Professor, Sustainable Large-scale Implementation of Wind and Solar Power

Aalto University is where science and art meet technology and business. We shape a sustainable future by making research breakthroughs in and across our disciplines, sparking the game changers of tomorrow and creating novel solutions to major global challenges. Our community is made up of 13 000 students, 400 professors and close to 4 500 other faculty and staff working on our dynamic campus in Espoo, Greater Helsinki, Finland. Diversity is part of who we are, and 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 https://www.aalto.fi/en/school-of-engineering .

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

Assistant or Associate Professor, Sustainable Large-Scale Implementation of Wind and Solar Power (Tenure Track)

The ongoing green energy transition away from fossil fuels is urgently needed and requires us to actively push our current climate, land, food, water, energy, and other systems back to within their planetary boundaries. Efforts for one system may, however, have direct or indirect impacts on another, and it is thus critical to consider the impacts of large-scale deployment of renewables has on, for example, land use and energy landscapes, critical materials demand, social equality, and biodiversity – before they become the bottlenecks of the rate of energy transition.

The aim of the position is to create knowledge to help energy industry and society understand how to implement urgently required sustainable and renewable energy systems, to secure the needed reduction of CO2 emissions, and at the same time, minimize the negative impacts on nature, society, and climate. As a concrete example of the magnitude of our national efforts, Finland aims to be leader in EU by a share of 10-15% green hydrogen and e-fuels, requiring more than 50 GW of new wind power to be installed, which requires a significant share of the land, in the order of 10000-15000 km2 (e.g. in terms of comparison, the arable land area is ~22000 km2).

We need to develop sustainable solutions for the siting of wind and solar PV power plants, requiring competences to understand and analyze spatially and temporally variable systems using modeling, optimization and even AI-based methods as example tools. For example, AI could be applied in wind and solar power development for example, in analyzing large data systems of wind and solar data, land-use analysis, multi-criteria optimization, operation and maintenance, understanding and how to increase the lifetime and recycling of the wind and solar power plants.

The TT-position core background education is on energy engineering, however, applied geography and/or applied ecology are appreciated skills, namely with a strong focus on environmental and nature impact assessment, sustainability analysis, LCA-analysis, land-use analysis, or spatial-temporal analysis in the case of large-scale renewable energy systems. Willingness to learn, and ability for close collaboration with multidisciplinary networks will be needed.

Key focus areas of the position are not the research on bioenergy, material research on wind or solar PV systems, computational fluid mechanics, or electrical power engineering aspects of power generation, such as grid integration. However, your previous experience on these themes can be a positive addition to be considered in the selection process if they have a clear connection the large-scale implementation and sustainability. Please make a proposal how you plan to utilize these competences in practice if you are selected and describe these both in your research and teaching plans.

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 programs with a typical teaching load of about three courses per year.

The position will be filled at the Assistant or Associate Professor levels. The position will be located at the Aalto University Campus in Otaniemi, Espoo.

Your experience and ambitions

We are looking for applicants with 

• A positive, solution based “We can engineer it!” attitude.
• A doctorate in the scientific area of energy engineering, with focus on the sustainable integration of renewable energy technologies into society and energy system with one, or more, of the following fields: land-use analysis, large-scale data processing, multi-criteria optimisation, geography, impact on nature including ecology, environmental impact assessment, LCA-analysis, circularity and sustainability analysis.
• As possible tools, we value experience in modeling, simulation and optimization, or the experience in GIScience- or AI-based tools in your research.
• A proven ability and passion to carry out high-quality research and publish in top venues of the discipline.
• Potential to attract research funding and build up your own research team.
• An interest and capability to collaborate with industry.
• Already existing (or a proven ability to build) high-level multidisciplinary (including, e.g., engineering-ecology-social sciences-economics) international collaboration network.
• Motivation to teach at undergraduate and/or graduate levels.

We offer 

• an extremely active and motivated research group and inspiring working environment
• a competitive benefits package including access to healthcare
• start-up funding and grant writing support to help you establish your own team
• excellent multi-disciplinary collaboration possibilities within the university
• great future in one of the happiest, cleanest and safest countries in the world, with comprehensive social security system and free education up to university level

​Aalto tenure track

The position is a tenure track position. Individuals appointed to the tenure track have the opportunity to conduct research and/or artistic work and teach in order to build academic merits towards qualifying for an appointment to a tenured position.

