Professor of Hydrobiology at the career level of Associate Professor

8 Jul 2025

Job Information

Organisation/Company: Estonian University of Life Sciences
Department: Institute of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Chair of Hydrobiology and Fisheries
Research Field: Environmental science » Water science
Researcher Profile: Established Researcher (R3)
Positions: Other Positions
Country: Estonia
Application Deadline: 15 Sep 2025 - 23:59 (Europe/Tallinn)
Type of Contract: Permanent
Job Status: Full-time
Hours Per Week: 40
Offer Starting Date: 1 Jan 2026
Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme?: Not funded by a EU programme
Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure?: No

Offer Description

Duties and responsibilities

Research and development at an international level in the field of aquatic ecology, focusing specifically on the functioning of the microbial loop under various conditions and identifying the organisms involved.
Teaching and research on the relationships between microbial loop organisms (heterotrophic flagellates, ciliates, amoebae) and higher trophic levels, including fish juveniles.
International-level scientific research on changes in the species composition of protozoa, multicellular zooplankton, and fish larvae in water bodies, the feeding of metazooplankton and fish larvae on microbial loop organisms, and the interrelationships between these processes.
Conducting research and developmental activities at an international level (in various climate zones) to understand the behaviour of aquatic food chains under different environmental conditions and their impact on the productivity of water bodies.
Teaching in Estonian on courses such as Fish Diet (3 ECT) and Applied Hydrobiology (18 ECT).
Supervising students and faculty.

Up to 40% of the total workload involves teaching at one or more levels of higher education, supervising bachelor's, master's, and doctoral students, preparing teaching materials and methodological resources, supervising staff involved in teaching subjects in the current field, and enhancing the skills and knowledge necessary for teaching and research.

At least 40% of the total workload involves research and development at an international level (equivalent to at least two doctoral theses over the past five years), supervising the research of younger academic researchers, applying for and implementing research projects, developing cooperation with researchers from other universities and research institutions, disseminating research results, and seeking application opportunities in collaboration with the public and private sectors, as well as enhancing the skills and knowledge necessary for research.

The remaining work time is divided between organizational and administrative tasks, including participating in the work of the university's collegial decision-making bodies and committees, participating in the work of external academic and administrative bodies and committees, actively providing advice related to their field, popularizing their field, and organizing scientific conferences and seminars.

Where to apply

E-mail: konkurss@emu.ee

Requirements

Research Field: Environmental science » Water science
Education Level: PhD or equivalent

Skills/Qualifications

Required education level

Doctoral degree or an equivalent qualification in the field of Hydrobiology

Required experience

Teaching experience in higher education, including supervising master's and doctoral theses.
Knowledge of teaching materials and methodologies.
Recognized research at an international level in the relevant or closely related field, with a volume comparable to at least two doctoral theses.
Experience participating in international research and applied projects.

Required Language skills

English language proficiency at level C1 – advanced level (understands complex texts; expresses ideas smoothly and precisely; writes structured and meaningful texts)
Estonian language proficiency at level B2 – upper-intermediate level (understands more complex texts; communicates fluently and actively; writes clear texts on various topics)
An academic staff member with an indefinite employment contract who does not speak Estonian must acquire Estonian language proficiency at the B1 level (CEFR) within three years and at the B2 level within five years.

Languages: ENGLISH
Level: Excellent

Languages: ESTONIAN
Level: Good

Research Field: Environmental science » Water science
Years of Research Experience: 4 - 10

Additional Information

Selection process

To participate in the competition, candidates are required to submit the following documents by e-mail to konkurss@emu.ee by September 15, 2025:

an application to the Rector;
a copy of the document certifying education and/or academic degree;
CV (curriculum vitae) and a structured list of scientific publications of recent ten years, in the Estonian Research Information System (ETIS) standard format (up to ten significant publications from the earlier period may be included at will); information on academic work and in-service training done within five recent years shall be enclosed with the CV;
the candidate for the position of Professor shall submit motivation letter reflecting the candidate’s vision about the development of this specific research field and related international cooperation in the university, and the measures that the candidate is going to take for increasing the level of research and teaching in the field (max 1500 words);
Researcher ID / ORCID / Google Scholar reference;
other relevant materials at the discretion of the applicant.

Application documents shall be submitted in Estonian or in English. The candidate for the position of a professor shall submit the application documents in Estonian and English. As an exception, application documents may be submitted in English only, if Estonian is not expected from the position holder. The documents shall be submitted in the written form by e-mail to konkurss@emu.ee.

In case the applicant has obtained higher education in a foreign country, the University will ask for an assessment from the academic recognition information centre (Estonian ENIC/NARIC Centre) on the conformity of the qualification of the applicant to the qualifications required in the position.

For candidates who apply for the position of Professor for the first time it is mandatory to present a public lecture (venia legendi), in case they have not done it earlier.

The Estonian University of Life Sciences values diversity and encourages applications from individuals regardless of their gender or sexual identity, ethnic or religious background, age, or disability.

Further information: HR Chief Specialist, e-mail konkurss@emu.ee.

Additional comments

Further information

Alo Laas

Associate Professor in Hydrobiology (Interim Chair)

Institute of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences

Chair of Hydrobiology and Fisheries

alo.laas@emu.ee

Useful links

Academic Staff Positions in Estonian University of Life Sciences

European Framework for Researcher Careers profiles

Personal Data Processing Procedure at Estonian University of Life Sciences