The Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry invites applications for the position of an
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR / ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR / PROFESSOR IN MICROBIOLOGY

The University of Helsinki (UH) is an international scientific community of 40,000 students and researchers. It is one of the leading multidisciplinary research universities in Europe and ranks among the top 100 international universities in the world. We are an equal opportunity employer and offer an attractive and diverse workplace in an inspiring environment with a variety of development opportunities and benefits.
www.helsinki.fi/en

The Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry is located on the Viikki campus. The mission of the faculty is to promote the sustainable use of renewable natural resources through scientific research and research-based teaching. We focus on agricultural and forest sciences, food and nutrition, microbiology, as well as on economics and management. We cover the full natural resource chain from farm to fork, the entire field of forest sciences from soil chemistry to marketing, as well as the environmental effects of related activities. Graduates from the Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry are versatile experts in biosciences and business, able to meet the needs of both the business sector and society at large.
www.helsinki.fi/en/faculty-of-agriculture-and-forestry

The Department of Microbiology is a unit of the Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry, which employs about 80-100 people: 3 professors, 6 university lecturers and 70-90 researchers and doctoral students. The department conducts internationally acclaimed microbiological research and provides top-level teaching based on it. The main areas of research and teaching are microbial ecology, fungal biology and biotechnology, cyanobacterial biology and bioactive compounds, plant and animal viruses, and food microbiology. The open position of Assistant/Associate Professor or Professor of Microbiology is in the field of environmental microbiology. The aims of the activity are basic research in microbiology and its applications in environmental sciences, agriculture and forestry, as well as in microbial biotechnology, taking into account sustainable development, teaching microbiology and social impact. The Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry offers Bachelor's and Master's degrees as well as Doctoral degrees in the university’s doctoral programme. The department's Master's programme in Microbiology and Microbial Biotechnology (joint programme with the Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences) has about 80-100 undergraduate students. About 60 postgraduate students are studying in the Doctoral programme in microbiology and biotechnology (several faculties’ joint programme) administered by the Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry. The Department of Microbiology has active societal connections and well established long-term collaboration with research institutes in the field, other universities, administration and companies nationally and internationally.
https://www2.helsinki.fi/en/faculty-of-agriculture-and-forestry/research...

The Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry invites applications for the position of an

ASSISTANT PROFESSOR / ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR / PROFESSOR IN MICROBIOLOGY

from August 1, 2022 onwards or as agreed. The position may be filled as a tenure track Assistant Professor/Associate Professor or full Professor depending on the candidate’s merits and career stage.

The position includes microbiological research and teaching, and the appointee collaborates with faculties’ researchers in microbiology, environmental sciences, biotechnology and sustainable development. The appointee is required to carry out high-level scientific research on environmental microbiology. The Assistant Professor/Associate Professor or Professor teaches and develops teaching in his/her field in the Faculty of Agricultural and Forestry and in joint Bachelor's and Master's programmes and postgraduate programmes (Bachelor's programmes in Environmental science, Biology and Molecular biosciences, Master´s programme in Microbiology and Microbial Biotechnology, and Doctoral programme of Microbiology and Biotechnology. The Assistant Professor/Associate Professor or Professor of Microbiology is in charge of environmental microbiology education at the department.
https://www.helsinki.fi/en/admissions-and-education

REQUIREMENTS
An appointee to the position of assistant professor or associate professor in the tenure track system shall have
- a doctoral degree
- the ability to conduct independent scholarly work
- the teaching skills required for the position
- the ability and motivation to pursue an academic career, as demonstrated by publications and other means

When assessing the applicants’ qualifications, attention shall be paid not only to research work and teaching qualifications, but also to success in the acquisition of external research funding as well as international scholarly work and other international experience.

An appointee to the position of professor shall have
- a doctoral degree
- high-level academic qualifications
- experience in leading scientific research
- the ability to provide research-based teaching and supervise dissertations and theses
- evidence of international cooperation in the research field they represent
- academic leadership skills

When considering the applicants’ qualifications, attention shall be given to:
- scientific publications and other research results of academic value
- activity in the scientific community
- success in obtaining external research funding
- international research experience
- international elected positions
- as well as leadership and interaction skills.

Teaching merits include
- teaching experience and pedagogical training
- the ability to produce learning material
- other teaching merits
- a teaching demonstration (if necessary)
- participation in doctoral education

To successfully attend to the duties of the position, the appointee must have good English skills.
According to the Government Decree on Universities, professors and associate/assistant 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. If the appointee is not proficient in Finnish or Swedish, she/he is required to acquire an adequate level of proficiency in Finnish within a reasonable period of time. The university will support the appointee in acquiring the necessary Finnish language skills.

WHAT WE OFFER
We offer an interesting opportunity to work in a diverse research environment. At the Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry you will carry out research-based teaching at the highest level in the field in Finland and have the opportunity to take part in internationally valued, first-class research activities. The position is also an opportunity to develop your own professional skills in a multidisciplinary work community of the faculty. Your work will be supported by the research and teaching staff of the department and the faculty as well as the administrative and technical staff at Viikki campus.

The professor’s salary will be based on levels 8−10 and the assistant/associate professor’s on level 7 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. The professor’s gross annual salary varies between 70 000 and 96 000 euros and the assistant/associate professor’s between 55 000 and 62 000 euros, depending on the appointee’s qualifications and experience. Furthermore, University of Helsinki offers comprehensive services to its employees, including occupational health care and opportunities for professional development.

HOW TO APPLY
Applicants are requested to enclose with their applications a SINGLE PDF file that includes the following documents in English:
1) CV
2) A report on pedagogical expertise (max. 5 pages)
3) A numbered list of publications
4) A report on the applicant’s research activities (including activities in scientific communities, the acquisition of research funding and international scholarly work) (max. 5 pages)
5) A short cover letter and report on how the applicant intends to develop his or her research and focus his or her activities, if appointed (max. 2 pages)

For more detailed instructions, please see
https://www.helsinki.fi/en/faculty-of-agriculture-and-forestry/faculty/j...

Please follow the guidelines for the description of teaching qualifications
https://www.helsinki.fi/en/faculty-of-agriculture-and-forestry/faculty/j...

Applications with the above attachments must be submitted in a SINGLE PDF file, which is named:
microbiology_lastname_firstname.

Other attachments are not required. Candidates do not need to fill in the candidate profile (in the recruitment portal) for information, which is already in the application attachment.

The Faculty may request shortlisted applicants to submit 10 publications of their choice to be sent to the assessors via the electronic recruitment system after the application deadline. In the case of shortlisted applicants, aptitude evaluation may be used as part of the recruitment process.

Applications must be submitted through the University’s electronic recruitment system by clicking on the link below. Current employees of the University of Helsinki must submit their applications through the SAP HR portal (link in Flamma).

The deadline for applications is 31.8.2021

• Further information can be obtained from Professor Per Saris, per.saris(at)helsinki.fi, puh. +358 505203696
• Further information on the recruitment process may be obtained from HR Specialist Mirkka Juntunen, mirkka.juntunen(at)helsinki.fi, +358 294157583

Careers at the University of Helsinki
https://www.helsinki.fi/en/about-us/careers

Tenure Track at the University of Helsinki
https://www.helsinki.fi/en/about-us/careers/academic-careers/tenure-track