Doctoral Researchers (2 positions), Education Technology: Educational Technology for AI Education, Learning Analytics and Game-based Learning

The University of Eastern Finland is inviting applications for two Doctoral Researcher (PhD Student) positions in Education Technology: Educational Technology for AI Education, Learning Analytics and Game-based Learning at the School of Computing on the Joensuu campus. The positions will be filled for a fixed term of three years from 1 December 2025 (or as agreed) onwards.

Please find more information below and submit your application by 29 October 2025.

Role and salary

If you have experience in developing educational technology software and are curious on how these tools are co-designed in interdisciplinary teams and evaluated in research settings, this is the job for you! We are seeking two highly motivated Doctoral Researchers (PhD students) to join our research projects in the School of Computing at the University of Eastern Finland. The Doctoral Researchers (PhD students) will be working on the development of the next generation education technology as part of our ongoing research projects related to Educational Technology for AI Education, Game-based Learning and Learning Analytics.

As a Doctoral Researcher (PhD Student) you will focus on:

• developing educational technology software
• collecting empirical data in real teaching and learning settings
• analyzing data using qualitative and quantitative methods
• reporting results in journals and scientific conferences
• participating in project-related tasks (e.g., meetings, workshops, etc.)

The main duty of the Doctoral Researchers (PhD students) is to conduct research for their doctoral dissertation and to complete postgraduate studies. As a part of their PhD thesis work, the candidates will develop software tools for teaching and learning purposes and participate in data collection and evaluation of such systems. The candidates will also participate in the analysis of the data using cutting-edge learning analytics methods and in the dissemination of their work in scientific venues. 

The positions will be filled for a fixed term of three years from 1 December 2025 (or as agreed) onwards. The positions will be filled for a fixed term due to them pertaining to the Doctoral Researcher’s (PhD student's) own doctoral dissertation work and studies. A probationary period is applied to all new members of the staff.

The salary of the positions is determined in accordance with the salary system for Finnish universities. The salary comprises two components: a job-related salary element and a personal salary element. For a Doctoral Researcher (PhD Student), the job-related salary element is based on levels 2–4 of the job requirement level chart for teaching and research staff depending on the stage of the applicant's doctoral research and postgraduate studies. The personal salary element is 6–50% of the job-related salary element. At the beginning of the employment the total salary will be approximately EUR 2,650 – 2,785 /month.

Our requirements and expectations 

We expect you to

• be eligible for postgraduate studies; i.e., to hold a Master’s degree in computer science, software engineering, or a related field, awarded by a university or by a university of applied sciences, or to have completed an applicable study programme abroad which in the awarding country gives eligibility for corresponding postgraduate education
• meet the student admission criteria for the LUMETO doctoral programme (Doctoral Programme in Science, Forestry and Technology, website)
• a good proficiency of written and spoken English, as English will be the primary language for communication, collaboration, and dissemination within the project
• demonstrated experience in software development; familiarity with web development, version control systems (e.g., Git), and collaborative coding practices

Applicants who do not yet have the right to pursue postgraduate studies at the University of Eastern Finland are not required to apply for study rights at the application stage. If the applicant is selected for the position and applies for postgraduate study rights, the selection will be conditional until the right to pursue postgraduate studies in the faculty’s doctoral programme has been granted. The application for postgraduate study rights is submitted through the Studyinfo (Opintopolku) service.

The following will be considered an advantage

• previous involvement in research projects and international collaboration
• experience in designing or implementing research prototypes, data-driven applications, or educational technologies will be considered an asset.
• experience in React, Typescript, CSS or TensorFlow
• experience with collaborative tools, especially over technologies such as WebRTC.
• usability or UX experience, or research related to these topics
• any work on Explainable AI (XAI) that might be relevant to education
• Finnish language skills

Your benefits

You will have access to the university’s staff benefits, including

• the opportunity for flexible multi-location work
• extensive occupational health care
• a broad selection of staff training
• staff discount on lunch in our campus restaurants, as well as on a range of other services
• affordable sports services

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

You will have an opportunity to work in a meaningful role as part of our international, creative, participatory and inclusive academic community.

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 29 October 2025 by 23:59 (midnight) Finnish time (UTC +2). A number of potential candidates will be invited to an online interview during October and November.

Please note that you must include the following appendices in your application

• a CV (Template for CV, TENK website)
• a list of publications (Instructions, Research Council of Finland website)
• copies of your academic degree certificates / diplomas, and copies of certificates / diplomas relating to your language proficiency, if not indicated in the academic degree certificates/diplomas
• a transcript of records
• a motivation letter (max. 1 page) in which you describe your interest in the position and research project, as well as your career aspirations
• a short text (max. half a page) in which you describe how you would develop a web-based game to teach students how AI works in the context of social media. Beyond the game’s pedagogical design, the focus of the text should be on the technical decisions and their justification. We value hearing your own voice and ideas, so please do not use generative AI tools for writing this text
• a GitHub profile link, portfolio of work or other documents to demonstrate the applicant’s merits for the position

If your degree certificate is not in English, Finnish, or Swedish, you must provide official English translations of your degree certificate documents. All translations must be issued by the awarding educational institution or an authorized translator. Each page of the official translation must bear the translator's stamp and/or signature. Official translations must be accurate translations of the original documents. Translations made by the applicants themselves will not be accepted.

Questions?

For further information on the position, please contact Academy Research Fellow Sonsoles López Pernas, email: sonsoles.lopez@uef.fi, tel: +358 29 445 3430 or Professor Matti Tedre, email: matti.tedre@uef.fi, tel. +358 29 4453206.

For further information on the application procedure, please contact HR Specialist Noora Hämäläinen, e-mail: noora.hamalainen@uef.fi, tel. +358 29 445 8302 or HR Specialist Iiris Korhonen, e-mail: iiris.korhonen@uef.fi, tel. +358 29 4458161.

Haemme kahta väitöskirjatutkijaa Itä-Suomen yliopistolle. Tehtävät sijoittuvat luonnontieteiden, metsätieteiden ja tekniikan tiedekuntaan tietojenkäsittelytieteen laitokselle Joensuun kampukselle. Tehtävät alkavat 1.12.2025 (tai sopimuksen mukaan), ja ne täytetään kolmen vuoden määräajalle. Tehtävissä tehtäväkohtainen palkanosa on vaativuustasoluokittelussa tasoilla 2–4. Lisäksi maksetaan henkilökohtaiseen suoriutumiseen perustuvaa palkanosaa, joka on 6–50 % tehtäväkohtaisesta palkanosasta. Tehtävissä edellytetään hyvää englannin kielen taitoa.​

Lue tarkemmat tiedot tehtävistä ja hakuohjeet yllä olevasta englanninkielisestä ilmoituksesta. Jätäthän hakemuksesi englanniksi. Hakuaika tehtävään päättyy 29.10.2025.