The University of Helsinki, founded in 1640, is one of the world’s leading universities for multidisciplinary research. The university has an international academic community of 40,000 students and staff members. 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 International Staff Services office assists employees from abroad with their transition to work and life in Finland.
The Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme (OEB) of the Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences comprises roughly 40 research groups which employ 40 principal investigators and 120 researchers. The research programme is situated in the Viikki science park.

The Organismal and Evolutionary Research Programme invites applications for a

POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCHER IN BIODIVERSITY ECOSYSTEM ECOLOGY

in population/community/ecosystem ecology for a fixed term of 1.5 years. The post doc position is part of the Research Centre for Ecological Change (REC) and is funded by the Jane and Aatos Erkko Foundation for 1.7.2021-31.12.2022. PIs of the Centre are prof. Anna-Liisa Laine, prof. Tomas Roslin, assist. prof. Jarno Vanhatalo and assoc. prof. Marjo Saastamoinen and prof. Otso Ovaskainen. The starting date is 1.7.2021.

The overreaching aim of the Centre is to generate a coordinated analysis of long-term ecological data to understand impacts of global change. To unravel how populations and interactions between species in nature are responding to ongoing environmental change, the project takes advantage of the unique long-term datasets collected in Finland. The centre also develops state-of-the-art methodology for analysing long-term spatially structured data sets within a joint species distribution modelling framework. For more information on the Centre, please visit
https://www.helsinki.fi/en/researchgroups/research-centre-for-ecological...

We are seeking a postdoc to analyse ecological time-series datasets to understand how ecological communities and ecosystem functioning are changing over space and time to across different habitats in response to climate change and human use of natural resources. The successful candidate will take part in developing the specific research questions aiming to understanding the extent and speed of change, and identifying the underlying drivers of this change. The focus of the specific research questions will be decided in accordance with the background and interests of the candidate.

We seek candidates who have completed a PhD in ecology or a related field, and have strong conceptual and statistical skills, as well as experience developing and working with large and complex datasets and theory. Excellent written and verbal communication skills, and the ability to conceive, execute and complete research projects, and to think independently and creatively are required. The post docs will work as a part of a team at the Centre but also with researchers from other environmental institutes. Overall, excellent communication skills are required for extensive collaborations.

The salary will be based on level 5 of the demands level chart 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 performance. The starting salary will be ca. 3300 - 3800 euros/month, depending on the appointee’s qualifications and experience.

HOW TO APPLY FOR THE POSITION
Application should include the following documents as a single pdf file: motivational letter (max 1 page), CV (max 2 pages) and publication list. Include also contact information of two persons who can provide a reference letter based on request.

Please submit your application using the University of Helsinki Recruitment System via the Apply link. Applicants who are employees of the University of Helsinki are requested to leave their application via the SAP HR portal. The deadline for submitting the application is 1 June 2021.

For more information, please contact prof. Anna-Liisa Laine, prof. Tomas Roslin and/or assoc. prof. Marjo Saastamoinen: anna-liisa.laine@helsinki.fi, tomas.roslin@helsinki.fi, marjo.saastamoinen@helsinki.fi

References
Antão, L. H., Pöyry, J., Leinonen, R., Roslin, T. (2020) Contrasting latitudinal patterns in diversity and stability in a high-latitude species-rich moth community. Global Ecology and Biogeography 29, 896–907.

Hällfors MH, Antao L, Itter M, Roslin T, Lehikoinen A & Saastamoinen M (2020) Shifts in timing and duration of breeding for 73 boreal bird species over four decades. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 201913579; doi:10.1073/pnas.1913579117

Itter, I., Vanhatalo, J. and Finley, J. (2019) EcoMem: An R package for quantifying ecological memory. Environmental Modelling & Software, 119: 305-308.

Kaarlejärvi, E, Salemaa, M, Tonteri, T, Merilä, P, Laine, A‐L. (2021) Temporal biodiversity change following disturbance varies along an environmental gradient. Global Ecol Biogeogr.; 30: 476– 489. doi: 10.1111/geb.13233

Ovaskainen, O., Tikhonov, G., Norberg, A., Blanchet, F. G., Duan, L., Dunson, D., Roslin, T. and Abrego, N. (2017) How to make more out of community data? A conceptual framework and its implementation as models and software. Ecology Letters 20, 561-576