Curator, Systematics of Vascular Plants
The curator will be a member of the Vascular Plants Team (c. 20 persons) of the Botany Unit. The team manages the herbarium collections of vascular plants (1.8 M specimens) and algae (22 000 specimens), carries out research on these groups, and takes part in mapping the Finnish flora. The team is also responsible of the curation of the living collections in the two botanic gardens and the seed bank of endangered taxa. The team carries out research especially in the fields of taxonomy, systematics, and conservation biology of vascular plants.
The Finnish Museum of Natural History Luomus is an independent institute of the University of Helsinki, which is constituted to keep, augment, and display the national natural history collections, and to carry out research and teaching related to these. The Botany Unit of Luomus is responsible for the herbarium collections of plants and fungi, and the living collections of the national botanic gardens and the seed bank of threatened plants. The Unit carries out research in systematics, biogeography, and conservation biology, and has a staff of c. 70.
The curator will carry out independent research especially in molecular systematics of plants. His/her duties include the management of the scientific collections (botanic gardens, herbarium, and the seed bank) in collaboration with the other team members. The curator will participate in the museum’s tasks related to societal interaction. The curator is expected to be active in the acquisition of external funding, in supervising students and junior colleagues, and in leading his/her own research group. The duties include an annual average teaching load of two ECT credits.
The curator must hold a doctoral degree, have an international publication record demonstrating competence in research, and possess sufficient teaching skills. Proven success in obtaining external funding, experience in working with scientific collections and in leading a research group, participation in university-level teaching and supervision, international networking, good species identification skills, readiness for societal interaction, and a positive attitude toward teamwork are considered further assets.
The official languages of the University are Finnish and Swedish. Applicants of non-Finnish origin may be exempt from formal language requirements. Proficiency in English is essential.
Applicants should enclose with their applications a CV, list of publications or an academic portfolio containing the same information and a research plan (max 5 pages), as well as any other documents that demonstrate their merits. Applicants should provide the contact details of two referees.
Applications should be addressed to the Director of the Finnish Museum of Natural History, and they must be submitted, together with the required enclosures, to the address: Registrar of the University of Helsinki, P.O. BOX 33 (Yliopistonkatu 4), 00014 UNIVERSITY OF HELSINKI, Finland, or by e-mail to hy-kirjaamo@helsinki.fi.
The deadline for applications is 22 April 2014. The Registry closes at 15.45 local Helsinki time.
Further information about the duties and salary can be obtained from Dr Marko Hyvärinen, Director of the Botany Unit, email: marko.hyvarinen@helsinki.fi.
