March 2024
Late-stage PhD and Postdocs Chat over Pizza
on 20.03.2024, during 16: 00-17: 00 at Physicum Lobby, Kumpula.
All Kumpula late-stage PhD students and Postdocs are invited to Physicum Lobby at 4pm on March 20th.
Catering is on a first come first served basis.
Hope to see you there!
Cross-campus Postdoc Event – autumn 2024
VOTE by March 29th!
Thank you to all who gave their time and thoughts at our previous cross-campus meeting. Planning is now underway for our next event!
Please vote on what theme you would like for the upcoming meeting by March 29th using the short form below:
February 2024
Junior Faculty Club – Coffee and Networking Event
on 29.02.2024, during 15: 00-16: 00 at Physicum Lobby, Kumpula.
The event is open to all, so everyone identifying as a junior faculty (late-stage Ph.D., postdoc, university researcher, etc.) are welcome to join and interact with each other!
We invite input on future events and desired courses to advance the interests of early career scientists.
December 2023
University of Helsinki Cross-Campus PD Networking Event
Next month all postdoctoral researchers are invited to join the first University of Helsinki Cross-Campus PD Networking Event!
on 05.12.2023 at 15:30-17:30 in Think Corner Fönster.
There will be short presentations and activities followed by a social mixer, ending the night casually at the nearby Belge from 17:30 onwards.
The event is fully catered. Registration link will be available shortly to confirm participation and dietary needs.
October 2023
Junior Faculty Club – Coffee and Networking Event
on 25.10.2023, during 15: 00-16: 00 at Physicum Lobby, Kumpula.
The event is open to all, so everyone identifying as a junior faculty (late-stage Ph.D., postdoc, university researcher, etc.) are welcome to join and interact with each other!
We invite input on future events and desired courses to advance the interests of early career scientists.
We’re having our board meeting at 14:00 at Physicum lobby which all attendees are also welcome to join. You can get an insight into the board’s planning activity and all interested parties are invited to apply to become board members to take a more active role in the academic community.
March 2023
Junior Faculty Club – Coffee and Networking Event
on 31.03.2023, during 15: 00-16: 00 at Physicum Lobby, Kumpula.
The event is open to all, so everyone identifying as a junior faculty (late-stage Ph.D., postdoc, university researcher, etc.) are welcome to join and interact with each other!
We’re having our board meeting at 14:00 at Physicum lobby. You’re also welcome to join us to get an insight into the board’s planning activity.
Basics of Research Funding and Proposal Writing
The Research Funding Services Kumpula campus team will present an overview of their services, possible funding opportunities and how to approach proposal writing. Towards the end of the presentations, there will be time for Q & A.
Time: Thursday 9th March 2023, 10:00-11:30
Place: Exactum, C129 (or via Zoom)
Speakers:
Kirsi Reyes-Anastacio (Senior Research Funding Advisor)
Tobias Tamelander (Senior Research Funding Advisor)
Satu Väisänen (Senior Research Funding Advisor)
Jari Laamanen (Grant Coach)
Slides and recording: https://helsinkifi.sharepoint.com/:f:/s/JFC-JuniorFacultyClub/EpxIprr41X5BgeC5c4irNjEBWLbDA0ZXkd4JheXsOvzyCQ?e=Jt2yW9
January 2023
Junior Faculty Club discussion over coffee
on 20.01.2023, during 15: 00-16: 00 at Physicum Lobby, Kumpula
The event is open to all, so everyone identifying as a junior faculty (late-stage Ph.D., postdoc, university researcher, etc.) are welcome to join and interact with each other!
We’re having our board meeting at 14:00 at Physicum lobby. You’re also welcome to join us to get an insight into the board’s planning activity.
June 2022
“Kumpula Junior Faculty Club coffee get together”
April 2022
Title: How to write a successful grant application?
Speakers: Jari Laamanen, Kirsi Reyes-Anastacio and Tobias Tamelander.
