Three Doctoral Researcher (PhD student) positions in border studies

The Karelian Institute at the Faculty of Social Sciences and Business Studies invites applications for three Doctoral Researcher (PhD student) positions on the Joensuu Campus. The positions will begin on 1 March 2025 at the latest. Read more below and submit your application no later than 15 January 2024.

Position and salary 

The Karelian Institute at the Faculty of Social Sciences and Business Studies is filling three Doctoral Researcher positions in the field of Border Studies of the new Doctoral Programme of the Faculty of Social Sciences and Business Studies . The position is associated with the activities of the university’s Cultural Encounters, Mobilities and Borders  (BOMOCULT) Research Community. The Karelian Institute is a multidisciplinary institute and research community of about 50 scholars focusing on contemporary challenges related to borders, regions and cultures. The research perspectives emerge from and are supported by the Institute’s three intertwined priority areas: Borders and Russia, Ethnicity and culture, and Regional and rural studies. The successful candidate will investigate social, economic, regional, political or cultural processes related to borders or border areas, or processes of border-making and border-transcending, in a chosen geographic location.

The main duty of the Doctoral Researchers (PhD student) is to conduct doctoral research in accordance with an approved research proposal. The Doctoral Researchers will work at the Faculty of Social Sciences and Business Studies on the Joensuu Campus.

The researcher positions will be filled starting from 1 March 2025 at the latest for a fixed term of three years. The positions are full-time. The positions are filled for a fixed term due to the requirements of the Doctoral School. A probationary period is applied to new members of the staff.

The salary of the positions is based on the salary system for the teaching and research staff of Finnish universities. The salary consists of a job-related salary element and a personal salary element. In these positions, the job-related salary element is based on level 2–4 of the job requirement level chart (EUR 2,225.83 – 2,775.28), and the personal salary element is 6–50% of the job-related salary element. In the position of a Doctoral Researcher, the salary is determined based on the stage of doctoral research and doctoral studies, as well as on personal performance.

Our requirements  

You must be eligible for doctoral education, i.e., hold a suitable higher university degree or have a suitable foreign education qualifying for equivalent university studies in the country concerned, and must have excellent English language skills.

The positions can only be filled by someone who does not yet have a right to pursue doctoral studies at the University of Eastern Finland and is planning to pursue their first doctoral degree.

Those selected for the positions must then separately apply for the right to pursue postgraduate studies in the Doctoral Programme of the Faculty of Social Sciences and Business Studies. The person to be appointed must have a valid right to pursue postgraduate studies at the Doctoral Programme of the Faculty of Social Sciences and Business Studies before starting the employment relationship.

When filling the position, consideration will be given to 

• the applicant’s research proposal,
• earlier academic performance,
• international orientation and
• possible achievements in research.

The research proposal will be evaluated based on the following criteria: scientific and societal relevance; objectives; theoretical framework and concepts; familiarity with the relevant literature; methodology; schedule and plan for publications; research ethics considerations; and the scientific level and innovativeness of the research proposal.

What we can offer you  

•  An interesting position in an international, creative, participatory and engaging university community,
•  The opportunity for flexible multi-location work, 
•  The opportunity for international collaboration as part of a research team,
•   Staff benefits of the University of Eastern Finland, including comprehensive occupational health care, versatile staff training opportunities, affordable campus restaurant lunches and Sykettä sports services. 

Please read more in the Work at UEF section on our website.  

Enjoy your life in Finland! Known for its cleanliness, welfare know-how, modern technology and superb education system, Finland is an exotic and safe country to work in. Please visit the Life in Finland section on our website to learn more.

How to apply  

Submit your application by using our electronic application form no later than 15 January 2025 by 24:00 (midnight) Finnish time (UTC+2).

The appointment to the Doctoral Researcher positions will be conditional until they have been granted the right to pursue doctoral studies at the University of Eastern Finland.

Please note that the application is required to have the following appendices that adhere to the guidelines of the Doctoral Programme of the Faculty of Social Sciences and Business Studies. 

• A CV (Template for a CV, TENK website).
• A list of publications (Instructions, the Research Council of Finland website).
• A research proposal that follows the given structure of the doctoral programme. 
• A motivation letter including research ideas connected to your research focus. 
• A confirmation letter by the intended main supervisor at the Karelian Institute.
• A copy of the diploma and transcript of academic records proving the applicant’s eligibility to pursue postgraduate studies. The documents must be in either Finnish or English. For translated documents, only a Diploma Supplement issued by the higher education institution in question and/or other official translations issued by the awarding higher education institution or an authorised translator are accepted.
• Copies of certificates of language proficiency, if not indicated in the academic degree certificates/diplomas.

Questions? 

For more information on the position, please contact the Head of the Karelian Institute Petri Kahila (petri.kahila@uef.fi, +358 40 411 8445) or Research Manager Joni Virkkunen (joni.virkkunen@uef.fi, +358 50 442 4469).

For further information relating to the application procedure, please contact HR-Specialist Airi Leppänen, airi.leppanen@uef.fi. 

Please note: We will not respond to inquiries during the Christmas holiday from December 20, 2024, to January 2, 2025.

Kolme väitöskirjatutkijan tehtävää

Haemme kolmea väitöskirjatutkijaa Karjalan tutkimuslaitoksen uuteen rajatutkimuksen tohtoriohjelmaan Itä-Suomen yliopiston Joensuun kampukselle. Tehtävät sijoittuvat yhteiskuntatieteiden ja kauppatieteiden tiedekuntaan ja alkavat viimeistään 1.3.2024. Tehtävät täytetään kolmen vuoden määräajaksi. Tehtävien tehtäväkohtainen palkanosa on vaativuustasoluokittelussa tasolla 2–4 (2225,83 € - 2775,28 €). Lisäksi maksetaan henkilökohtaiseen suoriutumiseen perustuvaa palkanosaa, joka on 6–50 % tehtäväkohtaisesta palkanosasta. Tehtävissä edellytetään erinomaista englannin kielen taitoa.

Lue tarkemmat tiedot tehtävistä ja hakuohjeet yllä olevasta englanninkielisestä ilmoituksesta. Jätäthän hakemuksesi englanniksi. Hakuaika tehtäviin päättyy 15.1.2025 klo 24.00.

The Karelian Institute is a multidisciplinary research institute that engages in basic and applied multidisciplinary research in the humanities and social sciences. The approximately 50 scholars of the Institute conduct research in three closely integrated thematic areas that are: Regional and Rural Studies, Ethnicity and Culture, and Borders and Russia. The Karelian Institute, which was founded in 1971, also hosts the Spatia Centre for Regional Research and VERA Centre for Russian and Border Studies.