Tenure Track Assistant or Associate Professor or Full Professor, Mining Engineering, Faculty of Technology

We are now looking for an

Tenure Track Assistant Professor, Associate professor or Full Professor in Mining Engineering

to join us in the Faculty of Technology, Oulu Mining School Research Unit.

The Oulu Mining School (OMS) Research Unit is one of 12 research units within the Faculty of Technology. The Faculty of Technology operates in all the strategic focus areas of research at the University of Oulu. Researchers have active collaboration with companies, research institutes, and the public sector. External funding forms more than half of the total budget of the Faculty of Technology.

Oulu Mining School is an education and research unit in engineering and geosciences, whose main target is to significantly strengthen the University's expertise in natural resources and sustainability. Oulu Mining School gathers core disciplines of the mining value chain in the geosciences, geophysics, mining engineering, and mineral processing sectors. The OMS is committed to providing high-level evidence-based education in these disciplines at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Particular interest of the unit is related to specific problems related to sustainable mining in Arctic climate and weather conditions.

About the job

Research in the mining engineering group at Oulu Mining School covers mining systems, mining methods, rock drilling and boring, rock blasting, tunnelling, vibration reduction, rock support, rock mass classification, rock bursts and seismic events, mining safety and mining economy, energy efficiency, and resource recovery. The group collaborates with the other disciplines at Oulu Mining School, with the other research units at the University of Oulu, as well as industry and research organizations globally. The appointed professor will play a central role in fostering collaboration across disciplines in research, education, and innovation.

In this position, you will:

• Provide vision, leadership, and mentoring in the education and research of mining engineering at Oulu Mining School.
• Conduct and supervise scientific research at a high international level.
• Deliver both undergraduate and postgraduate teaching and thesis supervision, including lectures, practical teaching, and hands-on training in instrumentation, data processing, modelling, and inversion.
• Develop postgraduate training with a focus on professional activities and collaboration with major stakeholders.
• Build national and international research collaborations and secure external funding.

What we offer

• The support of an experienced and enthusiastic team of 40 people, with whom you can share your expertise and grow as an expert.
• Meaningful work with strong societal impact.
• A collaborative and multidisciplinary research and teaching environment.
• Excellent laboratory facilities of the Oulu Mining School Research Centre.
• Wellness benefit ePassi covering sport, culture, and well-being. Read more about other staff benefits.
• Work that matters and a workplace that promotes flexibility and work-life balance. Read more about working with us.
• We have an HR Excellence in Research -quality label, which is a recognition awarded by the European Commission for the development of researchers' working conditions and careers.
• Our Buddy Programme and Spouse Network support you and your close ones in settling into Oulu.
• If you are moving from abroad, we offer comprehensive relocation packages to support your smooth relocation to Oulu.
• Finland is one of the most livable countries in the world, with a high quality of life, safety, an excellent education system, and a competitive economy. Read more about living in Oulu.

Who are you?

You are an experienced specialist with a doctoral degree and practical experience in mining engineering and rock mechanics.

The top candidates undergo an evaluation by external experts and are required to reach a rating of "excellent" or "outstanding", both in the overall grade and in the category of "scientific excellence". In addition, top candidates are asked to give a teaching demonstration as part of the assessment of teaching skills. In the evaluation of teaching skills, the person selected for the tenure track position must achieve at least the grade "good" (3/5), and for a professor, must achieve at least the grade "very good" (4/5). All applicants will be notified during the selection process. Find out more about our tenure track system, entry criteria, evaluation procedure, and advancement on our careers website.

In order to succeed and enjoy the position, we require from you:

As an Assistant Professor:

• Doctoral degree in an applicable research field. To be eligible for a position as Assistant Professor, you must have received your doctoral degree not more than ten years ago.
• You must demonstrate the ability to engage in independent scientific research.
• Proven teaching skills required for the position.
• In addition, publications and other demonstrated abilities and motivation for a scientific career are required.
• Commitment to participate and organise practical work in mining areas.
• Fluency in English. The teaching language of Master's courses at OMS is English.

A good command of Finnish is considered an advantage, as Bachelor's-level courses are taught in Finnish, and knowledge of Finnish is useful for communication with industry specialists in Finland. If selected for the position, we recommend participating in courses to master the basics of Finnish.

When assessing the candidate's merits for the position of Assistant Professor, attention will be paid to scientific excellence, such as research outputs, research activities, international scientific activities and collaboration, supervision of undergraduate students, pedagogical competence, societal relevance, impact, and potential of scientific activities, and services for the academic community.

As an Associate Professor:

• Doctoral degree in an applicable research field.
• You must possess proof of scientific research and the teaching skills required for the post.
• You must have the ability to lead a research group.
• In addition, publications and other demonstrated abilities and motivation for a scientific career are required.
• We also required you to have sufficient and relevant experience in industry, international scientific work, and evidence of international cooperation.
• Commitment to participate and organise practical work in mining areas.
• Fluency in English. The teaching language of Master's courses at OMS is English.

