The University of Turku is a world-class multidisciplinary research university that offers interesting challenges and a unique vantage point to national and international research and education. University of Turku is extending its research to materials and mechanical engineering, and from the beginning of 2021, a Faculty of Technology was started and with it Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, and new research positions in that field are now opened.

We are looking for 2-4 Postdoctoral researchers to join our unit of materials engineering in the Faculty of Technology. The tasks are fixed term, and the starting time of the positions is 1.6.2022, or according to mutual agreement, and the duration of the employment relationships are 2 years from the starting date. Candidates who will graduate soon are also encouraged to apply, but in these cases the title is Project Researcher until formal graduation.

The position includes 70% research (including also possible instructing of researchers) and 30% tasks related to teaching and/or development of the infrastructure which are related to the starting of our new department. The postdoctoral researchers will be part of one of the existing research groups in Materials Engineering. The applicants must state which group or groups their research would relate to and provide a relevant research plan. Part of the funding may come from existing projects so identify also possible interests to those. The applicants should also present which teaching or infrastructure development tasks they are willing to take on.

The research groups in Materials Engineering are:

The Solar Energy Materials and Systems research group is led by Prof. Kati Miettunen and it has about 15 members. The focus of the research is improving the stability of solar technologies as well as developing sustainable materials (in particular BioEST project), e.g., wood and side stream based materials. Furthermore, we investigate how to design solar panels for commercially viable recycling (ECOSOL project). There is also a project (Bifacial PV project) developing solar energy systems namely for Nordic conditions, which entails electricity grid modelling. The projects include international collaboration and most of them are highly multidisciplinary.

The Battery Materials and Technologies group is led by Associate prof. Pekka Peljo and it is one of the largest groups in Europe developing electrochemistry of flow batteries, and it will include 7-8 doctoral students and 3-5 post-doctoral researchers. Our research topics focus on developing materials for storing renewable energy. We also develop methodology for studying different characteristics and suitability of materials for flow batteries. The group is highly international, and we do close collaboration with organic and computational chemists in Finland and elsewhere in Europe. We are particularly interested in molecular synthesis and electrochemical characterization as well as accelerating and automatization of battery testing.

The Luminous Materials and Devices research group of Assistant prof. Konstantinos Daskalakis utilizes materials science, solid-state physics, and photonics for improving light-emitting devices and engineering novel materials for lighting applications. Our research covers a broad range of light-emitting device technologies and sub-fields that are scientifically diverse. We focus on materials and technologies that are inexpensive and environmentally friendly. We are an international group with numerous contacts from around the globe.

The Digital Materials Laboratory research group of Assistant prof. Milica Todorović combines electronic structure materials simulations with algorithms from artificial intelligence to tune the functional properties of materials and optimize their performance in devices. We are particularly interested in surface phenomena and organic/organic interfaces. Another big focus is on sustainability, from optimizing the flow of critical materials in device recycling loops, making functional applications from bio-based materials to faciltating solar energy tech.

The Materials in Health Technology groupis led by Associate prof. Emilia Peltola, and the group focuses on understanding the interface of materials in biomedical applications. One of the focus areas is developing sensor technologies for health care. We develop sensor materials with higher sensitivity, selectivity, and functionality in the biological environment than currently available options. Furthermore, we aim to understand how the properties of the materials correlate with the device's functionality in the biological environment. Therefore, careful characterization of the materials and in situ research of interfacial phenomena is at the core of our research.  

More information and materials engineering and research groups: https://www.utu.fi/en/university/faculty-of-technology/mechanical-and-materials-engineering/research

The assignments related to the development of the research unit:

• Building teaching laboratory
• Planning data digitalization and storage
• Designing and building aging infrastructure for solar cells
• Automatization of experiments

Teaching tasks related to the teaching of the unit are related to the following courses:

• Measurement techniques
• Mechanical properties of materials
• Simulation and new materials

A person selected for the post of postdoctoral researcher is required to have a doctoral degree and the ability to do independent scientific work as well as having the necessary teaching skills. The purpose of the positions of Postdoctoral Researcher in Materials Engineering is to build the competence of fresh Doctors as professional researchers. Person selected for the position of Postdoctoral Researcher shall have an appropriate doctoral degree, successfully completed by the end of the application period, but no more than five (5) years having passed since the completion of the degree. While counting the five-year period, maternity/paternal leaves and military service will not be taken into account. Project researcher is required to have a higher university degree.

The tasks require an active attitude and teamwork skills as well as experience in either experimental laboratory work or computational research. The previous degree should be from a relevant field, e.g., materials engineering, physics or chemistry. The selected person is expected to participate in other tasks when needed. Fluent oral and written communication skills in English are required in the positions. Finnish language skill is counted as an advantage, but it is not mandatory.

The qualification requirements of the positions are stated in the University of Turku Rules of Procedure: https://www.utu.fi/en/university/organisation.

We offer: The Unit of Materials Engineering offers a young and dynamic community. We support team players to reach their best potential and we give the opportunity to develop your professional skills in a diverse operating environment. We support your efforts for reaching excellence and we are committed to taking care of your well-being at work and the functionality of your daily life, e.g., flexible working hours and our welfare services.

The salaries are determined in accordance with the university salary system for teaching and research personnel. For a postdoctoral researcher, the salary is at levels 4-6 on the job demands chart, where the task-specific salary component is 2 628,85 - 3 549,72 euros per month. For a project researcher, the salary is at levels 2-4 on the job demands chart, where the task-specific salary component is 2 108,40 - 2 628,85 euros per month. In addition, a performance-based salary component of min 6% and max 50 % will be paid. There is a trial period of six (6) months.

Applications must be submitted by Wednesday 25th of May 2022 (23:59), using the electronic application form of the University of Turku at the following address: https://www.utu.fi/en/university/come-work-with-us/open-vacancies The link to the application system is at the beginning of this announcement (Apply for the job). Applications should include a CV, a list of publications, degree diplomas with transcripts of records, and a motivation letter. Please also provide the names and contact details of two professional references on your motivation letter. In your application, you can tell more details about your studies, future plans, and why you are interested in certain research groups and teaching/laboratory tasks. Kindly write your application in English.

For further information contact Professor Kati Miettunen (kati.miettunen(at)utu.fi) and for details of each research group contact the relevant professor, regarding tasks related to development of infrastructure contact laboratory engineer Mikael Nyberg (mikael.nyberg(at)utu.fi) For questions related to the application process, contact HR specialist Sarian Kotka (sjkkot(at)utu.fi)