Time and Place: Friday 8th April 2022 from 10:00 to 11:30 via Zoom (link provided below)
Description: Are you looking for research funding? It is big burden! Well, now is the time to start acting on it! The Junior Faculty Club Kumpula kicks off this year with another exciting and beneficial session for junior researchers, themed on: how to write a successful grant application. Many deadlines come around in autumn and although that may seem far away, it is important to get started now if you want to submit a strong application. We are hosting a seminar given by experts from the university’s research support services which will help kick start your funding application process. Join us online or in person with details below. Also see our ‘Useful Links’ on our Flamma page to get the links to some grant pages (https://blogs.helsinki.fi/kumpula-junior–faculty/useful-links/).
November 2021:
Title: Identifying your skills & strengths
Speakers: Specialists Sanna Grannas and Johanna Ruhanen from UH career services
Time and Place: Thursday 18 November 2021 from 13:15 to 15:00 via Zoom
Description: In this second event in the series of courses co-organized by JFC and Kumpula HR, specialists Sanna Grannas and Johanna Ruhanen from UH career services provided practical tips for recognizing one’s skills and strengths and also discussed an useful tool to verbalize one’s skills.
Video Recording: https://helsinkifi.sharepoint.com/:v:/s/JFC-JuniorFacultyClub/ER-wv-TdaYNCujpbIQFPNVQB3_-sqHU_HUq-CCMwzcSdbg?e=QH0Zsn
October 2021:
Title: “Academic Career Paths in Helsinki and Beyond”
Speakers: Kai Nordlund and Samuli Siltanen
Time and Place: Monday 18 October 2021 from 12:15 to 14:00 via Zoom
Description: The first event in a series of courses co-organized by the Junior Faculty Club and Kumpula HR, aiming to provide support and training for early career researchers at the Faculty of Science.
Video Recording: https://helsinkifi.sharepoint.com/:v:/s/JFC-JuniorFacultyClub/ES9Af6v9EWpJgX6Yk3usxwQBwzD_MOY1BamHO-zod2-mSQ?e=KJ74lY
April 2021:
Topic: “Maintaining Psychological well-being under stressful conditions”
Speaker: Max Kuznetsov, a professional Occupational healthcare psychologist at Mehiläinen.
Time and Place: Friday 23rd April 2021 at 12:00 – 13:00 via Zoom.
Description: In this event, Max addressed the concerns of researchers, particularly post-docs, on how to maintain psychological well-being while managing multiple responsibilities (research work, writing manuscripts, applying for funding, supervising Bachelor/Master thesis, teaching duties and so on). Pressure, lack of preparedness, and unexpected obstacles often result in a weakening of our mental well-being and have a great impact on our performance. It is essential that we do pay attention towards these issues.
The presentation was followed by a lively discussion.
March 2021:
Topic: “Useful Flamma Pages for Postdocs”
Speaker: Jussi Hartikainen, HR Faculty, UH.
Time and place: Friday 26th March, at 12 – 13 via Zoom.
Description: Jussi provided demonstration about the useful information (salary and career upgrade) and services available for postdocs on Flamma webpage.
The presentation was followed by active discussion with Jussi on the resources available for the postdocs.
February 2021:
Topic: “Bi-monthly Kumpula Junior Faculty Club coffee get together”
Speaker: Eleanna Asvestari, chair JFC.
Time and place: 19th February 2020, at 13:00 – 14:00 via Zoom
Description: In this meeting the newly elected board members (for the year 2021-2022) introduced themselves and presented their vision for shaping the future of the Junior Faculty Club.
The findings from the anonymous survey conducted among postdoctoral researchers and other junior Faculty staff were then presented. The survey focused on how to improve target and development discussions for postdoctoral researchers with their supervisors. These results were earlier presented at the Faculty of Science seminar targeted to supervisors and the outcome of the discussion were presented at this meeting.
January 2021:
Topic: “How to popularize your research work”
Speakers: Prof. Samuli Siltanen, Dr. Eleanna Asvestari, PhD Ivo Neefjes
Time and place: Thursday 28th January, at 14:00 – 15:30 via Zoom
Description: In this event, experienced Science Communicators provided advice and practical guidance on communication tips for public engagement. Useful tips were provided on how to present research work to audience beyond the immediate research community and how to keep the audience engaged.
