Project Researcher / Doctoral Researcher Position in a Project on Forest Biodiversity at the Catchm
About this role
The Department of Geography and Geology at the Faculty of Science, University of Turku, invites applications for a fixed-term Project Researcher / Doctoral Researcher position (48 months), starting no earlier than 1 November 2026, or as agreed.
The Project Researcher / Doctoral Researcher will work within the Towards more Biodiverse and Efficient Logging and Defence Operations (BiodiLogDef) project funded by Business Finland and the Digital Waters Flagship (DIWA). Within the BiodiLogDef project, the research will focus particularly on developing indicators of forest biodiversity using novel remote sensing methods. Within the Digital Waters Flagship, the research will investigate the effects of forest biodiversity on the hydrological cycle at the catchment scale.
The position will be based at the Department of Geography and Geology as part of the BiodiLogDef project and the Digital Waters (DIWA) Flagship (digitalwaters.fi). In the BiodiLogDef project, the work is carried out in close collaboration with the Departments of Biology (Prof. Toni Laaksonen) and Biodiversity Sciences (Prof. Ilari Sääksjärvi).
Job description
The successful candidate will work particularly on the following research themes:
Development of indicators describing forest biodiversity
Processing and management of remote sensing data, particularly lidar datasets
The role of vegetation cover in the hydrological cycle at the catchment scale
Who we are looking for
The position is intended for an early-career researcher who has not yet completed a doctoral degree. Eligibility requirements for Project Researchers and Doctoral Researchers are defined in the Regulations of the University of Turku.
We expect applicants to have:
A suitable Master's degree (e.g. in natural sciences, engineering, data science, or a related field). The degree must be completed by the end of the application period.
Ability to work collaboratively in a multidisciplinary research team.
Competence in applying statistical met