Aalto University is where science and art meet technology and business. We shape a sustainable future by making research breakthroughs in and across our disciplines, sparking the game changers of tomorrow and creating novel solutions to major global challenges. Our community is made up of 13 000 students, 400 professors and close to 4 500 other faculty and staff working on our dynamic campus in Espoo, Greater Helsinki, Finland. Diversity is part of who we are, and we actively work to ensure our community’s diversity and inclusiveness. This is why we warmly encourage qualified candidates from all backgrounds to join our community.

Postdoctoral researcher in transformative water management

Aalto University invites applications for two postdoctoral researcher positions within the Water and Environmental Engineering Research Group WAT (https://www.aalto.fi/en/department-of-built-environment/water-and-environmental-engineering). The positions are related to our new Digital Waters (DIWA) Flagship (www.digitalwaters.fi) and particularly its Research Theme 5 Transformative Water Management. The postdocs will work on themes related to water resources management and water governance, sustainability and digitalization, with a possibility to contribute also to stakeholder engagement and societal impact work. The positions are planned to include both research and interaction work, with the division between those two tasks agreed together with the selected persons. We therefore encourage applicants from a variety of relevant fields and methodological competence (qualitative and/or quantitative research) as well as relevant competences to apply. The positions will be filled until the end of year 2027.

DIWA flagship is a unique research and innovation ecosystem in the water sector, carrying out cutting-edge research and supporting management and decision-making through innovations and active stakeholder engagement. DIWA’s goal is to secure water for people and ecosystems through integrated and sustainable practices and novel digital solutions. DIWA is implemented by a multidisciplinary consortium of three universities (University of Oulu, University of Turku, Aalto University) and three research institutes (Finnish Environment Institute, Finnish Geospatial Research Institute, Finnish Meteorological Institute) in close collaboration with partners from public and private sector, academia and civil society. DIWA also links closely to new DIWA doctoral education pilot (https://digitalwaters.fi/phd-pilot) that will engage altogether 60 doctoral researchers in five different universities (Oulu, Turku, Aalto, Åbo Akademi and the University of Eastern Finland) to carry out multi- and interdisciplinary research related to water and its management.  DIWA works through five key Research Themes: RT1 Hydrosphere processes; RT2 New observational systems; RT3 Integrated analysis and modelling; RT4 Digital services, platforms, and business applications; and RT5 Transformative water management.

These two open postdoc positions focus on RT5 Transformative water management and the related stakeholder engagement and societal impact activities. RT5 is co-lead by Aalto University and Finnish Environment Institute Syke, and its aim is to study critically current water resources management practices as well as to consider suitable ways forward together with our key stakeholders. The work builds on the importance that water has for addressing the key sustainability challenges related climate change, biodiversity, and pollution as well as the high hopes that so-called Twin Transition (green and digital transition) has in the water sector. Yet, given that water brings together a variety of actors with differing interests, needs and knowledges, the work also requires consideration of the thorny issues related to participation and decision-making power. It also means that transformative water management can be understood simultaneously in two different ways: through water’s key role in the on-going sustainability transformation and as a need to re-think and even transform current water management and governance practices.

Requirements
We expect you to have an active approach to work, proven research skills, and interest in interaction and societal impact work. Experience from stakeholder engagement and science-polity-stakeholder interaction is a merit. While you should have an independent and self-motivated approach to work, we expect that you also enjoy working as a part of multi- and interdisciplinary research team.

The positions require a doctoral degree from the relevant field, such as water resources management, natural resources management, environmental science, sustainability science, social science, or governance studies. The doctoral degree should be awarded within past 5 years. We accept applications from persons at the final stage of their doctoral studies, but we expect you to have your doctoral degree completed before starting in the position.

Fluent communication skills in English are essential, while competence in Finnish language is a strong merit.

What we offer
Successful applicants will join a young and dynamic team of world-class researchers at Aalto University’s Water and Environmental Engineering Research Group, while also being an active and important member of the DIWA flagship community.   

• We offer you an interesting job in an inspiring and multidisciplinary work environment. We will familiarize you with your work tasks, and you will be part of a competent team that will provide you with support for your tasks.
• You will also become an important part of a wide and unique network of doctoral researchers, early career and senior researchers within the DIWA Flagship
• We encourage and offer opportunities for continuous development of your own expertise
• The contract includes Aalto University’s extensive occupational health care
• We work in a hybrid way with flexible office hours, and the primary workplace is at our active university campus in Otaniemi, Espoo.

Funding for the postdoctoral researcher positions is available until the end of 2027. The expected starting date is as soon as possible.

Aalto University follows the salary system of Finnish universities. The starting salary for postdoctoral researchers at Aalto University is currently around 3900€ per month (gross), which may be gradually increased over time according to performance. The annual total workload of research and teaching staff at Aalto University is 1612 hours.

Join us!
Please submit your application through our eRecruitment system (click the Apply now! link on this page) by Sunday 26th of May.

Please include the following documents in English as a single pdf-file (‘lastname_firstname_application.pdf’):

• Letter of Motivation (1-2 pages), where you introduce yourself and describe your motivation for the position. Also clearly indicate your relevant competence as well as the approach you would like to have in the position, including the preferred division between research and interaction work.   

• Curriculum Vitae (2-3 pages), including your language competence (at least English and Finnish) as well as contact details of two relevant referees. You are also encouraged to include links to your possible LinkedIn page or other similar website. 

• List of Publications, including a link to your Doctoral Thesis (if available)

Kindly note that we will start to go through the applications and may also invite suitable candidates for interview during the application period. The position will be filled as soon as suitable candidate is identified: this can happen already before the application period closes. You are thus encouraged to submit your application as soon as possible.

Aalto University reserves the right to leave the positions open, extend the application period, re-open the application process, and to consider candidates who have not submitted applications during the application period.

Our workplace values equality and diversity, and we therefore encourage qualified applicants from all backgrounds to apply for our open positions.

Further information
Further information about working at Aalto University can be found from these websites:
https://www.aalto.fi/en/careers-at-aalto
https://www.aalto.fi/aalto-university/international-staff-information-package

More information about the position can be asked from Associate Professor Marko Keskinen (marko.keskinen@aalto.fi).

For questions about recruitment, please contact HR Advisor Kirsi Kärkkäinen (kirsi.karkkainen@aalto.fi).  

Want to know more about Aalto University and our community?
You can watch these videos:
Aalto University - Towards a better world
Aalto People
Shaping a Sustainable Future

About Finland

Finland is a great place for living with or without family - it is a safe, politically stable and well-organized Nordic society. Finland is consistently ranked high in quality of life and was just listed again as the happiest country in the world: https://worldhappiness.report/news/its-a-three-peat-finland-keeps-top-spot-as-happiest-country-in-world/.

For more information about living in Finland:
https://www.aalto.fi/en/careers-at-aalto/for-international-staff

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