Postdoctoral Researcher in Sustainability science

Helsingin normaalilyseo - Helsinki Normal Lyceum; Helsinki; On-site; EUR 42,000 - 47,000; Full time

Job summary

The Helsinki Institute of Sustainability Science (HELSUS) at the University of Helsinki invites applications for a 14‑month Postdoctoral Researcher position focused on preventing or mitigating biodiversity loss. The appointee will work across faculties and engage with societal partners to test new tools and approaches.

The candidate must have a doctoral degree and be within five years of PhD completion; the position requires residence in Finland, with base at either the city centre or Viikki

Qualifications

• Must have a doctoral degree and ability to conduct independent scholarly work.
• Maximum five years since PhD completion; consideration for career breaks.

Responsibilities

• Engage in HELSUS activities and communications.
• Report on funding usage to the donor (e.g., via lunch meetings, research reports, and inviting the donor to events).

Job description

Call for applications for HELSUS Postdoctoral Research Position under the theme: prevention or mitigation of loss of biodiversity

Helsinki Institute of Sustainability Science is a cross-faculty research network in sustainability science within the University of Helsinki (https://www.helsinki.fi/en/helsinki-institute-sustainability-science). HELSUS in partnership with the Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry at the University of Helsinki opens a call for applications for a 14-month post-doctoral research position. The preferred start date of the position is the 1 November 2026.

The theme of the call is biodiversity loss, its mitigation and prevention. Strong societal impact is expected, including concrete collaborations with relevant societal stakeholders in co‑creating, co‑planning or co‑designing new tools or elements for mitigating and preventing biodiversity loss. This funding targets to allow testing solutions to prevent loss of biodiversity, in collaboration with societal change‑makers be it political, municipal, company, NGO or other relevant actors. Via concrete cases, the research is expected to build wide systemic understanding of feasible solutions and potential positive and negative feedbacks included in any solution.

The topic is open, and it can focus on any ecological or social system, or their combination.

Researchers from a variety of backgrounds are welcome to apply, since significant solutions to mitigation or prevention of loss of biodiversity can come equally well from, for example, expertise on species and ecosystems, planning, regulation, or other perspectives, often working together. In this position, you are expected to engage in catalyzing sustainability transformations with relevant stakeholders, based on scientific knowledge. The postdoctoral researcher is also expected to participate actively in HELSUS activities and communications. The appointee is expected to report on the use of funding during the project to the donor for example via lunch meetings, via giving research reports to the donor, and via inviting the donor to interesting events around the topic.

Who Can Apply

For the postdoctoral researcher’s position, the appointee must have a doctoral degree in a relevant discipline and the ability to conduct independent scholarly work. To be eligible to apply for the position, the applicant must have a maximum time of five years since PhD completion (degree certificate issued between 1 November 2021-31 October 2026). Possible career breaks (maternity, paternity, parental or childcare leave, military or nonmilitary service, or long‑term illness) will be considered. If the applicant pleads these special reasons, they should be justified in the CV.

The call is not open for the members of the HELSUS Steering Group.

The appointee is expected to reside in Finland while employed by the University of Helsinki. The selected applicant will be based either in the city centre campus or in the Viikki campus.

Evaluation Criteria

• The quality and innovativeness of the research plan
• Focus on sustainability science
• Interdisciplinary quality
• The applicants credibility in executing the research plan
• How the application contributes to the development of sustainability science and HELSUS

Salary And Benefits

The postdoctoral researcher funding is to be used for the applicant’s own salary and other justified costs for a period of up to 14 months. The postdoctoral researcher’s salary will be based on level 5 of the requirement 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 the appointee’s qualifications and experience. The starting gross salary will be ca. 3 800 – 4 200 euros/month, depending on the appointee’s qualifications and experience.

Employment starts as soon as possible and there is a six-month trial period in the position.

The deadline for applications is 8 October 2026 (at 23:59 EEST)

Further information

For more information about this position, contact Prof. Christopher Raymond, Director of HELSUS: christopher.raymond(at)helsinki.fi

Questions regarding the recruitment system: recruitment(at)helsinki.fi

A diverse and equitable study and work culture is important to us. That is why we do our best to promote an inclusive university community. We encourage all qualified applicants from diverse backgrounds to apply for our positions.