Postdoctoral Researcher in Health and Wellbeing impacts of Green Travel Environments

The Digital Geography Lab is an interdisciplinary research group at the Faculty of Science, focused on spatial big data analytics on a human scale to support the planning of fair and sustainable societies. Most of the Lab’s research uses people’s mobility and accessibility as a tool to understand the interactions between people, and people and their environment. As a postdoctoral researcher, you will benefit from the stimulating research environment of the University, Faculty of Science, Department of Geosciences and Geography, and the research lab that emphasises scientific rigor, creative and critical thinking, and mutual support and respect.

GREENTRAVEL (Greener Travel Environments for Everyone – from measured wellbeing impacts to Big Data analytics) is an ERC funded project that will operate within the Digital Geography Lab for 5 years, from the year 2023 onwards. The project team of five researchers will aim at producing further knowledge on the associations between green travel environments and wellbeing. Furthermore, they will inspect how equitably good travel environments are available for urban populations during the daily trips. The project will apply a broad variety of advanced methods including spatial big data analytics, experimentation in Virtual Reality and computer vision to produce knowledge that can advance the quality and sustainability of urban environments for all. The work is carried out in several cities. It starts from the Helsinki region and later expands to several other European cities including London and Berlin.

Faculty of Science invites applications for
POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCHER IN HEALTH AND WELLBEING IMPACTS OF GREEN TRAVEL ENVIRONMENTS
starting from February 2023, or as agreed, for a three-year fixed-term employment contract.

Description of the position

The postdoctoral researcher will focus on the wellbeing and health impacts of green travel environments. The research aims at finding out if and how varying types of greenery or other natural elements influence travel experience and wellbeing during daily urban travels, and if seasonal variation and geographical context matters. These questions will be studied through extensive surveys and controlled experimentation in VR and in real environments. The experimentation will involve exploration of a variety of methods of measuring wellbeing, stress and restoration, ranging from cortisol and heart rate variation measurements to analysis of facial micro-expressions and stated self-assessments. The postdoctoral researcher will have a key role in designing the surveys and the experimentations, and in analysing and interpreting the findings and writing up the research, in collaboration with the broader project group. Overall, the postdoctoral researcher is welcomed to take part in the Lab activities at large, and they may teach and supervise students in the Geography Master’s Programme.

Requirements and eligibility criteria

We seek for a postdoctoral researcher with a background in environmental health and/or environmental psychology and equipped with scientific curiosity. The postdoctoral researcher must hold a doctoral degree in a relevant field, and have the ability to conduct independent scientific research collaboratively in a multidisciplinary research environment.

A successful candidate is expected to have extensive experience in studying the associations between wellbeing and the environment, with a particular focus on greenery. Previous scientific work on urban greenery using surveys and onsite measurements is considered a merit.. We value experience of designing and conducting surveys and experimentations following transparent and ethical scientific practices. The candidate should have a proven record of excellent analytical and methodological skills to analyse measurement and survey data, and excellent capabilities to publish in scientific journals. We value good communication skills also to broader interest groups, preferably in several of the project languages (English, Finnish, German and Spanish).

To be hired with a title of postdoctoral researcher, the candidate’s doctoral degree must have been granted by the awarding institution prior to the date of the job interviews. Furthermore, the doctoral degree is expected to have been granted no more than five years prior to application (2017 or later). The five-year limit may be exceeded for particularly compelling reasons (for instance parental leave or military service) and is subject to negotiation.

University of Helsinki welcomes applicants from a variety of genders, linguistic and cultural backgrounds.

Salary and benefits

The starting salary of the postdoctoral researcher will be ca. 3400-3800 euros/month, depending on the appointees’ qualifications and experience. On top of the salary, the University of Helsinki
offers comprehensive services to its employees, including occupational health care, supported access to high quality sports facilities, and opportunities for professional development.

How to apply?

Please submit your application as a single pdf file, which includes the following documents in English:

• A motivation letter explaining your interest towards the post and highlighting your relevant experience
• Curriculum vitae, including a description of the methodological skills (max. 3 pages)
• List of publications (max. 2 pages)
• Other relevant documentation, such as scientific portfolio
• Names and contact details of one to three referees

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.

We will start processing the applications on the November 7th, 2022. The position will be filled once a suitable candidate is found. Deadline for the applications is November 20th, 2022.

More information?

For questions project and position related questions, please contact

• Professor Tuuli Toivonen ([email protected], or @TuuliToivonen on Twitter).

For experiences on the Digital Geography Lab as a work place, feel free to contact any of the lab members: https://www.helsinki.fi/en/researchgroups/digital-geography-lab/people-contact.