Are you interested in modelling pathways towards carbon-neutral societies and looking for a new job opportunity in the field? Do you want to build an excellent science career and work at the interface of academy, public sector, and industry? VTT might be just the place for you.

VTT is one of the leading applied research organisations in Europe. What unites us are curiosity, a passion for learning, and a purpose: to solve the biggest challenges of our time and turn them into sustainable growth and well-being. Our cross-disciplinary community of over 2000 brilliant minds focuses on creating impact through science-based innovation. Get to know us further by exploring VTT's tech & infra.

We are now looking for Research or Senior Scientist to join our Energy transition team!

As a Research or Senior Scientist, your key goals are to support decision-making towards carbon-neutral societies with quantitative impact assessments. In this position, you will have an essential role in medium and long-term scenario modelling of energy systems and climate change mitigation using global and/or European TIMES-VTT Integrated Assessment Modelling framework. In our energy system modelling we are also creating new excellence by combining different disciplines and their interaction to tackle complexity and uncertainties.

Our team, Energy transition, supports decision making. We are an interdisciplinary research team of 19 professionals, and we combine quantitative and qualitative analysis methods in analysing technical and social change. Our mission is to solve global challenges in climate change, environment, and social well-being through comprehensive analysis of future systems. The team is part of the Energy research area, that drives technologies and solutions for energy transition and industrial de-carbonisation: hydrogen, electrification, CCSU and power systems, as well as digitally powered fast scaleup and systemic solutions supporting clean transition.

Your responsibilities as a Research or Senior Scientist:

• Medium and long-term scenario modelling using global and/or European TIMES-VTT integrated assessment model in addition to model development to respond to future needs
• Collect, structure, and analyse large datasets with relevance for energy, economy, environment, and society
• Learn and develop energy system modelling tools using the GAMS modelling language
• Collaboration with VTT’s research teams, other research organisations, and national and international stakeholders
• Project preparation and project management
• Reporting of the project results and outcomes in selected formats, including written reports in English, policy briefs, and selected international scientific journals.

Who we are looking for:

• An enthusiastic talent with a Master's or PhD degree in a relevant substance area, such as systems analysis, energy economics, applied mathematics, engineering, or other relevant field.
• Previous experience in Integrated Assessment Modelling by TIMES, MARKAL, MESSAGE, or some other similar model.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities and eagerness to learn more.
• Experience in energy systems modelling or a related field with proven programming skills in e.g. GAMS and Python
• Excellent oral and written communication skills in English. Knowledge of Finnish language (written and spoken) is an advantage.

As a person, we hope that you are:

• Capable to see the big picture with the ability to learn new things continuously
• You have a strong passion for work with global grand challenges
• Capable of working in a proactive, flexible, and independent manner, and have the willingness to collaborate with experts and partners across different fields and disciplines
• An open-minded and innovative person with a vision of longer-term research needs
• You are eager to work with new topics and methods, even out of your comfort zone to achieve the set ambitious goals.

What we offer you:

• Visionary work in technology. We offer positions at the cutting-edge of technology and engineering, from next-generation microelectronics and quantum technology to automation and robotics, energy systems, and more. Our research agenda is dedicated to creating sustainable growth by solving systemic and technological challenges, so your work will go towards creating a real, positive impact. Read more about our strategy – the path of exponential hope.
• Fascinating projects, excellent research environment. Our researchers get to work on a combination of cutting-edge academic research and applied customer projects locally and internationally. At VTT, you'll have state-of-the-art research facilities, such as Micronova, the Finnish research infrastructure for micro-, nano-, and quantum technologies.  
• Great career opportunities, superb colleagues. At VTT, excellence in research is a strategic priority. We offer long-term positions and stable career paths in top-level research. People tend to stay with us for over ten years since there are always new roles and responsibilities to grow into. Collaborating in a cross-disciplinary community with superb colleagues is a source of learning, inspiration, and fun. Read more about our organisational culture as the builder of the world's most meaningful place to work.
• Support for your well-being. Our people are our main asset, so we take good care of them. We aim to nurture excellent team spirit and leadership and offer versatile well-being services to enable a good work-life balance. On top of 6 weeks of paid holidays annually (after one year of work), we offer exercise and culture benefits, hobby clubs, and voluntary well-being services such as meditation and cognitive ergonomics training.

Apply now and join our community of brilliant minds!

Please send your CV and application with your salary request via our recruitment system as soon as possible but at the latest by 23 February 2025. We will process applications as they come in, and fill in the position as soon as we find the right candidate.  A security clearance procedure will be conducted for the person selected for the role.

Interested and want to know more?

For further information, please contact Research Team Leader Miika Rämä, miika.rama@vtt.fi, tel. +358 20 722 5794 on Wednesday 5 February at 14:00 - 16:00 or Tuesday 11 February at 14:00 - 16:00 (Finnish time UTC+2).

We look forward to hearing from you!