The Faculty of Science invites applications for a

POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCHER IN MODELLING THERMOCHRONOMETER DATA
starting from January 2025 or as agreed. The Postoctoral Researcher will be offered a fully funded contract of up to 2 years.

Position description

The selected applicant will work as a part of the research project “EXploiting Thermochronometer sensitivity to RAdiation damage to quantify rates of Craton exhumation through Time (EXTRACT)” funded by the Research Council of Finland. The project aims to quantify long-term rates of craton exhumation using thermochronological analyses of bedrock samples collected at a variety of study sites across Finland.

Recent research presents contrasting views on the burial and exhumation history of Fennoscandia, suggesting exhumation may be continuous and extremely slow or punctuated with periods of burial and removal of kilometres of sediment. The project will take advantage of the changes in temperature sensitivity of certain thermochronometers resulting from exposure to natural radiation over time in combination with newly developed inverse numerical modelling software to quantify rates of exhumation across the Fennoscandian shield. The new ages and exhumation rate calculations will be used to explore a variety of possible drivers of burial and exhumation and whether it is possible to measure rates of evolution of various landscape features.

The focus of this postdoctoral researcher position is to contribute to developing software for thermochronometer age interpretation and data inversion. The postdoctoral researcher will work with the Tc1D software (https://github.com/HUGG/TC1D/), developed by the Helsinki University Geodynamics Group, to implement methods for simultaneous inversion of multiple single-crystal ages from bedrock samples to delineate possible cooling histories. In addition, they will have opportunities to link data interpretations to geodynamic models to explore possible drivers of cooling and exhumation recorded in the project age data (and possibly other datasets from similar tectonic settings).

Working as a postdoctoral researcher

The postdoctoral researcher is expected to:

• Develop and apply software for thermochronometer data inversion

• Advance the research project together with the project team

Contribute to the broader activities of the research group including supervision of students and modest contributions to teaching (no more than 1 course per year)

Requirements and eligibility criteria

The postdoctoral researcher must have a doctoral degree in geology, geophysics, or a related field. It is expected that applicants have experience with programming and using numerical models to interpret thermochronometer (or similar) data. Ideally, the candidate will also have experience programming in Python and the use of methods for data-driven inverse modelling (including machine learning approaches). Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English are also expected.

The University of Helsinki welcomes applicants from all genders, linguistic, and cultural backgrounds.

Salary and benefits

The starting salary of the postdoctoral researcher will be ca. 3700 - 3900 euros/month, depending on the appointees’ qualifications and experience. The University of Helsinki offers comprehensive services to its employees, including occupational healthcare, support in access to high quality sports facilities, and vast opportunities for professional development.

Finland is a member of the EU, has high quality free schooling (also in English), generous family benefits and healthcare, and was recently ranked as the happiest country in the world for the 7th year in a row. Finland and the Helsinki region possess top expertise in sciences in terms of a vibrant talent pool, leading research, strong support services and functioning collaboration networks. For more information about working at the University of Helsinki and living in Finland, please see https://www.helsinki.fi/en/about-us/careers.

How to apply

Please submit your application, which includes the following PDF-documents in English:

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

Applicants who have a helsinki.fi username and a valid employment/grant/visitor contract at the University of Helsinki are requested to submit their application via the Employee login button.

The deadline for applications is 4 October 2024.

More information?
More information about the Geodynamics group can be found on their website at https://www.helsinki.fi/geodynamics.

For project- and position-related questions, please contact

If you need support with the recruitment system, please contact hr-kumpula(at)helsinki.fi

The Department of Geosciences and Geography at the Faculty of Science is the leading research and education unit in its field in Finland. In addition to research in geology, geophysics and geography, research into seismology and official duties in the field of seismology is carried out at the department.

The University of Helsinki is an international scientific community of 40,000 students and researchers. It is one of the leading multidisciplinary research universities and ranks among the top 100 international universities in the world.