December 2020:
Bi-monthly Kumpula Junior Faculty Club coffee get together:
The Kumpula Junior Faculty Club invites you on Thursday, 10th Dec at 14:00 to a Christmas coffee event where we will discuss all topics postdoc related.
In the current circumstances, it has been a strange and difficult year with working from home and social activities largely canceled. Many of us are searching for an additional connection between people in the same position in the scientific community.
Junior Faculty Club is a dedicated group which brings the early career stage Scientists from Kumpula campus together to meet their colleagues, discuss the problems and start the Networking.
If you are interested in finding people and share your work-related experiences, come along to our zoom meeting on the 10th of December at 14:00 -15: 00 for the Kumpula JFC bi-monthly coffee event!
Join Zoom Meeting
https://helsinki.zoom.us/j/66012697509?pwd=Mlp6OUw0cEtHeW9ITXR2QllyZE1hdz09
Meeting ID: 660 1269 7509
Passcode: 148223
We ask you to log in with your real name, and use the chat to introduce yourself (for instance, which Department you Belong) by making sure you send your message to “All attendees”.
November 2020:
Welcome to the Junior Faculty Club November event! The special theme of this meeting is applying for a docentship at the Faculty of Science – practical guidelines and experience in practice.
The title of Docent is an important step on the academic ladder (at least in Finland), but it is not always clear how to go about becoming a Docent, and there can be large variations in practice between Departments and even between individual groups. This JFC session will offer practical advice for anyone planning to apply for the title of Docent Anytime soon, as well as for everyone wondering if, when and how it should be done. Jussi Hartikainen from HR will present the general guidelines for the application procedure, and we will also get to hear the personal experiences of Docents Bernhard Reischl and Ashwin S. Rao regarding the road to an accepted application. We will end with questions and open discussion.
Title: Applying for the title of Docent at the Faculty of Science – practical guidelines and experience in practice
Time and place: Wednesday 18th November, at 11:00 – 12:30 via Zoom (link below)
Agenda:
11:00 – 11:15 Welcome
11:15 – 11:35 Presentation by Jussi on how to apply for the Docent title
11:35 – 12:00 presentations by Docents Bernhard and Ashwin
12:00 – 12:30 Questions and discussion
Join Zoom Meeting
https://helsinki.zoom.us/j/68320342730?pwd=VU5PeWZrNi9PVWFVTSt5OUpKbTNBdz09
Meeting ID: 683 2034 2730
Passcode: 914074
We ask you to log in with your real name, and use chat to introduce yourself (for instance, which Department you Belong) by making sure you send your message to “All attendees”. When you join, your microphones and videos will be automatically muted.
In case you have questions, we invite you to click on the button “Raise your hand”. At the end of the presentation, the hosts will unmute you and you will be able to ask your question directly to the speakers.
October 2020:
Would you like to meet fellow early career researchers from our Kumpula campus, network and discuss your concerns, and more? Then join us via Zoom on the 9th of October, 14:00 – 15:00 for the Kumpula JFC bi-monthly coffee event!
We are looking for new JFC board members! If you would like to be involved, then join the event to meet the current board and ask questions. We welcome new board members from all departments, but we are in particular keen on recruiting board members from the Chemistry department as it is currently underrepresented in the JFC.
Title: Kumpula JFC bi-monthly coffee event
Time and place: Friday 09.10.2020 at 14: 00-15: 00 via Zoom
Join Zoom Meeting link: https://helsinki.zoom.us/j/65490006326?pwd=aDVhWXE2MGRaTVJFdE85YzNCWENHZz09
Meeting ID: 654 9000 6326
Passcode: 842796
We ask you to log in with your real name, and use the chat to introduce yourself (for instance, which Department you Belong) by making sure you send your message to “All attendees”.
September 2020 :
Bi-Monthly Junior Faculty seminar themed: “Experiences and Lessons learned by Academy of Finland postdoc funding grantsees”
Are you considering applying to the upcoming Academy of Finland postdoctoral researcher grant call and you do not know where to start? Did you attend all the info sessions organized by the University but you still have doubts and questions? Are you interested in hearing the experience of successful applicants who received the grant in the last years?
