"University lecturer in Global forest management"

The Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry invites applications for the position of University lecturer in Global forest management, starting 1.8.2026 or as agreed. The permanent position will be located at the Department of Forest Sciences.

The university lecturer strengthens the global research and teaching related to the management and sustainable use of forest resources at the Department of Forest Sciences. Applicants must have strong evidence of research, teaching, and thesis supervision in the field. Successful performance in the position requires the applicant to have research and teaching experience in one or more of the following disciplines:

• global forestry
• agroforestry
• integration of economic, ecological and social perspectives of global forestry

The university lecturer must have experience and capabilities in obtaining research funding.

Practical leadership experience in activities related to forest resource management and use, including human wellbeing such as people's livelihoods, will be considered an advantage for the applicant. Additionally, experience in international education, acquiring related funding, and curriculum development and implementation, especially in developing countries, is considered an advantage.

The appointee must have versatile research methodology expertise and should also master modern data analysis methods. The appointee must have an interest in working in a multicultural and multilingual environment and in interdisciplinary teams, as well as collaborating with stakeholders from the private, public and third sectors. In the Department of Forest Sciences, the teaching and research of the university lecturer is particularly linked to the activities of the Viikki Tropical Resources Institute (VITRI) https://www.helsinki.fi/en/researchgroups/viikki-tropical-resources-institute.

The main responsibility of the university lecturer is teaching at the bachelor's and master's level, which is offered in forest sciences degree programs and in the university-level Liberal Arts and Sciences (LAS) program. The Department of Forest Sciences offers the LAS program "Resource management of global forests" study line, which includes two modules, a total of eight courses. The university lecturer is the person responsible for this study line and the Global Forests module (four courses) included in it.

The selected individual for the position must have the necessary pedagogical skills for teaching and motivation for renewing and developing teaching in both bachelor's and master's programs. Teaching is also developed through international projects. The responsibilities of the university lecturer also include participating in student marketing for the bachelor's and master’s programmes, as well as engaging in societal interaction.

Eligibility requirements:

According to the University of Helsinki Regulations university lecturers must hold an applicable doctoral degree and be capable of providing high-quality, research-based teaching and supervising theses. The assessment of applicant merits considers scholarly publications and other research outputs of scholarly value, teaching experience and pedagogical training, the ability to produce learning materials, other teaching merits and, if necessary, a teaching demonstration. The degree requirement (doctoral degree) must be met by the end of the application period.

The university lecturer must be proficient in Finnish and they must also have at least satisfactory spoken and written skills in Swedish. Foreign citizens, non-native Finnish citizens or citizens who have not been educated in Finnish or Swedish may be exempted from this requirement without a separate application. If you do not yet speak Finnish or Swedish, we expect you to achieve a reasonable level of language proficiency in Finnish within a reasonable time after being selected for the position. The University will support the appointee in acquiring the necessary Finnish language skills. To successfully attend to the duties of the position, the appointee must also have good English skills.

WHAT WE OFFER

We offer an interesting opportunity to work in a diverse research environment. At the Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry you will carry out research-based teaching at the highest education level in the field in Finland and have the opportunity to take part in internationally valued, first-class research activities. The position is also an opportunity to develop your own professional skills in a multidisciplinary work community of the faculty. Your work will be supported by the research and teaching staff of the department and the faculty as well as the administrative and technical staff at Viikki campus. The University of Helsinki has a university lecturer's career model in use https://www.helsinki.fi/en/about-us/careers/academic-careers/career-model-university-lecturers-and-clinical-instructors.

The salary will be based on levels 5-7 of the requirements level chart for teaching and research personnel in the salary system of Finnish universities. In addition, the appointee will be paid a salary component based on personal work performance. Monthly gross salary for a university lecturer varies between 3 500 and 5 500 euros depending on the appointee’s qualifications and experience. Occupational health care services and standard Finnish pension benefits are provided for University employees. There is a six-month trial period in the position.

HOW TO APPLY

Applicants are requested to submit their applications in ONE SINGLE PDF file including the following documents (in Finnish or in English):

1. Motivation letter for the position in question (max 1 page)
2. A curriculum vitae (CV)
3. A numbered list of scientific and other publications (please use the Ministry of Education and Culture classification of publication types: https://koodistot.suomi.fi/codescheme;registryCode=research;schemeCode=Julkaisutyyppiluokitus)
4. Research and scientific activities (max 3 pages)
5. Involvement in administrative duties
6. Other activities which you wish to bring to the attention of the faculty.
7. Please submit the description of your teaching qualifications via a separate e-form at: https://elomake.helsinki.fi/lomakkeet/137865/lomake.html

General guidelines on application documents:

https://www.helsinki.fi/en/about-us/careers/open-positions/instructions-applicants-teaching-and-research-positions

Applications with the above attachments must be submitted in a single PDF file, which is named:

global_lastname_firstname. Other attachments are not required.

External applicants, please submit your application using the University of Helsinki Recruitment System via the Apply Now button.

Applicants who have a helsinki.fi username and a valid employment contract, a grant researcher's contract or a visiting researcher's contract at the University of Helsinki are requested to leave their application by using the Employee login.

The deadline for applications is 9.3.2026 (at 23.59 EEST).

FURTHER INFORMATION

• Further information about the position is available from Department Head Risto Kasanen (risto.kasanen@helsinki.fi, tel. +358 2941 58377)
• Further information on the recruitment process may be obtained from HR Specialist Mirkka Juntunen (mirkka.juntunen@helsinki.fi, tel. +358 2941 57583)