The University of Oulu is an international scientific community, with approximately 15 000 students and 3 000 employees. The strengths of the University are wide multidisciplinary study and research interests, modern research and study environment and extensive cooperation with international educational and research institutes. For more information, please visit http://www.oulu.fi/english/.

The Faculty of Science in University of Oulu is announcing an open tenure track Associate or Assistant Professorship in Space Physics. The appointee will work in the research unit of Space Physics and Astronomy, which holds an internationally strong position at the forefront of research in University of Oulu’s focus area “Earth and near-space system and environmental change”. The Space Physics research in the unit is currently carried out in two groups: Ionospheric Physics and Space Climate. The research objectives of Ionospheric Physics are to study how the Sun and the solar wind affect the ionosphere-thermosphere system of the Earth. We use both international ground-based (e.g. the EISCAT radar, in future EISCAT_3D radar, and complementary instrument) as well as satellite (e.g. ESA’s Swarm) measurements, advanced data-analysis methods and modelling to study the changes that occur in the ionosphere during space weather events. Space Climate group conducts multidisciplinary research on solar variability and its effects upon the near-Earth environment, including Sun, heliosphere, energetic particles, Earth's magnetosphere, atmosphere and the climate system. Studies are based both on ground- and space-based measurements, and numerical models. A special focus is upon atmospheric effects of energetic particles. The research group members have wide international and national collaboration network, including the University’s independent department Sodankylä Geophysical Observatory. The research unit is committed to high-quality undergraduate and graduate teaching.

A person appointed to a tenure track position will be employed as an Assistant Professor or Associate Professor in the tenure track system of the University (http://www.oulu.fi/university/node/38379), depending on the merits and qualifications of the applicant. An Assistant or Associate Professor is expected to qualify for the next career level after 1 or 2 periods of at most five years.

Subject field and duties

The selected candidate is expected to carry out internationally high-quality research in Space Physics in a research area, which strengthens and supports activities described above within the research unit. She/he is also expected to be competitive in attracting external research funding, to publish in leading scientific journals, to supervise PhD and Master students, to be an active member of the international scientific community, and to exhibit academic leadership. In addition to this, teaching and administrative duties are included in the annual 1,624 working hours.

Eligibility

A PhD in Space Physics or equivalent field, and adequate post-doctoral experience are required. The position of Assistant Professor can be given only to an applicant, whose doctoral degree was completed less than ten years before the end of the application period.

Grounds of assessment

Special emphasis will be given to research expertise within the subject field, demonstrated by an outstanding international publication record. The long-term development potential as well as the ability to establish and maintain international research collaboration and any evidence of attracting external research funding will also be vital.

Teaching expertise, including teaching experience, pedagogical training and development of teaching material, is considered as an additional merit.

Salary

The salary of the appointee will be based on the demand level chart for teaching and research staff in Finnish Universities. In addition to the basic salary for the appropriate tenure track level, a supplementary salary will be paid for personal achievement and performance, rising to a maximum of 50% of the basic salary level for the post. The salary will thus be roughly 3500 – 4800 €/month for an Assistant Professor and 4000 – 5600 €/month for an Associate Professor. A hired candidate will also receive a support package which will be negotiated after the formal acceptance of the position.

Reviewer Assessment

A recruitment committee will take care of the evaluation process. A minimum of two external reviewers will be consulted with regard to the selection process. Top candidates will be interviewed by the recruitment committee.

The selection criteria for each career level are detailed as follows:

Assistant Professor: The position of an Assistant Professor is initially a fixed-term position for five years with potential for extension after an evaluation. The position is available for applicants who have finished their doctoral dissertation less than ten years ago and are advancing towards a professional research career. The selection criteria for an Assistant Professor are the following:

• Research potential and merit applicable to the position to date (publications, especially internationally refereed publications; participating in acquiring external funding; connections with the international community in the field);
• Experience of working in different institutions including international professional experience;
• Demonstrable professional development is the prerequisite for a continuation period.

Associate Professor: The position of an Associate Professor is initially a fixed-term position for five years with potential for extension after an evaluation. The selection criteria for an associate professor are the following:

• Publications on an international level: dissemination, quality of the publication forums, references to the publications;
• Active role in researcher training;
• Acquisition of external funding;
• Experience of working in different institutions during one’s career;
• An active role in the international scientific community;
• Acknowledgements and awards by the scientific community. 

Application

Applications, together with all relevant enclosures should be submitted electronically by using the University’s Saima system by 20 March 2020 24:00 EET (UT+2:00). Applications sent by email will not be considered.

The application should be written in English and include the following documents: 

1) Cover/motivation letter including motivation statement and stating the career level (Assistant Professor, Associate Professor) on which the applicant would like to be evaluated at with contact information (maximum 2 pages).

2) Curriculum vitae, compiled in accordance with the instructions of the Finnish Board on Research Integrity (http://www.tenk.fi/en/template-researchers-curriculum-vitae) (maximum 4 pages).

3) List of publications classified according to the guidelines of the Academy of Finland (https://www.aka.fi/en/funding/apply-for-funding/az-index-of-application-guidelines/list-of-publications/).

4) Research action plan (maximum 3 pages) with a special emphasis on how the plan benefits the research in the field. Describe also the existing international collaborator networks.

5) Teaching merits of relevance to the post concerned presented in a form of a teaching portfolio, or a comparable document.

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 reviewers for assessment. When requested, the publications should be submitted as PDF files.

The position will be filled as soon as possible or upon agreement with the appointee. A trial period of 6 months is applied in the position.

About Oulu

The City of Oulu is Northern Finland’s largest and oldest city, with a population of over 200,000. Located in the Gulf of Bothnia in the Oulu River delta, the city has good access from anywhere. Oulu is a very safe and family-friendly community with one of the highest qualities of life in all of Nordic countries. As the world’s northernmost tech hub, Oulu has a highly educated and innovative workforce and the University has a strong role in the community.

Contact information

For further information and enquiries about this position:

Professor Anita Aikio, leader of Space Physics and Astronomy Research Unit, anita.aikio (at) oulu.fi