Join our event where postdocs, from all the Departments of the Faculty of Science, who were recently awarded the Academy postdoc grant will share their experience, some tips that helped them finalize their proposals and what they wished they knew before starting to write. Each postdoc will give a 5 minutes presentation on their experience and afterwards there will be plenty of time for questions and an open discussion.
Time and place: 04/09/2020, 13:00 via Zoom
Agenda:
13:00 – 13:15 Welcome
13:15 – 13:45 Panel presentations (see the slides reattached for each of the panelists). Panel members: Jenni Kontkanen (INAR) , Tomas Kohout (Geo) , Xiang Su (Computer Science) , Mirkka Sarparanta (Chemestry) , Oscar Henriksson (Physics) , Tatiana Bubba (Maths) . Moderator: Eleanna Asvestari.
13:45 – 14:00 Questions and open discussion
Come to hear these interesting and certainly helpful presentations! The presentations will be focusing on the Academy postdoc call, but everyone is welcome to join!
Join Zoom Meeting link: https://helsinki.zoom.us/s/63021177868
Meeting ID: 630 2117 7868
Passcode: 425144
We ask you to log in with your real name, and use chat to introduce yourself (for instance, which Department you Belong) by making sure you send your message to “All attendees”. When you join, your microphones and videos will be automatically muted. In case you have questions, we invite you to click on the button “Raise your hand”. At the end of the presentation, the hosts will unmute you and you will be able to ask your question directly to the speaker.
May 2020 :
Junior Faculty Club discussion over coffee
In the spirit of the times, we will gather in an informal zoom video meeting. Come and chat and share a virtual coffee with the JFC board, and meet and Hang out with other junior staff members. JFC is the ideal forum to discuss and share your experiences and concerns as a member of Kumpula’s junior staff. Feel free to join at any time during the meeting.
Date and time: 29/05/2020 13:00 – 15:00
zoom link: https://helsinki.zoom.us/j/65238979835?pwd=aG1NMEJDQ0pEWURiampoMjJjRlhwdz09
To allow us to better target our activities to the needs of the community, please fill in a short questionnaire, which you can find through the link below. The questionnaire is intended for anyone identifying as a junior faculty, including later stage PhD students, postdocs, beginning tenure track or university researchers, who are in the early stages of their career.
https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=WXWumNwQiEKOLkWT5i_j7uH0Yp1-x6lDtIoZr752431UOVNHVTlHWVE3T01QT1o0TktCT1hBNFRUTiQlQuC
Deadline for filling in the questionnaire is the 25 of May at noon.
Please do feel free to bring up any questions or other topics related to this questionnaire during our coming coffee event.
March 2020 :
Bi-Monthly Junior Faculty seminar themed: Junior Faculty Club Icebreaker.vc event
on 10.03.2020 at 13: 00-15: 00 the exact C129
Are you considering options for a career outside of academia? Ever dream of starting your own company, but not sure if your idea was any good? Wanting to Widen your network outside your current circles? Or perhaps you’d simply be interested in a different perspective on improving your next grant proposal. Come and meet Icebreaker.vc, hear a bit about the Icebreaker community (https://www.icebreaker.vc/community), about successful start-up ideas and the views underlying venture capital investments (https://www.icebreaker. vc / funding). And the pitch – whether you are selling your idea to investors or convincing reviewers of the merits in your grant proposal, the goals are much the same.
The event is open to all, so everyone identifying as a junior faculty (late-stage Ph.D., postdoc, university researcher, etc.) are welcome to join!
Registration by 5.3.2020 at the latest, through the link https://elomake.helsinki.fi/lomakkeet/104006/lomake.html
Please respect that registrations are binding, for catering purposes. Should you wish to cancel your registration, please contact us by email at grp-kumpula-junior-faculty@helsinki.fi
January 2020 :
Junior Faculty Club discussion over coffee.
on 28.01.2020, during 14: 00-15: 00 at Physicum Lobby, Kumpula
The event is open to all, so everyone identifying as a junior faculty (late-stage Ph.D., postdoc, university researcher, etc.) are welcome to join and interact with each other!
