Associate/full professor (tenure track) in nuclear power engineering

LUT School of Energy Systems is looking for a professor in nuclear power engineering.

The LUT School of Energy Systems promotes energy and resource efficiency and pursues the global decarbonization of energy processes. The core vision and goal of the school is to deliver leading research on low-carbon energy technologies and the associated complex, net-zero or even carbon-negative energy systems and markets. The research and education at the school cover energy technology, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering and sustainability science. LUT Nuclear Engineering Master’s program is a National Task specifically funded by the Ministry of Education and Culture.

The professorship is located at the Department of Energy Technology of the School of Energy Systems at LUT University. The focus area of the professorship is engineering of nuclear power generation for electricity, heat and chemicals. The appointed person is expected to put together and oversee a high-level academic research group.

The position is at the associate or full professor levels of the tenure track and will be filled through an open call for a fixed term of four years (associate professor) or permanently (full professor). The tenure track system offers researchers a possibility to advance to the next level, provided they meet the requirements in the promotion reviews. The position is based in Lappeenranta, Finland and starts with a six-month trial period.

The professorship’s fields of research include the following:

• nuclear power plant engineering, including commercial-scale nuclear reactors
• nuclear energy conversion process modelling, design and optimisation
• nuclear safety analysis methodologies in thermal-hydraulics, reactor physics and reactor dynamics 
• thermal hydraulics experimentation.

The main application areas are:

• safe and economic operation of current industrial-scale nuclear power plants
• resolving emerging issues related to availability or safety
• deployment of novel nuclear technologies beyond the current state of the art.

The candidates must present strong research achievements in at least one of the research fields and application areas above as well as proof of successful project work and research collaboration with research institutions and industry, which is crucial to the position. In addition, we require evidence of the management of an organisation and the acquisition of funding from competitive sources. Proof of and potential in high-impact international publishing are expected, as high-impact international research is one of the most important duties of professors at LUT University.

Practical experience in the field is considered an advantage in this position. Candidates must demonstrate in their application how they have collaborated with industry. Spoken and written fluency in English is required.

Only candidates from countries that have fully implemented the provisions of the international nuclear non-proliferation treaty and its additional protocols can be considered for this position.

The duties of the professor include giving and/or overseeing basic and advanced education in nuclear technology. Teaching in Finnish is not required. The duties related to the field of research include the following:

• high-impact international research
• planning and implementation of bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral education
• supervision of final theses and doctoral studies
• preparation of national and international research and education projects
• acquisition of research funding
• increasing public awareness of nuclear power in a way that benefits society
• taking part in the preparation of projects in other LUT units as an expert
• general administrative work related to the university's operation.
• cost-conscious leadership and project management
• close collaboration and interaction with businesses in the field.

The appointment process description explains the qualification requirements and tenure track appointment criteria.

All application documents must be in English and in PDF format. The application must include:

• a curriculum vitae (max. 10 pages)
• a copy of the candidate's doctoral diploma
• a full list of publications including the candidate’s Scopus and Google Scholar details: the Scopus ID and Google Scholar profile URL, the total number of publications, the total number of citations, and h-indices
• a separate list of the 10 publications selected for expert evaluation
• the 10 publications mentioned above
• a teaching portfolio or an equivalent account of the candidate’s teaching qualifications
• an account of the candidate's merits and activities of significance to the vacancy (max. 3 pages)
• an account of the candidate’s vision on the development of education, research and projects in the field of the professorship at LUT University (max. 3 pages).

Please specify the tenure track level applied to.

The salary is determined according to the salary system for university teaching and research personnel. The pay will include an individual pay component based on performance and competence. The annual gross salary for an associate professor is approximately 66 300 euros and full professor 69 000 – 102 200 euros depending on the qualifications and experience of the candidate. In addition to a competitive salary, the wide range of benefits that come with this job include a holiday bonus, a generous holiday entitlement, research incentive scheme with personal rewards for high quality publications, flexible working hours, occupational health care, a collegial faculty environment and continued commitment for your support, learning, training and development.

The closing date for applications is 31 May at 14:00, Finnish local time (UTC + 3h). Please submit your application and all required attachments by filling out the online form.

For further information, please contact Professor Juhani Hyvärinen, +358 50 524 1512, juhani.hyvarinen@lut.fi.

Read more about the Department of Energy Technology.

Read more about the LUT School of Energy Systems.

LUT University | Clean energy, water and air are life-giving resources for which we at LUT University seek new solutions with our expertise in technology, business and social sciences. We help society and businesses in their sustainable renewal. Our international community consists of over 9,000 members. Our campuses are in Lappeenranta and Lahti, Finland. We are one of the world's top universities for climate action. lut.fi/en

Technical support for using the recruitment system: recruitment@lut.fi.