A good command of Finnish is considered an advantage, as Bachelor's-level courses are taught in Finnish, and knowledge of Finnish is useful for communication with industry specialists in Finland. If selected for the position, we recommend participating in courses to master the basics of Finnish.

When assessing the candidate's merits for the position of Associate Professor, attention will be paid to scientific excellence, such as research outputs, research activities, acquisition of competitive research funds, international scientific activities and collaboration, teaching, supervision of undergraduate students and doctoral researchers, mentoring activities and pedagogical studies, societal relevance, impact and potential of scientific activities, services for the academic community and leadership skills.

As a Full Professor:

• Doctoral degree in a relevant field.
• Scientific or artistic competence of a high standard  
• Strong scientific competence with an international professor-level track record.
• Experience in the management of scientific research work.
• The ability to provide high-quality teaching based on research or artistic activity and supervise theses.  
• Proof of international cooperation within their field of research.
• Ability to act as an Academic Leader.
• Commitment to participate and organise practical work in mining areas.
• Fluency in English. The teaching language of Master's courses at OMS is English.

A good command of Finnish is considered an advantage, as Bachelor's-level courses are taught in Finnish, and knowledge of Finnish is useful for communication with industry specialists in Finland. If selected for the position, we recommend participating in courses to master the basics of Finnish.

When assessing the candidate's merits for the position of Full Professor, attention will be paid to the following merits:

• Scientific excellence: Research outputs, such as publications, research data, methods, scientific quality, openness, scientific renewal, and impact.
• Research activities, such as acquisition of competitive research funds, presentations, workshops and seminars, trans- or multidisciplinary, awards, honours.
• International scientific activities and collaboration.
• Teaching, supervision of undergraduate students and doctoral researchers, mentoring activities, and pedagogical studies.
• Societal relevance, impact, and potential of scientific activities, such as patents and inventions, stakeholder activities, expert work, science popularisation, promotion of the SDGs, and citizen science.
• Services for the academic community, such as peer review, editorial work, academic expert, and administrative tasks.
• Leadership and interaction skills.

Salary

Assistant or Associate Professor:

The position is fixed-term for 5 years as of 1.6.2026 or as soon as possible thereafter.

The salary will be based on the levels 6 - 7 of the demand level chart for teaching and research staff of Finnish universities. In addition, a salary component based on personal work performance will be paid (a maximum of 50 % of the job-specific component). The starting gross salary will be approx. 4600 - 5600 € per month (before taxes). A trial period of 6 months is applied for the position.

Full Professor:

The position is permanent as of 1.6.2026 or as soon as possible thereafter.

The salary will be based on the levels 8 -10 of the demand level chart for teaching and research staff of Finnish universities. In addition, a salary component based on personal work performance will be paid (a maximum of 50 % of the job-specific component). The starting gross salary will be approx. 6500 - 8700 € per month (before taxes). A trial period of 6 months is applied to the position.

How to apply?

Interested? If yes, please apply by 31.3.2026 (23:59 Finnish local time) through our recruitment system.

The application should be written in English and include the following:

1. Cover letter, stating the career level at which you would like to be evaluated, and including contact details of 2-4 persons available for recommendation.
2. CV following the guidelines of the Finnish Advisory Board on Research Integrity.
3. List of publications following the guidelines of the Research Council of Finland, with the ten most important ones marked
4. Brief account of research merits
5. Teaching portfolio (maximum five pages) containing:
   1. Teaching philosophy, teaching strategies, and methods
   2. A description of oneself as a teacher and an implementer of educational work
   3. Practical experience in teaching and efforts to improve teaching, digital teaching skills, and giving feedback, possible participation in continuous learning provision, and international educational collaboration
   4. Production and use of learning materials, including open educational resources
   5. Maintaining and developing one's own teaching and supervision competence; description of one's pedagogical training; the significance of research in maintaining and developing one's teaching and supervision competence
   6. Feedback received on teaching (student evaluations, peer evaluations, awards, and assessed test lectures)
   7. Vision for the development of one's teaching
6. Details regarding the acquisition of research funds
7. A brief research and action plan

All positions:
The selection process follows the University of Oulu tenure track guidelines and is carried out by a recruitment committee. The candidates are subjected to publication analyses based on their publication lists. The candidates who are considered most suitable by the recruitment committee will undergo an expert evaluation. Top candidates will also be invited to an on-site or remote interview and asked to give a teaching demonstration as part of the assessment of teaching skills. All applicants will be notified during the selection process.

We welcome applicants from all backgrounds, including people of different ages, genders, languages, cultures, and minority communities.

Contact Information

If you have any further questions, please contact the OMS Unit leader, Professor Saija Luukkanen, [email protected]. In practical issues, you can contact the secretary of the recruitment committee, Docent Satu Pitkäaho, [email protected].