We are also looking for volunteers for the new Kumpula Junior Faculty Club board, and those interested in Networking and Planning the upcoming events for the Junior Faculty Club are warmly welcome.
Please register by 24.01.2020 by Entering your email address in the following form:
https://elomake.helsinki.fi/lomakkeet/103052/lomake.html
Due to catering, we kindly ask you to acknowledge that the registration is binding. You can email us at grp-kumpula-junior-faculty@helsinki.fi if you decide to de-register.
November 2019 :
Junior Faculty Club relaxation afternoon.
on 28.11.2019, during 11: 00-12: 00 at Kumpula Unisport
Agenda: Yin-yoga for Stressed out Scientists – Relax, Breathe, it’s going to be OK. After the non-sweat inducing relaxation session, healthy snacks and refreshments will be served at the Unisport lobby.
The event is open to all, so everyone identifying as a junior faculty (late-stage Ph.D., postdoc, university researcher, etc.) are welcome to join!
Due to catering, we kindly ask you to acknowledge that the registration is binding.
The space is limited to only 45 participants, so be quick to register!
https://elomake.helsinki.fi/lomakkeet/101589/lomake.html
You can email us at grp-kumpula-junior-faculty@helsinki.fi if you decide to de-register.
October 2019 :
Bi-Monthly Junior Faculty seminar themed: Regulating yourself and your time at work.
on 17.09.2019, during 13: 00-15: 00 B123 at Exactum
Agenda: We will have one talk by Liisa Myyry titled Regulating yourself and your time at work. During the presentation she will discuss how we can regulate our work and time and what can help us to manage stress.
Before the talk there will be an announcement from Unibuddy.
The event is open to all, so everyone identifying as a junior faculty (late-stage Ph.D., postdoc, university researcher, etc.) are welcome to join!
Please register by 10.10.2019. Due to catering, we kindly ask you to acknowledge that the registration is binding.
The link to register is https://elomake.helsinki.fi/lomakkeet/100539/lomake.html
You can email us at grp-kumpula-junior-faculty@helsinki.fi if you decide to de-register.
September 2019 :
Bi-Monthly Junior Faculty coffee event.
on 10.09.2019, during 10: 00-12: 00 at Exactum DK116 – DK117 (Helsinki Think Company)
The event is open to all, so everyone identifying as a junior faculty (late-stage Ph.D., postdoc, university researcher, etc.) are welcome to join!
We are also looking for volunteers for the new Kumpula Junior Faculty Club board, and those interested in Networking and Planning the upcoming events for the Junior Facultly Club are warmly welcome.
Due to catering, we kindly ask you to acknowledge that the registration is binding.
We hope to see you all on 10.09.2019 !!
May 2019 :
Junior Faculty Club relaxation afternoon
Escape for an hour from your busy schedule to join us for Yin-Yoga at UniSports
In case you are not familiar with Yin-yoga, it is very relaxing – and you don’t even break a sweat doing it. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yin_Yoga
On 31.05.2019 during 14:15 – 15:15 at Unisport Kumpula.
Due to limited availability (max 45 people) the event is open only to registered participants.
Please come before starting time to change your clothes. Locks to lockers will be provided by Unisport staff.
After the session, refreshments will be served at the Unisport lounge.¨
April 2019 :
Bi-monthly Junior Faculty Club coffee
Meet in the Helsinki Think Company Kumpula facilities and socialize & network over wine & Snacks.
on 25.04.2019 at 15: 00-17: 00
at Helsinki Think Company, Exactum, floor K1
The event is open to all, so everyone identifying as a junior faculty (late-stage Ph.D., postdoc, university researcher, etc.) are welcome to join!
Please register before 19th of April so we can provide catering for all attendants.
March 2019 :
Bi-monthly Junior Faculty Club seminar: Pitch your research & Polish your CV
on 21.03.2019 during 15: 00-17: 00
at A126, Chemicum
The event is open to all, so everyone identifying as a junior faculty (late-stage Ph.D., postdoc, university researcher, etc.) are welcome to join!
This month our Bi-Monthly Junior Faculty seminar addresses two critical topics:
1) What do the funding agents expect from applications?
2) How to polish your CV and pitch your research topic / idea?
