The University of Helsinki is among the leading multidisciplinary research universities in the world. In addition to its 11 faculties, the University includes several independent institutes, some of which are jointly operated with other universities. Some 35,000 students are currently pursuing an undergraduate or a postgraduate degree at the University of Helsinki.

The Helsinki Institute of Sustainability Science (HELSUS) is an interdisciplinary research institute within the University of Helsinki with altogether seven Faculties committed to it. The task of the institute is to advance research and education based on sustainability science and foster the societal impact of research to support sustainable development.

More precisely, it aims to
•conduct internationally top quality research in sustainability science and build interdisciplinary research programs together with research partners
•develop methodological and theoretical understanding in sustainability science together with national and international collaborators
•produce alternative solutions for a more sustainable future together with extra academic actors, such as decision makers, administration, business and civic organizations
•educate researchers and experts in sustainability science

HELSUS research has five thematic foci: sustainability in the Arctic; the Global South; the Urban; sustainable production and consumption, and the theories and methodologies of sustainability science. HELSUS is an inclusive community of researchers at all career levels, who share a common concern, and aim moving towards a sustainable world. At present more than 300 researchers with a doctoral degree and nearly 100 doctoral students have joined HELSUS as members. With the foundation of HELSUS altogether 11 new professors in different fields of sustainability science were appointed. The professors in the institute work in the institute’s interdisciplinary research programs and teach in HELSUS associated master’s and doctoral programs.

The Faculty of Law at the University of Helsinki https://www.helsinki.fi/en/faculty-of-law is the leading Finnish institute in legal research and education. Some of the Faculty degrees are completed at the bilingual Vaasa Unit of Legal Studies http:www.helsinki.fi/oik-vaasa/english. The Faculty’s mission is to train qualified, ethically responsible legal professionals for both the Finnish and international markets through high-quality international research and research-based teaching. The Faculty offers undergraduate degrees in Finnish, Swedish and English as well as a bilingual degree in Swedish and Finnish. The Faculty has a teaching and research staff of around 130 people and 2,400 undergraduate and postgraduate students.

The Faculty of Law invites applications for the position of

ASSISTANT PROFESSOR / ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR / PROFESSOR IN SUSTAINABILITY SCIENCE (SUSTAINABLE LAW, GOVERNANCE AND REGULATION)

The appointee will be part of the staff of the Faculty of Law but will also be having an affiliation with the HELSUS. The appointee is expected to contribute in research and teaching at both the Faculty and its various degree programs as well as at the HELSUS and its associated master’s and doctoral programs.

The successful applicant may be appointed to a professorship or a fixed-term associate/assistant professorship (tenure track system), depending on his or her qualifications and career stage.

The appointee is expected to have scholarly interests in the governance and regulation of sustainability, demonstrated through research projects and publications. Topics may include socially and environmentally responsible governance, social and environmental justice, and law and regulation concerning any legal discipline aiming at implementation of principles of sustainability in various fields of life. Skills to conduct research in teams using mixed methods are highly desirable, as is the ability to conduct research on transformative regulatory and governance solutions to complex sustainability challenges.

The professor/associate/assistant professor is expected to hold a doctoral degree in law or in another relevant field and be able to conduct top-level international research related to governance and regulation concerning sustainability, provide teaching based on such research in interdisciplinary contexts, and supervise Master theses and doctoral dissertations. He/ she is expected to also participate in doctoral training and the development of teaching, as well as to be able to acquire research funding.

An appointee to the position of assistant/associate professor within the tenure track system shall have the ability to conduct independent scholarly work and have the teaching skills necessary for the position. In addition, applicants for assistant professorships shall demonstrate their capability and motivation as regards an academic career through publications and other means.

An appointee to a full professorship shall have top-level scholarly qualifications and experience in leading scientific research projects and in the supervision of scientific research, along with the ability to provide top-level research-based teaching as well as to supervise theses and dissertations. In addition, the appointee shall present documentation of international cooperation in the field of research that he or she represents. Holders of professorships shall also have the skills necessary to serve as academic leaders.

To successfully attend to the duties of the position, the appointee must have good English skills. If the appointee is not proficient in Finnish or Swedish, he/she is expected to be willing to acquire moderate proficiency within a reasonable time after the appointment. Support for language studies is offered.

The salary for the position will be based on levels 8−10 (professor) and 7 (assistant/associate professor) of the requirement scheme for teaching and research positions in the salary system of Finnish universities. In addition, a salary component based on personal performance will be paid. Annual gross salary for a full professor varies between 64,000 and 96,000 euros, and for an assistant/associate between 50,000 and 68,500 euros, depending on the appointee’s qualifications and experience. For information on the University of Helsinki as employer please see https://www.helsinki.fi/en/university/working-at-the-university.

Applicants are requested to enclose with their applications the following English language documents as one pdf file:
1) A curriculum vitae
2) A list of publications on which the applicant has indicated his or her key publications
3) An informal report (max. 5 pages) on the applicant’s scholarly activities (including activities in scientific communities, success in obtaining research funding and international scholarly work)
4) A report (max. 3 pages) on teaching experience and merits
5) A brief report (1-2 pages) on how the applicant intends to develop his or her research and focus his or her activities, if appointed

Applicants are kindly asked to prepare for the situation in which, after the closing of the application period, the Faculty may request them to submit up to 10 publications of their choice to be sent to the assessors.

Please submit your application, together with the required attachments, through the University of Helsinki Recruitment System via the link Apply for job. Applicants who are employees of the University of Helsinki are requested to leave their application via the SAP HR portal https://saphr.it.helsinki.fi/irj/portal. The closing date for applications is 24 February, 2020.

Further information on the position and the working environment may be obtained from Dean Pia Letto-Vanamo, pia.letto-vanamo(at)helsinki.fi

Further information on the recruitment process may be obtained from HR Specialist Minna Boström, minna.bostrom(at)helsinki.fi

In case you need support with the recruitment system, please contact recruitment(at)helsinki.fi