Since 2010, the tenure track has attracted a wide range of international applicants, giving Aalto University the possibility of recruiting top experts and young talent to join the Aalto University community.

Throughout their careers, those in the tenure track system are expected to conduct and supervise artistic/scientific research and/or artistic/design work, to provide related academic education, contribute to developing their field or discipline, as well as contribute to academic service the university and beyond in the society. For more information on the tenure track system of Aalto University, please see https://www.aalto.fi/en/tenure-track .

Aalto University has been awarded with HR Excellence in Research quality label in European Commission, guaranteeing that we adhere to top quality HR practices in both recruitment and employment relations.

Scientific environment

Department of Energy and Mechanical Engineering (EME)

Aalto University 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.(See https://www.aalto.fi/en/department-of-energy-and-mechanical-engineering )

Research group

The position will be filled in the Energy Conversion and Systems research group of the Department of Energy and Mechanical Engineering. https://www.aalto.fi/en/department-of-energy-and-mechanical-engineering/energy-conversion-and-systems .

The group works on energy conversion technologies and energy systems research with focus on renewable energy, carbon neutrality and low environmental impact of energy technologies. We have an active team of 10 Tenure Track professors (will increase with this position to 11 by 2025), 4 Professors of Practice, 4 Lecturers, 19 Post-Docs, and more than 50 doctoral students focusing on various applications in energy conversion, including P2X2P applications, energy storage, sustainable and carbon free combustion applications, CCUS solutions, HVAC systems, optimization, energy systems and markets and advanced CFD methods with topics including clean combustion and multiphase flows. The Energy Conversion and Systems Research Group collaborates extensively with industrial and academic partners in research projects and participates in many international collaboration projects, see some examples below.

https://www.aalto.fi/en/news/joint-project-seeks-low-emission-industrial-solutions , 

https://www.aalto.fi/en/news/bjorn-savens-donation-to-aalto-university-makes-a-significant-contribution-to-hydrogen , and

https://circularfuels.eu/

The Energy Conversion and Systems research group has an active role in offering several courses in energy engineering. Everyone in the group is participating both in teaching and in research. The research group is in charge of the Aalto wide Master’s Programme Advanced Energy Solutions and an active partner Environomical Pathways for Sustainable Energy Systems Master’s programs and Nordic5Tech’s Innovative Sustainable Energy Engineering Master’s Program. As a member of our team, you will also be an important member of our teaching community.

https://www.aalto.fi/en/study-options/masters-programme-in-advanced-energy-solutions-sustainable-energy-conversion .

How to apply

Please submit your application latest on 20.5.2025, through our recruiting system by using the "Apply! " link in the portal. (If you are already working at Aalto, please apply via our internal system Workday -> Find Jobs.)

Please include the following pdf documents in English:

• Motivation letter
• Curriculum vitae - Please use the template  (opens in new window) recommended by The Finnish Advisory Board on Research Integrity (TENK).
• Research portfolio - For instructions, visit Policies and Procedures -document, page 25 .
• Copies of the five most significant (recent, within 5 years) publications and justification for significance in these five publications and your role in them described
• Teaching portfolio - See Teaching portfolio guidelines for candidate  (pdf)

If necessary, shortlist candidates will be asked for references' contact information.

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

More information

If you wish to hear more about the position or us, please contact group leader Professor Mika Järvinen, [email protected]. In case you have questions related to the recruitment process, please contact HR Partner Anna-Maija Harju, [email protected].

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

About Aalto University, Helsinki and Finnish society

At Aalto, high-quality research, art, education and entrepreneurship are promoted hand in hand. Disciplinary excellence is combined with multidisciplinary activities, engaging both students and the local innovation ecosystem. Our main campus is quickly transforming into an open collaboration hub that encourages encounters between students, researchers, industry, startups and other partners. Aalto University was founded in 2010 as three leading Finnish universities, Helsinki University of Technology, the Helsinki School of Economics and the University of Art and Design Helsinki, were merged to strengthen Finland’s innovative capability. Our vision is to shape a sustainable future.

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