Postdoctoral Researcher, Jyu.well

The multidisciplinary JYU.Well community is currently seeking to hire

A POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCHER

for a fixed term of 1–3 years, starting on May 2nd, 2024, or as agreed.

Qualifications we are looking for

The research position is part of the Multifaceted Wellbeing profiling area, and of the multidisciplinary wellbeing research community JYU.Well at the University of Jyväskylä. Multifaceted wellbeing (JYU.Well) integrates diverse disciplinary insights into a holistic understanding of wellbeing-related phenomena, thus contributing high relevance to research, policy, and practice. The aim is to consolidate the university's strategy “Wisdom and Wellbeing for us all”.

The Postdoctoral Researcher's duties focus on internationally high-level research specifically in our focus area 4: generating societal impact of wellbeing research by analyzing, developing, and disseminating effective evidence-based interventions, practices, and policy recommendations. The duties include supporting the interdisciplinary development of wellbeing research and activities and participating in acquiring external funding. The Postdoctoral Researcher is also expected to participate in societal interaction together with the JYU.Well community. He or she is expected to develop and apply tools for data-driven or data-enabled decision support in various wellbeing applications (health, rehabilitation, and social care as examples). The amount of teaching duties is rather small. 

Candidates for the Postdoctoral Position are required to provide evidence of research that contributes to wellbeing research, relative to the career stage, and a research plan that demonstrates the ability to link their own research perspectives to the specified JYU.Well focus area, specifically, through exploring and clarifying the diverse wellbeing impacts of decision making at individual, community and/or societal levels. Experience of considering wellbeing impacts through multiobjective optimization tools is considered an asset.

The researcher is supported by and welcomed to join the Multiobjective Optimization Group at the Faculty of Information Technology. The Multiobjective Optimization Group develops interactive methods and open-source software for supporting decision making in the presence of multiple conflicting objective functions. Multiobjective optimization enables good decisions by utilizing the expertise of decision makers. The mission and focus are not only to understand the data and make forecasts based on data but to enable optimized recommendations and decisions based on the data by finding the best balance among the conflicting objective functions. This means applying decision analytics with multiobjective optimization.

The position offers excellent collaboration networks, as well as access to various types of data and decision-making processes. This is a unique opportunity to work with problems that really matter.

Candidates for the positions are required to have, by the end of the application period, a doctoral degree in a relevant field. Research methodological expertise on optimization and decision analytics, provided evidence of interdisciplinary research, and participation in interdisciplinary research projects, as well as practical experience or connections to welfare work are considered an advantage. Programming experience (in Python) would be an asset.

The duties, qualification requirements and language skills of a Postdoctoral Researcher are stipulated by the University of Jyväskylä Regulations and language skills guidelines. The qualification requirements must be met by the closing of the application time. Excellent command of Finnish or English is required for this position. 

What does the University of Jyväskylä offer as an employer?

At the University of Jyväskylä you are a recognized member of our community with a unique opportunity to influence international research. You get to participate in our international and multi-science community where the welfare of each individual is important. 

Finland has a high standard of living, with free schooling (also in English), affordable childcare, good family benefits, and healthcare. Jyväskylä is located in central Finland in the Finnish Lakeland, and has excellent opportunities for different nature, outdoor, and sports activities. The city of Jyväskylä is a major educational center and the city has a large student population. As such there is a vibrant cultural scene in the city. At Jyväskylä we offer a great and lively university campus area with opportunities to maintain an active and healthy lifestyle. To find useful information about the University of Jyväskylä, the City of Jyväskylä and living in Finland, see the International Staff Guide.

Salary

The salary of a successful candidate will be based on level 5-6 of the job requirement scheme for teaching and research staff in the salary system of Finnish universities. The starting gross salary will be between 3400—4100 EUR/month depending on the qualifications and experience of the candidate. A trial period of six months will be used in the beginning of the employment.

How to apply?

The following documents shall be attached to the online application form in English as PDF files (each attachment is named after the applicant):

1. Curriculum vitae (CV) which is to be written in accordance with good scientific practice and the following CV template: http://tenk.fi/en/advice-and-materials/template-researchers-curriculum-vitae. Please include the contact information of two academic references for recommendations;
2. A short application letter (“cover letter” on the application form);
3. List of publications with the 5 most important articles highlighted;
4. Research plan (max. 3 pages including key references), specifying how the research is linked to JYU.Well profiling actions in Focus Area 4;
5. Ph.D. degree certificate (a PDF copy).

For further information please contact:

Professor Kaisa Miettinen, kaisa.miettinen@jyu.fi, phone +358 503732247 (Multiobjective Optimization Group)

Research Director Katja Kokko, katja.r.kokko@jyu.fi, phone +358 408053500 (JYU.Well)