GEDA (Global Environmental Decision Analysis) is a project funded by the European
Research Council (ERC; http://erc.europa.eu). It concerns research at the crossroads of
ecology, conservation biology and decision analysis, with an emphasis on developing
ecologically justified methods for targeting resources of biodiversity conservation and
other land uses. The project is a part of Professor Atte Moilanen's studies in "Biodiversity
Conservation Informatics (BCI)", as a part of the Finnish Centre of Excellence in
Metapopulation Biology (MRG), Department of Biosciences, University of Helsinki,
Finland. The project has good contacts globally, and locally to the Finnish environmental
administration. There will be approximately 6-10 researchers and assisting personnel
working with BCI/GEDA for 2011-2015.
The Department of Biosciences invites applications for
(BIO)-GEOGRAPHER / GIS SPECIALIST / COMPUTER
SCIENTIST
4 year post-doc level research position
Position for Geographer: The GEDA / BCI group will hire a post-doc researcher with
high competence in (bio-)geography and good skills with GIS, to collaborate primarily on
large-scale applications of quantitative spatial conservation planning. An ideal candidate
will already have research experience but also junior postdocs just about to finish their
PhD may be considered depending on qualifications. Details of the position will be
negotiated based on the experience and skills of the person chosen. The position offers a
view to cutting edge research in an international environment.
Requirements for a successful candidate are:
• PhD in a relevant field of science, including geography, geosciences,
geoinformatics, biogeography, conservation ecology (with GIS
competence), and computer science
• Good technical skills with GIS (ArcGIS) and data manipulation
• Proven capability to publish in scientific journals
• Willingness to work as part of a research project
• Good written and spoken English language skills
Other experience that will be counted as a merit includes:
• Experience and/or studies in spatial ecology or conservation biology
• Experience with and/or access to large continental or global scale data
sets about environmental factors, habitat types, species distributions,
human factors, etc.
• Experience / studies about statistics and/or programming
• Forward looking attitude and capability to complete projects in a timely
manner
Duration:
At maximum, for the remaining duration of the ERC project: from February
1st, 2012 to Dec 2015. There will be a standard trial period in the beginning of the
contract.
Salary: According to the university new salary system (YPJ), most likely research staff
requirement level 5 (post-doc) or 6 (docent-level postdoc with student supervision),
depending on experience of applicant. Salary depends also on performance, and likely
ranges between YPJ 5/4 - 6/7 → 3100 - 4270 € per month + all standard pension and
health insurance benefits as an university employee. Higher might be considered for very
experienced applicants only.
More information: About the project: Professor Atte Moilanen; atte.moilanen@helsinki.fi;
Context of research: www.helsinki.fi/science/metapop;
www.helsinki.fi/bioscience/consplan; http://erc.europa.eu.
About the research environment and administrative details: BCI's research secretary Aija
Kukkala, aija.kukkala@helsinki.fi.
Application: Please send (i) your free-form application, (ii) CV, (iii) publication record and
(iv) contact information for people who can act as personal reference, by email to
biotiede-mrg@helsinki.fi, with title "GEDA / Geographer". A decision about the position
will be made as soon as possible during early 2012, based on applications and possibly
further interview for leading applicants.
Deadline for application: Send in your application at latest on December 15, 2011.