The University of Oulu is one of the biggest and most multidisciplinary universities in Finland. We are an international science community working in close cooperation with research institutes, companies, and the public sector.  Together we form a globally significant research hub, relentlessly pushing the boundaries of known for a more sustainable and intelligent future.

We are now looking for a

Post-doctoral researcher to study chromatin level responses to environmental change in forest trees

to join the Ecology and Genetics unit at the University of Oulu.

A postdoctoral position for 24 months is available in the Department of Ecology and Genetics, University of Oulu, Finland (http://www.oulu.fi/english/) to work with Dr Tanja Pyhäjärvi (http://www.oulu.fi/pyhajarvilab).

Environment

The Department of Ecology and Genetics has strong expertise and tradition in plant population genetics. Current research topics include evolutionary and population genomics of forest trees, quantitative genetics, conservation genetics and molecular evolution of insects. We offer a scientific environment that is enthusiastic about plant evolutionary genetics, a possibility to develop your genomics and bioinformatics skills and initiate international collaboration. Within Europe, we collaborate closely with other forests geneticists via the Horizon 2020 project B4EST.

The project

The post doctoral fellow will be part of a new FOREVER consortium, a collaboration between University of Oulu, University of Helsinki and Natural Resources Institute Finland. Its goal is to understand the role of regulatory genomic regions in forest tree adaptation and evolution.

Qualifications

The applicant should have a doctoral degree, recorded scientific expertise and interest in plant molecular biology, genetics and/or ecophysiology. Experience in bioinformatics, gene expression analysis, population, evolutionary and quantitative genomics is an advantage. The successful applicant will contribute to design, implementation and supervision of controlled and field trial experiments of Scots pine and silver birch. Research questions can be adjusted according to applicants interests and skills. The duties include a small amount of teaching and supervising students. The post-doctoral position will also include a 2-month research visit to Michigan State University to initiate applying new molecular genetic methodology in forest trees.

The salary will be based on the levels 5 – 6 of the demand level chart for teaching and research staff of Finnish universities. In addition, a salary component based on personal work performance will be paid (maximum of 50 % of the job-specific component).

Applications and further information

Apply online latest on Friday 31^st January 2020. Please include the following attachments in your application: a letter of motivation (maximum 1 page) and (2) a CV that includes a list of publications and the contact details of at least two referees.

The position is filled as of 1st March 2020 (negotiable). A trial period of 6 months is applied in the position.

Further details are available from Dr Tanja Pyhäjärvi (tanja.pyhajarvi[at]oulu.fi).

About Finland

Finland is one of the most livable countries, with a high quality of life, safety and excellent education system. The successful candidate will receive the benefits provided by the University of Oulu to university employees, including free occupational health care services, and obtain access to high-quality public affordable childcare services and schools.