclosures, must be delivered to the Registry of the University of Helsinki. The Faculty requests that the application and its enclosures (PDF files) be emailed to the Registry of the University of Helsinki at hy-kirjaamo@helsinki.fi. Applications may also be sent to the following postal address: Registry of the University of Helsinki, PO Box 33 (Yliopistonkatu 4), 00014 University of Helsinki, Finland.

The closing date for applications is 4 October 2013. (The Registry closes at 15.45 local Helsinki time.)

Further information about the position may be obtained from Professor Veijo Kaitala, tel. +358 9 191 57723, veijo.kaitala@helsinki.fi, and from Head of the Department of Biosciences Kurt Fagerstedt, tel. +358 9 191 59483, kurt.fagerstedt@helsinki.fi.

www.helsinki.fi/university

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