Doctoral Researcher in the MSCA Cofund DP-FOBI Doctoral Programme, Linguistics / Language Studies

University of Eastern Finland; Joensuu; On-site; EUR 39,000 - 44,000; Full time

Job summary

University of Eastern Finland invites applications for a Doctoral Researcher position (4 years) in the COFUND DP-FOBI. The role is based on Joensuu campus, starting by 1 April 2027, with an August 10, 2026 application deadline.

The project focuses on environmental discourses in multilingual digital networks and large-scale social media datasets. The selected candidate will join an interdisciplinary community, receive structured doctoral training, and collaborate with industry and societal

Qualifications

• Master’s degree (or equivalent) in linguistics or related field relevant to language study.
• Meet MSCA mobility rule: less than 12 months in Finland in the past 3 years.
• Strong language use expertise and English proficiency (written and spoken).
• Experience with large-scale datasets and computational tools (R/Python).

Responsibilities

• Enroll in UEF Doctoral Programme at signing; develop a research plan with supervisors.
• Conduct dissertation research and complete DP-FOBI training.
• Prepare study and career development plans; engage in secondments and collaborations.

Skills

English proficiency

R or Python

Multilingual awareness

High-performance computing

Education

Master’s degree in linguistics or related field

Tools

R

Python

HPC

Job description

The Philosophical Faculty, School of Humanities Research theme: Environmental Discourses and the Spread of Multilingual (Dis)information in Social Networks

The University of Eastern Finland invites applications for a Doctoral Researcher position (4 years) in the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions COFUND Doctoral Programme for Advancing Forest-Based Bioeconomy (DP-FOBI ). The position is based on Joensuu campus, and it is expected to begin no later than 1 April 2027. Applications must be submitted no later than 10 August 2026.

Description of the research theme

This project seeks a doctoral candidate interested in how environment‑related discourses circulate within digital social networks. The main objective of the doctoral project is to investigate how discourses and (dis)information about climate, the environment, and climate‑smart solutions spread in digital social media networks. The work will also incorporate multilingual perspectives, including tracing how concepts travel across linguistic communities and linguistic borders. The specific concepts and analytical focus will be defined during the planning phase, but they should align with the core themes of the doctoral school. The selected candidate will work with large‑scale datasets consisting of user‑generated social media content enriched with metadata. These data are time stamped and include social network information, enabling the candidate to trace how concepts emerge, evolve, and circulate across communities over time. Altogether, the datasets comprise approximately 40 billion words produced by hundreds of thousands of accounts worldwide. Read detailed description in DP-FOBI website. supportive supervision by experienced researchers with expertise relevant to the research theme to ensure timely completion of your doctoral degree a unique and encouraging interdisciplinary research and work environment an access to comprehensive doctoral training and DP-FOBI activities: workshops, summer schools, research visits and secondments an opportunity to become a part of the FOBI research community possibilities to cooperate closely with industry and societal partners enhancing the real-world impact of your research

Employment relationship and salary

The position will be filled for a fixed term of four years. Total working time is 1 612 hours per year. A probationary period of four months applies to all new staff members.

The salary follows the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions salary system and consists of:

• living allowance (EUR 3,200), forming the main part of the gross monthly salary
• mobility allowance (EUR 87 monthly) for mobility-related private expenses
• family allowance (EUR 300 monthly) for Doctoral researchers with a spouse and/or a dependent
• paid leave and an additional holiday bonus in summer
• travel allowance (EUR 1,500 per year) is allocated for conference travel and an additional allowance (EUR 10,500 in total) for travel to secondments and short visits
• research costs (EUR 6,000 in total) is allocated for costs, such as lab consumables, data collection, publication, etc.
• special needs allowance and support are available, if needed

Requirements and expectations

and a Master’s degree (or equivalent) in linguistics (general or any of its subfields), in computational linguistics, translation studies, or a closely related field relevant to the study of language not have a doctoral degree at the time of the call deadline meet MSCA mobility rule: less than12 months in Finland during past 3 years fulfil the language skills requirements of the Doctoral Programme of the Philosophical Faculty at UEF Applicants are expected to have have strong expertise in the nuances of language use be comfortable working with large-scale datasets using computational tools such as R or Python have excellent written and oral communication skills in English have ability to work in more than one language (advantage) have prior experience with high-performance computing (advantage, not required)

• Master’s degree (or equivalent) in linguistics (general or any of its subfields), in computational linguistics, translation studies, or a closely related field relevant to the study of language
• Not have a doctoral degree at the time of the call deadline
• Meet MSCA mobility rule: less than12 months in Finland during past 3 years
• Fulfil the language skills requirements of the Doctoral Programme of the Philosophical Faculty at UEF
• Have strong expertise in the nuances of language use
• Be comfortable working with large-scale datasets using computational tools such as R or Python
• Have excellent written and oral communication skills in English
• Have ability to work in more than one language (advantage)
• Have prior experience with high-performance computing (advantage, not required)

Tasks and Responsibilities of the Doctoral Researcher

At the time of signing the employment contract, the recruited researcher must be enrolled in the UEF Doctoral Programme of the Philosophical Faculty, which leads to the award of a doctoral degree. Admission to the doctoral programme requires a research plan, which the selected candidate will prepare in collaboration with their supervisors shortly after being accepted to DP-FOBI. The main tasks of the doctoral researcher include conducting dissertation research, and completing the required doctoral studies, including DP-FOBI training such as workshops and summer schools. The researcher will also prepare an individual study plan and career development plan to build advanced expertise, and is encouraged to participate in secondments, research visits, collaborative projects, and dissemination and exploitation activities. Read more about the training.

You will have an opportunity to work in an interesting/meaningful/diverse 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. The Philosophical Faculty operates on the Joensuu Campus of the University of Eastern Finland. The faculty trains professionals and experts in the fields of the humanities, education, psychology and theology. In addition to four academic schools, the faculty comprises a teacher training school intended for supervised teaching practice and for the development of teacher training. The faculty's research activities are multidisciplinary and theoretically and methodologically diverse, and they are closely linked to the university's strategy. The faculty has approximately 4,000 Bachelor’s and Master’s degree students and some 340 postgraduate students. The staff amounts to 450 persons, including the staff of the teacher training school. The University of Eastern Finland (UEF) is the most multidisciplinary university in Finland. Our university employs approximately 3,200 employees, and our community includes approximately 17,000 degree students and 16,000 adult education students. Our campuses are located in Joensuu and Kuopio. We represent the world’s cutting edge of research in many fields and produce research-based knowledge, which is made openly available to benefit everyone. Learn more about our university at www.uef.fi/en. Read also about UEF as a working community and employer and the career stories of our employees.