Talks would be followed by socializing over wine and light snacks.
Please register before 15th of March so we can provide catering for all attendants.
About the invited speakers;
Satu Kuure, is a PI at Research Programs Unit of Faculty of Medicine, and simultaneously acts as a director of genetically modified (GM-unit) animal model core facility functioning in Helsinki Institute of Life Science (HiLIFE).
Her research focuses on revealing mechanisms guiding developing embryos by using embryonic mouse kidney as a model organism. GM-unit generates new genetically modified animal models for research community and therefore Kuure is expert not only in novel genome editing techniques and tools, but also in ethical issue related to their use.
As an evaluation expert of COST Actions and Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions, and through my own experience in ERC application, I will discuss in my presentation what kinds of requirements there are to make a successful application for European funding bodies.
Joel Takala, working at the University of Helsinki, Research Services (Business Collaboration Team).
He will introduce you to the use of NABC Model which is very suitable for structuring your pitch.
For the past years, Joel has worked on innovations and creating new business. He has hands-on R&D experience from his own start-up company, and he has also been part of the Aalto University Start-Up Center. “Aalto was a deep learning experience in the start-up ecosystem and in how to start a company”, he says. Joel’s start-up drive continued at the University of Jyväskylä. There, he led an EU-funded project creating a joint commercialization process for the University of Jyväskylä and for the JAMK University of Applied Sciences. The project was a great success: in just two years, it helped create 45 new student- and research-based companies.
Joel’s previous experience includes working in non-governmental organizations where he designed new concepts for development cooperation fundraising/communications and for the digitalization of fundraising. At the University of Helsinki Joel is helping researchers boost their research impact and business collaboration. For this, he developed an excellent tool, the Impact Accelerator Program. Joel is specialized in Business Finland funding (Co-Creation & Co-Innovation). Joel has studied social sciences (M.Soc.Sc) and he also has a specialist degree as Product Developer.
Special Event
Helsinki Think Company Tech Research Showcase Event
on 27.3.2019 at (16.30-20)
at Terkko Health Hub, Meilahti
Many great startups have a special secret ingredient: they are based on research. This gives them a strong competitive edge compared to other players in the field.
At Tech Research Showcase, selected researchers will get to present their research to an audience of over 100 high-performing and experienced industry and functional experts. After the pitches, there is plenty of time for networking. Last year, we heard from 13 great research teams at the event and ended up investing in two of them.
For researchers, Tech Research Showcase offers the opportunity to
– find co-founders and team members
– access the 600+ experts in the Icebreaker Community, each with 5+ years of relevant work experience
– polish your pitch and clarify your message – we organize two training sessions before the event
– find partners, clients or collaborators
– get an investment from us
To learn more and apply by March 6th, head to https://icebreaker.vc/trs
Apply yourself or spread the message to your colleagues who you think would be interested to join!
February 2019:
Bi-monthly Junior Faculty Club coffee
on 27.02.2019 at 15:00-16:15
at SANDBOX, Physicum 4th floor
The event is open to all, so everyone identifying as junior faculty (late-stage Ph.D., postdoc, university researcher etc.) are welcome to join!
Please register before 20th of February so we can provide catering for all attendants.
January 2019:
Bi-monthly Junior Faculty Club seminar: Transitioning into an independent researcher
on 31.01.2019 at 15:00-17:00
at D101, physical
The event is open to all, so everyone identifying as junior faculty (late-stage Ph.D., postdoc, university researcher etc.) are welcome to join!
There are three 20 min talks by invited guest speakers;
Indrė Žliobaitė: https://www.zliobaite.com/
David Weir: http://www.helsinki.fi/~weir/
Lucile Turc: https://blogs.helsinki.fi/luciletu/
Talks would be followed by Informal chats over coffee and refreshments.
Please register before 24th of January so we can provide catering for all attendants.
November 2018:
Bi-monthly Junior Faculty Club coffee:
on 29.11.2018 at 15-16
at Sandbox, Physicum 4th floor
The event is open to all, so everyone identifying as junior faculty (late-stage Ph.D., postdoc, university researcher etc.) are welcome to join!