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Position description

Four Postdoctoral Researcher positions with an initial 2-year appointment are available in the new Center for Atmospheric Research (ATMOS, https://www.oulu.fi/en/center-atmospheric-research) led by Associate Professor (tenure track) Nønne Prisle, a recipient of an ERC Starting Grant and an Academy of Finland Research Fellow grant, in the Faculty of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering. 

The postdoctoral researchers will conduct research on various aspects related to aerosols, atmosphere and climate, including but not limited to:

• Aerosol experiments;
• Agent-based modeling of transportation and communication network emissions;
• Air pollution and dispersion modeling;
• Climate modeling, ESM; 
• Synchrotron radiation excited spectroscopy and imaging, XPS;
• Thermodynamic and box modeling of aerosols and droplets.

The positions are funded by several large research grants from the European Research Council and the Academy of Finland, as well as private foundations. Research will be conducted in close collaboration with partners from Finnish and international research institutions.

The positions are filled as of May 2021 or as soon as possible thereafter. A six-month trial period will be effective at the beginning of the initial 2-year contract. 

Required qualifications and assessment

The successful applicant must hold a PhD degree in Atmospheric Science, Aerosol Science,  Physical Chemistry, Physics, Chemistry, Meteorology, Computer Science, Mathematics, or a related field. Candidates, whose PhD thesis has been submitted for review by 9.5.2021, are eligible to apply. Theoretical knowledge and hands on experience in following areas are considered favorably:

• Programming (e.g. Matlab, Fortran, Python, Java, or similar);
• Machine learning and deep learning;
• Statistical analysis of research data;
• Neural networks, complex systems, optimization;
• Modeling of transit systems, image processing, ICT, networks, or similar;
• Modeling of aqueous solution thermodynamics and/or chemistry, e.g. activity, chemical potential, surface activity, liquid-liquid phase separation, vapor pressure, or similar;
• Developing process models for thermodynamics and chemistry of aqueous phase and/or aerosol systems;
• Developing and using common ESMs (e.g. ECHAM, EC-Earth) and air quality dispersion models;
• Common experimental methods for aerosol generation, sampling, and characterization, e.g. CCNC, SMPS, EDB, optical levitation, AMS, simulation chamber experiments;
• Synchrotron radiation excited spectroscopy and imaging methods, e.g. XPS, STXM.

We expect high motivation, excellent analytical and research skills, and ability to work independently and achieve predefined goals. The postdoctoral researchers are expected to continually write and publish scientific articles in international peer-reviewed journals and conferences.

Fluency in both written and spoken English is required, as well as excellent communication and teamwork skills. Demonstrated experience in writing scientific publications, acquiring funding or contributing to funding proposals, and teaching are considered merits. When assessing the qualifications, aspects to be considered include expertise on the research field and methodology, scientific publications, supervision experience, and activity in the scientific community.

Salary and benefits

The salary will be based on job requirement level 5 of the salary chart of 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). In practice, the salary will be roughly 3600 – 4000 € / month before taxes, depending on qualifications, performance, and experience. The employees will be insured by the university and provided occupational healthcare. Finland is known as a country with a high quality of life and good healthcare system.

For more information on the General Collective Agreement and the salary system of the Finnish universities, please see: 

https://www.sivista.fi/esittely/in-english/general-collective-agreement-for-universities/ 

Application procedure

Applications must be submitted using the electronic application form by 9.5.2021 at 23:59 (Finnish local time). Applications sent by email will not be considered.

The following documents must be attached to the application as PDF files and written in English:

1) Cover letter describing prior background, research interests and career plans (maximum 2 pages).

2) Curriculum vitae formatted according to the template of the Finnish Advisory Board on Research Integrity (http://www.tenk.fi/en/template-researchers-curriculum-vitae).

3) List of publications formatted according to the template of the Academy of Finland (https://www.aka.fi/en/research-funding/apply-for-funding/how-to-apply-for-funding/az-index-of-application-guidelines2/list-of-publications/), so that the ten publications most relevant to the position are clearly marked.

4) Scanned copies of degree certificates.

5) Contact information of two persons, who may be asked to give a statement on the candidate.

For further information on the position and application procedure contact via email:

Professor Timo Ojala, timo.ojala@oulu.fi 

Member of Advisory Board, Center for Atmospheric Research

Faculty of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering

University of Oulu