Postdoctoral Researcher in the FRONT research programme

We are now looking for

A Postdoctoral Researcher

to join us in the Frontiers of Arctic and Global Resilience (FRONT) research programme (Profi7) at the University of Oulu. The postdoctoral researcher position will be placed in the Faculty of Education and Psychology.

The FRONT research programme forms a part of our national profiling actions supported by the Research Council of Finland. FRONT programme focuses on changing human-environment relations and challenges to cope and adapt with that change and aims to ground-breaking transdisciplinary research on resilience and how to ‘Adapt for Our Future’ in the Arctic and elsewhere on the planet. The programme involves cutting-edge research to advance the existing frontiers of knowledge on the systemic changes needed for resilience planning and governance, and for finding solutions to the wicked problems of resilience across the social and environmental sciences. FRONT focuses on international top-level collaborative and transdisciplinary research on socio-economic and socio-ecological resilience in different scales across social and environmental sciences, supported by the new Resilience Academy. By bringing together international, national, and University of Oulu-based scholars from across disciplines, and encouraging effective public communication of science, FRONT will promote inter- and transdisciplinary and citizen-engaged studies of the environment and raise the University’s profile as an international leader in addressing the challenges of humans in change and human impacts and dependency on environment.

About the job

Socio-ecological resilience from a psychological and/or an educational perspective

We are looking for a scholar to work in a project about how young people (foremost late adolescents and young adults) relate to climate change. The focus will be on identifying resilience factors - at a personal, social-psychological (friends, family), ecological (nature contact), and institutional level (school) - that can turn difficult emotions concerning climate change (like anxiety) into constructive forces for learning and an active citizenship (pro-environmental behaviour, collective and political engagement), while maintaining mental wellbeing, and/or could help young people to deal constructively with conflicts when trying try to live in a more sustainable way (hope as agency work). You will work together with the socio-ecological research team in planning and collecting survey data, analysing data with advanced statistics, and writing and publishing scientific articles in international journals. Participation in other sub-studies may also be the case, also qualitative studies. Strong skills in statistics and experience of working with survey studies are a requirement as well as an openness to other scientific disciplines and multidisciplinary approaches. Experience of other methodological approaches, for example, qualitative approaches, diary studies, intervention studies, experiments, participatory research, is a merit.

As a postdoctoral researcher you will

• Collaborate in service to FRONT programme, faculty, and university
• Participate in the development and activities of the Resilience Academy of Oulu (RAO)
• Engage in writing and submitting applications for research funding
• Take part in teaching activities, subject to faculty and research unit needs and the successful candidate’s own teaching/research capabilities and interests.

What we offer?

• We offer you a supportive academic environment in a community of committed scholars and the possibility to make use of funding opportunities to generate new research ideas and build an innovative programme that will attract international scholars.
• The University of Oulu offers flexible working hours, an excellent work-life balance and provides a range of occupational healthcare services.
• Our competitive salaries include paid leave and an additional holiday bonus in the summer. Read more about working with us and our other staff benefits.

What we expect

• A doctoral degree in a relevant field that was awarded no more than ten years ago
• A transdisciplinary research orientation with demonstrated research experience or interest
• Good, demonstrated capacity to collaborate in research and research dissemination activities
• Excellent written and interpersonal communication skills in English

Salary

The position is fixed term for a maximum of two years starting 1st of March 2025 or as agreed.

The salary will be based on levels 5-6 of the demand level chart for teaching and research staff of Finnish universities. In addition, a salary component based on personal work performance will be paid (a maximum of 50 % of the job-specific component). The starting gross salary will be approx. 3600-4200 € per month (before taxes).

A trial period of 6 months is applied for the position.

How to apply?

Interested? If yes, please apply by the 15th of January 2025 (23:59 Finnish local time) through our recruitment system.

The application should be written in English and include the following:

• CV, following the guidelines of the Finnish Advisory Board on Research Integrity 
• Cover letter 
• List of publications, following the guidelines of the Academy of Finland 
• Certificates/Diplomas
• Contact information of 2 persons available for recommendation

The eligible applicants fitting best in the profile expected for the position will be invited to an on-site or remote interview. All applicants will be notified during the selection process.

We welcome applicants from all backgrounds, such as people of different ages, genders, and lingual, cultural, or minority groups.

Contact Information

If you have any further questions, please contact

Maria Ojala, Professor in socio-ecological resilience, Faculty of Education and Psychology, Values, Ideologies and Social Contexts of Education, maria.ojala@oulu.fi

General questions: Lotta Haukipuro, Coordinator, Frontiers of Arctic and Global Resilience (FRONT) research programme, lotta.haukipuro@oulu.fi, tel. +358 440 661 683