Postdoctoral / Doctoral researcher, consequential life cycle assessment of wood-based products

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

 

POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCER / DOCTORAL RESEARCHER

 

for a fixed term position starting on 1 January 2025, or as agreed. The position is suited either for a Doctoral researcher, or for a Postdoctoral researcher. A Doctoral researcher is expected to work full time on the PhD thesis and to complete their thesis in three years.

The employment will extend over a period of 2-3 years, depending on the starting date of the contract and the type of the position (shorter for a Postdoctoral researcher, longer for a Doctoral researcher).

 

The position is located at the Department of Forest Sciences in the research group Forest Bioeconomy, Business, and Sustainability (FBBS). The position connects with the following projects:

• Reduced emissions through wood use: Mitigation pathways towards carbon neutrality (REDEEM, funded by the Research Council of Finland)
• Navigating European Forests and Forest Bioeconomy Sustainably to EU Climate Neutrality (ForestNavigator, coordinated by IIASA, funded by European Commission H2020)

REDEEM investigates the scale and timing of net greenhouse gas emissions in the event of an expanding bioeconomy and aims at realistic estimates of the forest sector’s contribution to the Paris Agreement by considering market dynamics and alternative carbon neutrality pathways. The project combines several methodological approaches and involves life cycle assessment (LCA), econometric analysis, simulation modelling, and future-oriented market research.

ForestNavigator assesses the climate change mitigation potential of European forests and forest-based sector through modelling of policy pathways, informing the public authorities on the most suitable approaches to forest policy and bioeconomy. The project relies on an integrated policy modelling framework for the EU forests and forest bioeconomy covering all relevant climate impacts and feedbacks, mitigation strategies, and forest ecosystem services. The University of Helsinki takes responsibility in assessing the future outlook of the European forest product markets and the climate change mitigation potential associated with industrial wood uses.

We are looking for a new team member to strengthen quantitative data analysis within the two projects, focused on consequential life cycle assessment (C-LCA) to estimate the avoided fossil emissions attributed to changes in wood uses and, more generally, climate change mitigation pathways in selected sectors.

 

Duties

Depending on the orientation and interests of the candidate, the duties may include:

• Contributing to building a system dynamics model for the textiles sector for examining the climate change mitigation potential of industry strategies and policy interventions.
• Modelling indirect market effects of chosen substitution cases, for example, with an open-source general equilibrium model (GTAP).
• Determining carbon parity periods for selected substitution cases, and comparisons to carbon budgets.
• Consequential LCA cases with an emphasis on market dynamics.

 

The duties may also include teaching and student supervision. Teaching tasks can account for up to 5 % of the annual working time.

 

Qualifications:

• PhD (for Postdoc) / MSc (for Doctoral researcher) in a relevant discipline (applied economics, engineering, sustainability science, industrial ecology, etc.)
• Strong background in one or more of the following: consequential LCA, simulation modelling (agent-based, system dynamics, or equilibrium modelling), programming (R or Python), econometrics and statistics
• Proficiency in spoken and written English (at least level C1)
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, the ability to prioritise and organise her/his daily task, and the ability to work both independently and as a part of a research group

The appointee is expected to reside in Finland while employed by the University of Helsinki.

The appointee to a Doctoral researcher’s position should either already have the right to pursue a doctoral degree at the University of Helsinki by the start of the appointment or apply for the right and obtain it within the probationary period of six months of their appointment. If the appointee does not already have the right to pursue a doctoral degree at the University of Helsinki, it must be applied for separately, please see: https://www.helsinki.fi/en/admissions-and-education/apply-doctoral-programmes/how-apply-doctoral-programmes and https://www.helsinki.fi/en/research/doctoral-education/the-application-process-in-a-nutshell

 

Advantages:

• Peer-reviewed publications in areas of expertise
• Knowledge in life cycle assessment (LCA)
• Knowledge in climate change mitigation
• Openness to learning new skills

 

WHAT WE OFFER

We are an equal opportunity employer and offer an attractive and diverse workplace in an inspiring and interdisciplinary research environment with a variety of development opportunities and benefits. The monthly gross salary will start from between €2,400 to €2,700 for a Doctoral researcher or between €3,400 to €3,800 for a Postdoctoral researcher, depending on the level of experience of the appointee. In addition, the University of Helsinki offers comprehensive services to its employees, including occupational health care and opportunities for professional development. Further information at https://www.helsinki.fi/en/university/working-at-the-university and https://www.helsinki.fi/en/research/doctoral-education.

 

The employment contract will include a probationary period of 6 months.

 

HOW TO APPLY

Applicants are requested to enclose with their applications the following documents as a single pdf file (file named: Application_family name_first name):

1. Curriculum vitae (maximum of 2 pages).
2. List of publications (if applicable).
3. Free-form motivation letter describing the applicant’s research interests, motivation toward the position, and qualifications for the subject, including relevant publications and specific software/programming skills which the applicant wants to highlight (1-2 pages).
4. Contact details for 1-2 referees (no support letters accepted).

Please submit your application via our recruitment system by 21.10.2024 (23.59 EEST).

 

External applicants, please submit your application using the University of Helsinki Recruitment System via Apply Now button.

 

Applicants who have a helsinki.fi -username and a valid employment contract, a grant researcher’s contract or a visiting researcher’s contract at the University of Helsinki are requested to leave their application by using the employee login.

 

FURTHER INFORMATION

 

• About the position: Dr. Elias Hurmekoski, elias.hurmekoski@helsinki.fi, +358 50 414 0312.
• Recruitment system: HR Specialist Mirkka Juntunen, mirkka.juntunent@helsinki.fi, tel +358 50 556 0748
• Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry: https://www.helsinki.fi/en/faculty-agriculture-and-forestry
• Viikki Campus: https://www.helsinki.fi/en/about-us/campuses/viikki-campus
• Support for international staff: https://www.helsinki.fi/en/about-us/careers/welcome and https://ihhelsinki.fi (International House Helsinki)

 

The position is located in the Forest Bioeconomy, Business and Sustainability research group, based at Department of Forest Sciences. More info: https://www.helsinki.fi/en/researchgroups/forest-bioeconomy-business-and-sustainability.

 

The Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry is nationally unique faculty with a high international standing. 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.