Doctoral Candidate (PhD) in plant community ecology

University of Helsinki; Helsinki; On-site; EUR 36,000 - 48,000; Full time

Job summary

University of Helsinki invites applications for a Doctoral Candidate position (DC9) within the ReDiLEEP MSCA Doctoral Network. The project studies response diversity and stability of boreal forest and tundra plant communities under environmental change, with secondments to CSIC and Cardiff University.

The candidate will base at the Viikki Campus in Helsinki, contribute to a 36‑month PhD, and collaborate across Europe to translate ecological knowledge into ecosystem management and policy impact.

Qualifications

• Strong background in biodiversity and ecological dynamics.
• Experience with field experiments or mesocosm studies is beneficial.
• Interest in response diversity and ecosystem resilience.

Responsibilities

• Conduct doctoral studies and independent research work leading to a PhD thesis within 3 years.
• Familiarize with literature on functional traits, response diversity and community stability.
• Co-design and run greenhouse mesocosm experiments.
• Analyze and interpret data to produce scientific articles linking response diversity to stability.
• Follow the research plan and contribute to group discussions.
• Participate in ReDiLEEP network training, secondments, dissemination, and cohort activities.

Skills

Community ecology

Biodiversity

Data analysis

Education

Master's degree in ecology or related field

Job description

Secondments

Up to 4 months in total, including visits to Cardiff University (CarU) and Agencia Estatal Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas (CSIC).

• 2 months at Agencia Estatal Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas (CSIC) to compare mechanisms influencing stability.

The Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences at the University of Helsinki invites applications for a Doctoral Candidate position within the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Doctoral Network ReDiLEEP . ReDiLEEP brings together leading universities, research institutes, and non-academic partners across Europe and beyond to advance response-diversity research and translate new knowledge into ecosystem management, restoration, and biodiversity policy. This position (DC9) is one of the 13 doctoral candidate (DC) positions within ReDiLEEP.

This Doctoral Candidate will contribute toward ReDiLEEP goals by investigating response diversity in boreal forest and tundra ecosystems, focusing on evaluating the capacity of different response diversity metrics to explain and predict temporal stability of plant communities. We are looking for an enthusiastic doctoral researcher with a strong interest in biodiversity responses and ecological dynamics, and a strong background in community ecology. The candidate will be based at the Northern Biodiversity and Ecosystem Functioning research group led by Dr. Elina Kaarlejärvi at the Viikki Campus in Helsinki, Finland.

Research Project (DC9)

Project

DC9: Response diversity and stability of boreal forest and tundra plant communities under environmental change

Network

ReDiLEEP - Using science-driven Response Diversity knowledge to Leverage Efficient Ecosystem Preservation and restoration

Funding

Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Doctoral Networks (MSCA DN), Horizon Europe

Host institution

University of Helsinki

Supervision

Main supervisor: Dr. Elina Kaarlejärvi

Duration

36 months, full-time

Secondments

Up to 4 months in total, including visits to Cardiff University (CarU) and Agencia Estatal Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas (CSIC)

Application deadline

20th September 2026 at 23:59 EEST

Salary

In accordance with the regulation of the Marie Curie Fellowship

Response diversity describes the variation in how individuals, species, or functional groups respond to environmental change and the concept is increasingly recognised as a key driver of ecosystem resilience. Understanding and promoting response diversity is therefore essential for conserving biodiversity and supporting resilient ecosystems in a changing world.

The Doctoral Candidate will use data from existing field experiments and new greenhouse mesocosm studies to evaluate links between response diversity and community stability under press and pulse disturbances. The project will evaluate how different response diversity metrics (including functional traits) succeed in predicting temporal stability of plant communities under different pressures.

The Doctoral Candidate is expected to complete an article-based PhD thesis on this research project and 30 ECTS of studies required for a PhD degree in Finland. The project is supervised by Dr. Elina Kaarlejärvi, with co-supervision from Assistant Prof. Laura Antão (University of Turku, Finland).

Your Responsibilities

• Conduct doctoral studies and independent research work leading to a PhD thesis within 3 years.
• Become familiar and stay up to date with the relevant literature on functional traits, response diversity and community stability.
• Co-design and run greenhouse mesocosm experiments.
• Combine, analyze and interpret empirical data to produce scientific articles linking response diversity to community stability.
• Work in a targeted way following the agreed research plan.
• Contribute to scientific discussions within the research group.
• Participate actively in ReDiLEEP network training, secondments, dissemination, reporting, and cohort activities.

Secondments and Network Training

The position