Doctoral Researcher in Kvantum Institute Spearhead Project “Mosses, nature’s purifier, for reducing land use-derived metal and nutrient loads in catchments (PUREWA)”

The University of Oulu is a multidisciplinary, international research university, with about 3,600 employees who produce new knowledge based on high-standards research and provide research based education to build a more sustainable, smarter, and more humane world. The University of Oulu community has about 17,000 people in total. Our northern scientific community operates globally and creates conditions for the emergence of innovations.  

We are now looking for

Doctoral researcher in plant-endophyte interactions

to join us in Ecology and Genetics Research unit (EGRU) at the Faculty of Science. EGRU is fully aligned with the University of Oulu's research strategy under the theme "Mitigating climate change and safeguarding biodiversity" as well as Kvantum Institute's profiling themes Biodiverse, Arctic, Digital Water Systems and Global Resilience, and Green Transition and Circular Economy.

Kvantum Institute is one of the centres for multidisciplinary research in areas of global challenges and it contributes to cross-faculty research cooperation at the University of Oulu by interdisciplinary networking, multidisciplinary projects and doctoral training, crossing faculty boundaries. 

About the job

The Kvantum Institute spearhead project PUREWA aims to study and develop passive, moss-based water purification for reducing metal and nutrient leakage caused by land use change. Clean water is a crucially important natural resource. However, the aquatic ecosystems are threatened by multiple stressors due to climate change and increasing land use. As a result, the amount of nutrients and metals increase in the catchments, which slows down the organic matter decomposition and disrupts the biodiversity of aquatic ecosystems. This results in increased water brownification and acidification, eventually threatening the quality of drinking water. There is an urgent need for sustainable and cost-effective water treatment solutions in the cold conditions of the Arctic. Microbes can significantly enhance the uptake of heavy metals by plants, and several moss species are efficient in accumulating toxic contaminants from wastewater in cold conditions. We aim to 1) Identify the most efficient moss-microbe combinations for phytoremediation of brownified water, 2) Understand the metabolic processes of phytoremediation, 3) Develop tools, and 4) Formulate recommendations on using mosses in phytoremediation.

What we offer?

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

Who are you?

We are looking for a researcher with prior knowledge and experience on mutualistic plant-microbe interactions (endophytes), microbiology, molecular biology, mosses, and their manipulation. In addition, candidates experienced in methods such as amplicon sequencing and metabolomics along with bioinformatic analysis of the corresponding data are appreciated.

The successful candidate:

• is motivated to actively and independently learn new skills and methods
• is committed to finalizing the Ph.D. within three years
• holds an M.Sc. degree in plant biology, microbiology, or other relevant field, obtained less than ten years ago
• has hands-on experience in molecular biology and is fluent with methods such as nucleic acids isolation, PCR, sequencing, sequence analysis
• easily communicates in English language in an open verbal manner
• has a team player spirit
• has an ambitious work ethic
• critically contributes to writing of manuscripts
• makes efforts to obtain independent funding
• fuels internal discussions of recent publications in the field
• See also the requirements of the University of Oulu Graduate School (UniOGS)

We also appreciate

• Finnish language skills

Salary

The position is fixed-term for three years as of 01.01.2025 or as soon as possible thereafter.

The salary will be based on levels 2-4 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). Starting gross salary will be approx. 2500-2700 € per month (before taxes).  A trial period of 6 months is applied in the position.

How to apply?

Interested? If yes, please apply by 11.11.2024 (23:59 Finnish local time) through our recruitment system.

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

1. Motivation letter
2. CV following the guidelines of the Finnish Advisory Board on Research Integrity
3. List of publications based on the guidelines of the Research Council of Finland 
4. Certificates/Diplomas
5. Contact information of two 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 prof. Anna Maria Pirttilä, +358-294 48 1545 

1. Anna-Maria Pirttilä, +358-294481545