The Faculty of Technology at the University of Oulu announces a tenure track position for a researcher studying biomaterials and biochemicals derived from nanocelluloses. The position is located in the research group of Fiber and Particle Engineering. One of the main research focus areas of the group is sustainable fabrication techniques of nanocelluloses and their use as water treatment chemicals and film and composite materials. There are approximately ten people working in this research area within the group.

Description of the field of the tenure track position: Research on production technologies, modification and characterization of new cellulosic nanomaterials, primarily derived from wood-based lignocellulosic materials, and applications of nanocellulosic materials, especially as high-end biomaterials and biochemicals such as sustainable processing aids and water treatment chemicals.

Responsibilities and Required Qualifications

The successful candidate is expected to conduct high-level research in the field, including research management and funding acquisition, and to take actively part in international scientific community and collaboration. Furthermore, the duties include undergraduate and graduate level teaching and supervision of academic theses. Career assessment on the tenure track is based on the regular performance assessment that measure the candidate´s merits in all these areas.

Based on the experience and competence, the successful applicant of this call will be placed at Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, Full Professor or Distinguished Professor level of the four-level tenure track system. University Tenure Track Guidelines will be followed in filling the position.

Research qualifications at each level of the tenure track system are the following:

Assistant Professor:

The position of an assistant professor is for persons who have recently finished their doctoral dissertation and are advancing towards a professional research career. The position is always fixed-term and the duration varies from three to five years. A continuation period may be granted as indicated in the University of Oulu Tenure Track guidelines. Only doctors who have finished their doctoral thesis less than ten years ago can be appointed to the position of an assistant professor. The selection criteria for an assistant professor are the following:

• PhD in a relevant field (e.g. material science or processing of cellulosic materials)
• Research potential, (publications, especially internationally refereed publications; participating   in acquiring funding / funding granted)
• National and international networks and working abroad
• Experience in teaching and supervision of diploma and doctoral students
• Demonstrating developed skills is prerequisite for a continuation period.

Associate Professor:

The position of Associate professor requires the ability to carry research independently, lead a research group and to acquire additional research funding. The selection criteria for an associate professor are the following:

• PhD in a relevant field (e.g. material science or processing of cellulosic materials)
• Publications in the international level: dissemination, quality of the publication forums, sitations/references to the publication
• Active role in the research(er) training
• Acquisition of additional funding
• Working with more than one research facility during one’s career
• An active role in the international scientific community
• Acknowledgements and awards

The position of an associate professor is initially a fixed-term position for five years, but a continuation period may be granted or the position may be made permanent. Being granted continuation for the position requires meeting the above-mentioned criteria as well as successful research work as indicated in the University of Oulu Tenure Track guidelines.

Full Professor:

A person appointed to the position of a professor must have a doctoral degree, high-level scientific competence, experience in leading scientific research, ability to provide high-level research-based teaching, and to supervise theses and participate in international co-operation projects in his/her field of expertise. When evaluating the competency of the applicant, his/her scientific publications and other research results with scientific value, teaching experience and pedagogic training, ability to produce teaching material, other merits as a teacher, teaching demonstrations and supervised doctoral theses will be taken into consideration. Other factors to be taken into consideration are the activeness of the applicant in the international scientific community, practical experience in the field where applicable, success in acquiring supplementary research funding, as well as academic work abroad and other international positions.

Salary

The salary of the appointed researcher will be based on the demand level chart for the teaching and research staff of Finnish Universities. In addition to the basic salary of the appropriate tenure track level, supplementary salary will be given for personal achievement and performance, the sum rising to a maximum of 46.3 % of the basic salary level for the post. The salary thus being roughly 3400 – 4600 euros per month for an assistant professor, 4000 – 5300 euros per month for an associate professor and 5500 – 8100 euros per month for a full professor.

The Application

Applications, together with all relevant enclosures, should be submitted using electronic application form by 25th May 2015.

The application should be written in English and the following information needs to be included (preferably as a single pdf file)

1) A brief curriculum vitae including

– name and year of birth

– degrees, dates and places, major subject, topic of doctoral dissertation

– present employment relationship with starting and ending dates

– most important posts and full-time positions with starting and ending dates

– scientific expert positions

– most important scientific positions of trust and administration with starting and ending dates

– most important foreign visits

– most important scientific acknowledgements and awards

2) List of publications, ten most important ones marked

3) A brief account of research merits

4) A brief account of teaching merits

5) Acquisition of research funds

6) List of previous and present doctoral students

7) A brief research and action plan

8) Contact details of 2 to 4 persons available for recommendation

9) The applicant is encouraged to include his own citation indices (total number of citations and h index).

Evaluators

The selection procedure will be carried out by an Appointment Committee according to the University of Oulu Tenure Track guidelines.

Contact details

In order to receive the information and announcements concerning the official selection procedures to be followed in order to fill this post, applicants must inform the Faculty of their contact details for the whole duration of the selection process: they must specifically provide both their home and work telephone numbers, and their e-mail addresses, and their fax numbers, and their postal addresses.

For further information about the application and selection procedures, please contact:

Professor Mirja Illikainen
University of Oulu, Faculty of Technology
P.O. Box 4000, FI-90014 University of Oulu, Finland
tel +358 (40) 588 5904
email: mirja.Illikainen at oulu.fi
web: http://www.oulu.fi/pyokuien/

Chief Administrator Laila Kuhalampi
University of Oulu, Faculty of Technology
P.O. Box 4000, FI-90014 University of Oulu, Finland
tel +358 (8) 294 482 005
email: laila.kuhalampi at oulu.fi
web: http://www.oulu.fi/tech/