The vacancies will be filled as of 1 April 2022. A trial period of six months will be used in the beginning of the employment.

The fixed-term, full-time positions can be applied for a period of one–two years (12–24 months), with a possible extension of one–two years, summing up to a total of four years (maximum). The first contract period depends on the current stage of the applicant’s doctoral dissertation. The period of the extension is defined based on progress in the doctoral studies.

The main responsibility is to carry out a doctoral dissertation in one of the faculties at the University of Lapland: Art and Design, Education, Law, or Social Sciences. In addition, the researchers will have an affiliation in the multidisciplinary doctoral programme The Arctic in a Changing World.

Responsibilities:

The main responsibility of a junior researcher is completing a doctoral degree at the University of Lapland. In addition, the researchers can participate in teaching in the related field. Working time used for teaching-related tasks and other tasks is to be max. 5 % of the total working time. The selected candidates are expected to conduct their doctoral dissertations on a full-time basis, and to participate in other activities of the graduate school in Rovaniemi. The other activities may include e.g. participation in applying for projects and external funding, and involvement in organising conferences, research projects, publications and lectures. 

Applicant profile:

In addition to a genuine research interest relevant to the doctoral programme, the applicant is required to have a master’s degree, and to be accepted to conduct doctoral studies at the University of Lapland. If the applicant does not yet have the right for conducting doctoral studies at the University of Lapland, the applicant must apply for a PhD study right in the spring 2022 application round (8 February – 1 March 2022). Taking on the position requires that a doctoral study right is granted in the spring 2022 application round, if not already acquired earlier.

You can find guidelines for applying for a doctoral study right at: www.ulapland.fi/applyforphd Please note that discussing with the potential supervisor beforehand is highly recommended. You can look for a supervisor at the LaCRIS research portal: https://research.ulapland.fi/en/ In your application, it is advisable to provide the potential prior agreement of a supervisor to start supervising you.

In the evaluation process, the selection committee pays attention to the quality, originality and feasibility of the research plan, its relevance and suitability to the themes of the doctoral programme and the candidate’s motivation for this position. 

The research plan should clearly and convincingly explicate the topic of the research work, its scientific and societal relevance, the theoretical frame, data and methods as well as ethical issues involved. Furthermore, in addition to the relevance and suitability to the themes of the doctoral programme (www.ulapland.fi/arcticdp), realistic planning and scheduling are taken into consideration. The applicant’s ability and motivation to conduct doctoral studies will be considered in the evaluation.

Job contract details and remuneration:

Each junior researcher will be employed with a 1–2-year full-time job contract that will be extended based on an internal evaluation of the junior researcher’s progress, up to a maximum of four years, depending on the stage of the doctoral dissertation. The aim is to obtain the doctoral degree within four years.

The salary of a junior researcher is defined according to the General Collective Agreement for Finnish Universities, at level 2 of the demand level chart for teaching and research staff, plus performance pay. In practice, this equates to a monthly gross salary in the range of €2380–2600, depending on experience. The gross salary is subject to taxation. Based on progress in studies and research, the job demand level may rise up to levels 3–4 depending on the progress and quality of performance. Please see the general collective agreement for universities at https://www.sivista.fi/esittely/in-english/general-collective-agreement-for-universities/

Up to two of the junior researcher positions can be filled as Finland Fellowship positions. They are four-year PhD positions (max. 2 + 2 years), meant for best international doctoral candidates applying from outside the European Union (EU) / European Economic Area (EEA). For such successful candidates, the University can pay a separate one-off compensation for expenses occurring for moving to Finland. The compensation is a lumpsum of 2000 euros, payable together with the first salary, after arriving in Finland. The sum is subject to taxation. The work is to be conducted in Rovaniemi. In the overall selection process, applicants’ nationality will not be a decisive factor. The University reserves the right not to fill the Finland Fellowship positions in this recruitment round. If the applicant is applying for a Finland Fellowship position, s/he ought to state it in the application.

To be enclosed in the application (in English, Finnish or Swedish):

• a research plan of the doctoral dissertation, max. 5 pages (5 pages includes the list of references but excludes covers and potential appendices). The research plan should follow the template suggested at www.ulapland.fi/applyforphd. The research plan should clearly and convincingly explicate the topic of the research work, its scientific and societal relevance, the theoretical frame, data and methods as well as ethical issues involved. Furthermore, realistic planning and scheduling are taken into consideration. 

• one-page summary of the research plan including contact information (address, telephone number, e-mail address) 

• one-page motivation letter (one A4 sheet) 

• academic CV (including teaching merits and a possible list of publications, use TENK template https://tenk.fi/en/advice-and-materials/template-researchers-curriculum-vitae) 

• proof of previous teaching (if applicable)

• copies of degree certificates 

• copies of certificates showing language skills, if language skills are not specified in the degree certificate 

• two up-to-date references; the person giving the reference should assess, firstly, the researcher’s ability to perform successfully in the junior researcher’s position and, secondly, the quality, relevance and feasibility of the research plan 

• information about when the applicant would be able to begin in the post (term of notice). 

Submission of applications:

Applications (in English, Finnish or Swedish) are to be addressed to the University of Lapland and delivered no later than 14 January 2022 at 1:00 pm (local Finnish time) by email as one document in PDF format to rekrytointi@ulapland.fi.

You can also choose to send your application document via secure email at: https://securemail.ulapland.fi, with rekrytointi@ulapland.fi as the recipient. You can also deliver your application as a printed copy to the following address: University of Lapland, Registry, (Yliopistonkatu 8) PO Box 122, FI-96101 Rovaniemi, FINLAND. Application documents will not be returned.

Final decisions, preceded by a shortlisting, are to be expected in March 2022.

The positions will be filled from 1 April 2022 or at the successful candidates’ earliest convenience thereafter.

More information: 

Website of the doctoral programme: www.ulapland.fi/arcticdp

Chair of the doctoral programme, university lecturer Juha Himanka

Coordinator of the Graduate School Annukka Jakkula

All queries about the vacancies can be sent by email to: arcticDP@ulapland.fi