Category: job opportunities

Deadline: November 10, 2024

We are looking for a highly motivated and skilled PhD researcher to join the Department of Geographical and Historical Studies at the University of Eastern Finland, under the supervision of Assistant Professor Miguel Villoslada.

Amid the ongoing shifts in Arctic ecosystems driven by climate change, Finland has recently experienced significant outbreaks of the Common heath moth (Ematurga atomaria), severely impacting crowberry-dominated heath tundra ecosystems in Lapland. These events raise critical ecosystem management questions: When and where did the outbreaks start? How quickly are they spreading? What are the precise extents of affected areas? And most importantly, have the outbreaks caused substantial changes in ecosystem functions and services? Simultaneously, recent research indicates an increase in the dominance and biomass of crowberry (Empetrum nigrum) in various locations across the Arctic. This evergreening process may have deep implications in essential ecosystem functions. The overarching aim of the PhD project is addressing the complex interplay between browning and greening processes in heath tundra ecosystems, through the lens of multi-platform remote sensing.

The PhD project will integrate advanced remote sensing techniques, drone imagery, and in-situ data collection to deliver insights about the dynamics the defoliation outbreak. The successful PhD applicant will combine state-of-the art in-situ data (chlorophyll content, soil moisture and temperature, vegetation composition, GHG data, and field hyperspectral imagery) with multispectral drone imagery and various satellite products. Among the analysis tools used in the project, the applicant will apply machine and deep learning, time series and change detection analysis, and species distribution models, among others.

The PhD researcher will be based at the Joensuu campus of the University of Eastern Finland, at the Department of Geographical and Historical Studies, and will be supervised by Miguel Villoslada, working closely with other members of Digital Geosciences research group. The deadline for applications is November 10, 2024. The position will be filled starting from 1 January 2025, or as agreed, for a fixed term of three years. The position is full-time. A probationary period is applied to new members of the staff.

The salary of the position is based on the salary system for the teaching and research staff of Finnish universities. The salary consists of a job-related salary element and a personal salary element. In this position, the job-related salary element is based on level 2–4 of the job requirement level chart (EUR 2,225.83 – 2,775.28), and the personal salary element is 6–50% of the job-related salary element. In the position of a Doctoral Researcher, the salary is determined based on the stage of doctoral research and doctoral studies, as well as on personal performance.

More information on the application process and the application submission can be found following this link.

Please do not hesitate to contact Miguel Villoslada (miguel.villoslada@uef.fi) if you have any questions.

Deadline: April 1, 2024

We are seeking a highly qualified, ambitious, and motivated PhD candidate for a fully-funded 4 year project focusing on genomics of Arctic alien plants. The project will focus on target alien plant species and seek to uncover their genomic basis of adaptation to the Arctic environment and how it relates to their invasiveness.

A warming climate, changes in soil properties, and rising human activity in the Arctic increase the probability of introduction and establishment of alien plant species. In high-Arctic Svalbard and other Arctic regions, the wintercress (Barbarea vulgaris) is an established and naturalised alien species. Hypotheses for its success include multiple introductions from different genetic sources, enemy release advantage related to plant defense compounds, and shifts in adaptive traits. The PhD project will develop genomic datasets, making use of field collections and herbarium resources, and develop experimental evidence to examine links between the genomic basis of successful establishment and potential invasiveness in the high-Arctic. The wintercress will be a primary focus of the project, but complementary research on parallel systems may be developed. The project will add an important evolutionary component to ongoing interdisciplinary research on Arctic greening.

The work will consist of arctic field work, herbarium work, green house experimental work, DNA lab and bioinformatics in an international interdisciplinary team. More specifically, the successful candidate will:

• Manage and supervise third-party services to achieve high-quality reference genomes suitable for population genomic analyses
• Assemble a spatial and temporal sampling of herbarium and fresh specimens
• Produce NGS libraries and sequencing data using clean-lab facilities and third-party services
• Analyse sequencing data combined with available genomic resources and complementary experimental evidence to unravel the evolutionary history of parallel Arctic invasions, including the phylogeography of established populations, the genetic architecture of adaptation to the Arctic environment, and the role of different chemotypes in the context of the enemy release hypothesis
• Analyse temporal data to assess turnover of allele frequencies following introduction and bottlenecks
• Design and perform common garden experiments to test the adaptive role of shifts in enemy pressure, breeding system and life-history traits underlying invasiveness under current and future climate
• Disseminate results in scientific literature, to relevant stakeholders and the public

The candidate will use the NTNU University Museum’s herbarium, genomics laboratory facilities and computational resources, and the work will be closely associated with a project on Arctic greening (https://geobiology.ethz.ch/research/arctic-greening.html) based at ETH Zürich. The work will also be part of the Nordic Borealization Network (NordBorN) that seeks to understand the processes, drivers, and consequences of changes in the species composition of tundra ecosystems.

Feel free to reach out with any enquires: kristine.b.westergaard@ntnu.no.

Full details and link to apply here: https://www.jobbnorge.no/ledige-stillinger/stilling/255087

Deadline: April 15, 2024

Are you looking for an exciting PhD position in remote sensing? This might be your opportunity to join the NordBorN team at the University of Eastern Finland!

The UEF NordBorN team coordinated by Prof Timo Kumpula is looking for a highly motivated and skilled PhD researcher. The successful PhD applicant will work with multiple scale (from drones to satellite) remote sensing of shrub encroachment processes and treeline dynamics in tundra ecosystems. The candidate is expected to have skills in remote sensing and machine learning. The position entails both office work and field work.

The UEF NordBorN team welcomes candidates with background in geography, ecology, environmental sciences, geoinformatics and computer sciences. The position will provide a unique opportunity to be part of a large, active international team and participate in project meetings in different countries over the course of the project.

The PhD researcher will be based at the Joensuu campus of the University of Eastern Finland, at the Department of Geography and Historical Studies, and will work closely with Timo Kumpula and Miguel Villoslada and other members of the Digital Geosciences research group.

The deadline for applications is April 15, 2024 and the position will start as soon as possible after May 15, 2024. The position has an initial duration of 20 months. The candidate will actively engage in funding acquisition with supervisors to ensure the full funding of PhD.

Applications should include:

• Cover letter that explains how your research interests and experience align with the position
• CV or resume, including relevant experience
• List of two professional references and their contact information

Applications should be submitted through the electronic system of the University of Eastern Finland.

Please do not hesitate to contact Prof. Timo Kumpula or Miguel Villoslada if you have any questions.