The University of Turku is a world-class multidisciplinary research university which offers interesting challenges and a unique vantage point to national and international research and education.

Fixed-term position for 1-3 research assistants: scientific programming and data analysis

The Department of Computing at the University of Turku is searching for 1-3 research assistants in data science. The starting time is as soon as possible and the timing can be negotiated. The contract for this fixed-term position will be made until 31.12.2023. The duration may be extended later according to the project situation. The positions are full-time, but part-time work is also possible based on mutual understanding.

The position focuses on the development of open data science methods. The work includes R package development, implementation of statistical data analysis and machine learning pipelines in high-performance computing (HPC) environments. The work is supervised by associate professor Leo Lahti (Department of Computing). The work supports collaborations of the research team, and positions are open on three themes: 1) statistical and probabilistic programming; 2) computational life science (microbial ecology and metagenomics); 3) computational humanities. We ask that the applicants indicate their primary themes of interest in the motivation letter and application material.

We anticipate that successful applicants have a drive to develop their independent scientific thinking, good problem-solving and collaboration skills, and motivation to work in a multidisciplinary environment. The positions require experience in scientific programming (e.g. R, Julia). Excellent skills in English (written and spoken) are required. Background in a computationally oriented field (e.g. data science/ mathematics/ statistics/ physics/ computer science/ bioinformatics/ ecology/ computational humanities) or similar, and in the application domains can be considered as a benefit for the application.

The person selected for the position of research assistant must have the right to study and complete undergraduate studies at a university. The position can be combined with MSc thesis and it provides the basis for a possible doctoral research project.

The salary is based on the collective agreement of Finnish universities. The position belongs to the teaching and research personnel group, demand level 1, and the average full time salary is 2032– 2223 eur depending on the studies and qualifications.

A four (4) month trial period applies to the positions.

Applications should be submitted at the latest on Tuesday, 28/02/2023 (by 23:59) using the electronic application form of the University of Turku at the following address: https://www.utu.fi/careers

The link to the application system is at the beginning of this announcement ("Apply for the job"). Only applications sent via the electronic application form are accepted.

The application written in English should include:

1. A motivation letter (1 page, incl. indication of primary themes of interest),
2. CV (max. 2 pages),
3. Copies of degree certificates with translation in English
4. Study transcripts (courses and grades)
5. Contact information for 1-2 referees (name, affiliation, email)
6. Other documents that may affect the decision-making

We welcome you to our multicultural working community. In case you are not familiar with Finland as a place to live and work, we offer you orientation support.

University of Turku is a world-class research university with an active research community in data science, machine learning and AI research and applications. The research team of Dr. Lahti at the Department of Computing focuses on the theory and applications of modern computational science with a stimulating multidisciplinary research environment and international collaboration networks. The working language is English, and support for international staff is available. The city of Turku is a vivid, middle-sized student city with 180,000 inhabitants, beautiful natural surroundings and ample opportunities for free-time activities.

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• This is Finland    https://finland.fi/

• More information about why choose Turku as a place to study and work https://www.turku.fi/en/study-turku/welcome-turku/5-reasons-choose-turku

The research team’s home pages: datascience.utu.fi

For further information about the positions, please contact Leo Lahti, leo.lahti@utu.fi

Regarding the recruitment process, please contact HR Specialist Nina Reini, nina.reini@utu.fi