Job Description

The Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences invites applications for the position of  PROFESSOR OR ASSISTANT /ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR  IN BIOCHEMISTRY

Starting 1 August 2025 or by mutual agreement.

The successful applicant may be appointed to a fixed-term assistant / associate professorship (tenure track) (https://www.helsinki.fi/en/university/careers-at-the-university-of-helsinki/tenure-track-at-the-university-of-helsinki), or to a full professorship depending on the applicant’s qualifications and career stage.

We are looking for candidates who would strengthen and complement the scientific profile of the Molecular and Integrative Biosciences Research Programme, have a distinguished record of accomplishment in the field of biochemistry, and are committed to excellence in research and teaching. The possible complementary fields include, but are not restricted to biochemistry, biophysics, structural biology, proteomics, lipidomics, metabolomics and synthetic biology. The selected candidate is expected to build up and lead an independent research group conducting innovative research in biochemistry and acquire external research funding. Duties will include supervision of undergraduate and postgraduate students and actively participating in the teaching of Bachelor’s and Master’s courses related to the field of the position. Active participation in long-term curriculum development is expected, in particular in the Master’s programme in Genetics and Molecular Biology (https://www.helsinki.fi/en/degree-programmes/genetics-and-molecular-biosciences-masters-programme) and the Bachelor programme in Molecular Biosciences (https://www.helsinki.fi/en/degree-programmes/molekyylibiotieteiden-kandiohjelma). We seek a candidate committed to foster a sustainable, diverse and inclusive environment for all students and colleagues (https://www.helsinki.fi/en/about-us/sustainability-and-responsibility/sustainable-and-equal-campus).

An appointee to an associate or full professorship must have a doctoral degree and have top-level scholarly qualifications and experience in the supervision of scientific research, ability to provide top-level research-based teaching and to supervise theses and dissertations, as well as documentation of international cooperation in the research field that the appointee represents.

An appointee to an assistant professorship must have a doctoral degree. In addition, they should have the ability to conduct independent scholarly work, supervise and mentor doctoral and postdoctoral researchers, and have the teaching skills necessary for the position.

When considering the applicant’s qualifications for the position, attention will be given to scientific publications and their significance in the applicant’s field of research, teaching experience and skills and pedagogical competence, ability to produce teaching materials, supervision of undergraduate and graduate theses, as well as participation in doctoral education. Furthermore, account shall also be taken of the applicant’s activity in the scientific community, success in obtaining external research funding, international research experience and positions in international organizations. The assessment will be conducted in accordance with the applicant’s career stage. The University of Helsinki has signed the DORA Declaration (https://sfdora.org) and applies its principles when assessing the scientific merit of applicants.

There is no requirement to be proficient in Finnish or Swedish for foreign citizens, non-native Finnish citizens or citizens who have not been educated in Finnish or Swedish. To successfully attend to the duties of the position, the appointee must have good skills in English, and a positive attitude towards learning Finnish and/or Swedish.

The starting annual gross salary for assistant/associate professors typically amounts to 60,000 - 72,000 euros and for professors to 72,000 – 92,000 euros, depending on the appointee’s career stage and scholarly qualifications. In addition to the facilities and research infrastructure that are currently available, the Faculty will provide a startup package to the appointee.

The University of Helsinki offers comprehensive services to its employees, including occupational health care and health insurance, sports facilities, and opportunities for professional development. The International Staff Services office (https://www.helsinki.fi/en/university/working-at-the-university) assists employees from abroad with their transition to work and life in Finland. Finland is a very family-friendly country with generous parental leaves, affordable daycare available for all children and high-quality free primary, secondary and tertiary education as well as public healthcare. See, e.g., https://www.helsinki.fi/en/about-us/careers/information-arriving-international-staff.

The University of Helsinki offers comprehensive services to its employees, including occupational health care and health insurance, language courses, sports facilities, and opportunities for professional development. The International Staff Services office assists employees from abroad with their transition to work and life in Finland. For more information, see https://www.helsinki.fi/en/about-us/careers/information-arriving-international-staff.

The University of Helsinki is an international scientific community of 40,000 students and researchers. It is one of the leading multidisciplinary research universities and ranks among the top 100 international universities in the world. We are committed to the principles and practices of open science. We are an equal opportunity employer and offer an attractive and diverse workplace in an inspiring environment with a variety of development opportunities and benefits.

The Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences (https://www.helsinki.fi/en/faculty-biological-and-environmental-sciences) is Finland’s premier hub for life science research and education. The professorship is based in the Molecular and Integrative Biosciences Research Programme, which is one of the three Research Programmes in the Faculty. Strong research areas of the Programme, which are also reflected in teaching, are cell and developmental biology, genetics and genomics, neurobiology, and structural biology and virology.

The research and teaching activities at the Viikki Campus are supported by state-of-the-art infrastructures including core facilities for e.g. DNA sequencing and genomics, proteomics, metabolomics, lipidomics, and light- and electron microscopy (https://www.helsinki.fi/en/hilife-helsinki-institute-life-science/services/life-science-research-infrastructures). Within the Research Programme, an in-house animal facility and a wide range of laboratory services support research. The faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences also has three research stations for ecologically and environmentally oriented work (Tvärminne, Lammi and Kilpisjärvi).

Application procedure. Applicants are requested to enclose with their applications the following documents in English:

1. CV 
2. A report on the applicant’s previous research activities and acquired external funding (list of funding over the last 10 years: amounts, status as PI or co-PI, funding agency, project name), and a plan for how the applicant intends to develop their research and focus their activities in the future. (max. 3 pages)
3. A report (max. 3 pages) of experience and merits which are of relevance for the evaluation of teaching skills.
4. A numbered list of publications in English and other works with which the applicant wishes to demonstrate their competence and merits, with maximum 10 most important publications highlighted with brief explanations. Copies of these publications maybe requested as material for the assessors.

Alternatively, an academic portfolio maybe provided containing the above documents and information.

For more detailed instructions, see https://www.helsinki.fi/en/about-us/careers/open-positions/instructions-applicants-teaching-and-research-positions

Applications must be submitted through the University’s electronic recruitment system by clicking on the link below. Internal applicants (i.e., current employees of the University of Helsinki) must submit their applications through the Sap Fiori. The deadline for applications is April 15th, 2024.

Further information can be obtained from the Director of the Molecular and Integrative Biosciences Research Programme, Professor Juha Partanen, juha.m.partanen (at) helsinki.fi, tel. +358 (0) 2941 59382 or from Professor Ville Hietakangas, ville.hietakangas (at) helsinki.fi, tel. +358 (0) 2941 58001.

Technical support for using the recruitment system: rekrytointi@helsinki.fi

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