Data Scientist: a Postdoctoral Researcher or Senior Research Fellow in the FRONT research programme

We are now looking for

Data Scientist: a Postdoctoral Researcher or Senior Research Fellow 

to join us in the Frontiers of Arctic and Global Resilience (FRONT) Profi7 research programme at the University of Oulu, Finland. The position will be placed in the Faculty of Science, Geography Research Unit.

The FRONT research programme is 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. It 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

We are looking for a data scientist to collect, process and analyze versatile and big geospatial and socio-economic quantitative and qualitative datasets in collaboration with the FRONT team. The data sources include e.g., participatory GIS, surveys, interviews, Earth observation, social media, mobile sensors, statistics, and text masses. The methods and tasks can consist e.g., of geospatial and statistical analysis, machine and deep learning, data and text mining, and database management, including GDPR related processes.

You are particularly expected to contribute to inter- and transdisciplinary environmental and resilience research that has an emphasis on social and human sciences and environmental studies. We are particularly focusing on social and social-ecological resilience, both in urban and rural areas. You will mainly provide data management, processing and analysis support for our ongoing and planned new research projects, but there is also a possibility to develop your research foci related to the core areas of the FRONT research programme. We are, for instance, interested (1) in developing novel approaches to integrate various environmental and social data sources and analysis methods, (2) in developing solutions and applications to collect volunteered or participatory geospatial data (e.g. citizen science), and (3) in using quantitative survey data (cross sectional and longitudinal) to do advanced statistical analyses, for example, structural equation modeling, latent profile analysis, and social network analysis.

You should have a proven track record in high-quality scientific publishing as well as processing and analyzing big geospatial, socio-economic and other datasets. We are looking for a data-oriented problem solver and a team player that has a strong motivation and capability to co-work with researchers from various backgrounds and disciplines. You are expected to have expertise in different data science tools, coding languages and processing environments (e.g., R, Python and SQL).

Qualifications

• You are required to have a PhD degree in data science, geoinformatics, computer science, statistics, or another relevant field. The doctoral degree must be obtained no more than 10 years ago.
• You should have a good understanding of social and human sciences and environmental research.
• You should have solid knowledge of working with large geospatial datasets
• You should have experience in programming languages like R or Python
• You should have sufficient relevant experience in international scientific work and evidence of international cooperation.

What we offer?

• The support of an experienced and enthusiastic team where you can share your expertise and grow as an expert.
• Wellness benefit ePassi covering sport, culture and well-being. Read more about other staff benefits here.
• Our Buddy Programme and Spouse Network support you and close ones in settling into Oulu.
• Development and career options of the big organization.
• We have an HR Excellence in Research -quality label which is a recognition awarded by the European Commission for the development of researchers’ working conditions and careers. 
• Work that matters and a workplace that promotes flexibility and work-life balance. Read more about working with us.
• Finland is one of the most livable countries in the world, with a high quality of life, safety, an excellent education system, and competitive economy. Read more about living in Oulu.

Salary

The position is a fixed-term contract for 3,5 years starting as agreed, at the latest on the 1st of August 2025.

The salary of the postdoctoral researcher 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 approximately 3700-4200 € for the postdoctoral researcher and 4300-5500 € for the senior research fellow 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 28th of February 2025  (23:59 Finnish local time) through our recruitment system.

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

1. CV, following the guidelines of the Finnish Advisory Board on Research Integrity 
2. Cover letter
3. List of publications, following the guidelines of the Academy of Finland 
4. Certificates/Diplomas
5. Contact information of 2 persons available for recommendation
6.  Outline of core data science skills, and a preliminary research plan (max 2 p.) 
7. Other attachments (max 1 page)

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, different genders, and members of different languages, cultural or minority groups. 

Contact Information

If you have any further questions, please contact

Coordinator of FRONT, Lotta Haukipuro; lotta.haukipuro(at)oulu.fi