Assistant or Associate Professor, Resilience of Energy Systems

Aalto University is where science and art meet technology and business. We shape a sustainable future by sparking the game changers of tomorrow and by creating novel solutions to major global challenges. Our community is made up of 13,000 students, 400 professors and close to 4 500 other staff members working on our vibrant campus in Espoo, Greater Helsinki, Finland. We actively work to ensure our community’s diversity and inclusiveness. This is why we warmly encourage qualified candidates from all backgrounds to join our community. 

The School of Engineering drives science and innovation in industrial and built environment technologies. We are committed to educating a new generation of experts who combine technical excellence with a deep understanding of sustainable development in shaping societies. Our research focuses on sustainable built environment, mechanics and materials, multidisciplinary energy technology, and design and implementation of technical systems. The strength of our school lies in close collaboration with stakeholders across research and education. About 45 doctoral candidates and 350 master’s students graduate from the school every year. The school is home to 700 staff members, including 70 professors. To learn more, please visit eng.aalto.fi.

The Department of Energy and Mechanical Engineering at the Aalto University School of Engineering invites applications for

Assistant or Associate Professor, Resilience of Energy Systems (tenure track)

The Department of Energy and Mechanical Engineering is a community of around 300 staff members – including 30 tenure track professors – assembled to research, teach, create, and develop solutions for society’s needs. Key research areas include marine and arctic technology; energy technologies and systems; mechanical systems and mechatronics; and materials, manufacturing, and product development. We have strong links to industry, creating lasting impact in both business and society.

We are now looking for an assistant or associate professor that will be placed in the Energy Conversion and Systems research group at the Department of Energy and Mechanical Engineering. In this position you can make a large visible impact by advancing understanding of robust and resilient sustainable energy systems. Join us in shaping the future!

As a tenure-track faculty member, you are expected to complement the expertise of the current faculty by bringing new ideas and perspectives into our community. You are also expected to teach in our study programmes with a typical teaching load of about two or three courses per year, thesis supervision at the B.Sc., M.Sc., and D.Sc. levels, and have activities at the curriculum development. You also have a proven record of working with industrial partners as well as with students.

The position will be located at the Aalto University Campus in Otaniemi, Espoo.

In addition to holistic competences in energy technologies and energy systems, we look for a candidate with demonstrated ability to translate scientific research to practical level solutions to support energy system policymaking and innovation on as many as possible of the following topics:

• Large-scale energy systems security, robustness and resilience in clean energy transition

• Assessment of decarbonized energy systems, including for example electrified transportation and heating

• Methodological contributions for assessing and enhancing energy system resilience

Your role and goals

• Leadership in energy systems research and raising funds for your team, as you will establish your own research tea

• Supervising doctoral master’s and Bachelor students (often with company partners)

• Responsible teacher for courses mostly targeting the field of energy conversion and systems

• Participating in missions and support of the operation of the Department of Energy and Mechanical Engineering and the School of Engineering, within the scope of the tenure track professorship career, and in balance with the individual plans for research, education and impact

Your network and team

Co-creation with other Aalto University stakeholders crossing the school borders is a particular characteristic for this position. The Energy Conversion and Systems research group collaborates a lot with academics in engineering of energy technology and in designing sustainable energy systems. The research group is partner in two projects of the Just Energy programme of the Strategic Research Instrument of the Research Council of Finland. The group is also partner in several EU Horizon projects and in Nordic level research.

Your experience and ambitions

We are eagerly looking for a candidate, whose research interest includes research of engineering grand challenges. An ideal candidate, with a relevant doctoral degree, has experience in cooperation with company partners and wide understanding and demonstrated capability to cooperate with various stakeholders. Your publications preferably demonstrate a strong focus on design of resilient energy systems and show evidence of your ability to translate scientific research to practical level solutions and innovations.

The traditional field of energy and mechanical engineering undergoes constant change as it is used to revolutionize the modern world and how we see it. Reducing efficiently greenhouse gases emissions from large-scale energy systems is an urgent global challenge. You are expected to have high-quality research experience on for example international energy markets, electricity markets or national or multinational energy system level transformation towards carbon neutral solutions, considering economic and resilience aspects. Merits which are limited to purely electrical engineering do not suffice. Experience of directly supporting policymaking with your research results and working together with companies in your research projects are considered assets.

We are also looking for a passioned educator, and we can’t highlight too much the importance of teaching and learning activities within the field. In the long term your work will have a social impact also in wider perspective.

As a summary, we have an interesting position for an outgoing young academic, who is able to network with Finnish industries and the academic community at Aalto University and beyond. However, for the right candidate the best part of the job is working with our students and staff.  

What we offer

Aalto University provides an inspiring environment for the growth of young talents. Our university has several, globally highly ranked fields of expertise and it is one of the most international universities.

This position belongs to our tenure track system (https://www.aalto.fi/en/tenure-track) and will be filled to the assistant or associate professor level. Please read more about our tenure track evaluation criteria and requirements at https://www.aalto.fi/en/services/tenure-track-evaluation-criteria.

The salary is based on Aalto University salary system, but you can also provide your own salary request.

Ready to apply?

Please submit your application by October 19, 2025 through our recruiting system by using the "Apply now!" link. Please include the following documents in English as one pdf file:  

• Motivation letter

• Curriculum vitae - Please use the template (opens in new window) recommended by The Finnish Advisory Board on Research Integrity (TENK)

• Research work portfolio - For instructions, visit Policies and Procedures -document, page 24

• The list of publications (with five most significant publications highlighted)

• Copies of the five most significant publications and justification for significance in these five publications and your role in them described

• Teaching portfolio - See Teaching portfolio guidelines for candidate (pdf)

General instructions for applicants including language requirements and guidelines for compiling the teaching portfolio and CV are at https://www.aalto.fi/tenure-track/interested-in-joining-our-tenure-track.

Please note: Aalto University’s employees should apply for the position via our internal HR system Workday (Internal Jobs) by using their existing Workday user account (not via the external webpage for open positions). If you are a student or visitor at Aalto University, please apply with your personal email address (not aalto.fi) via Aalto University open positions.

For more information

If you wish to hear more about the position, you can reach out to professor Sanna Syri, sanna.syri(at)aalto.fi. (on holiday 13. -19 October) In case you have questions related to the recruitment process, please contact HR Advisor  Anna-Maija Harju, anna-maija.harju(at)aalto.fi.

Aalto University reserves the right for justified reasons to leave the position open or to extend the application period. 

We will go through applications, and we may invite suitable candidates to interview already during the application period. You will hear from us the latest in the first/second/third week of Month. We aim to have a transparent and equal recruitment process, so feel free to ask us for feedback.Want to know more about us and your future colleagues? You can watch these videos:

This is Aalto University!
Aalto University – Towards a better world
and Shaping a Sustainable Future.
 

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About Finland

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