Doctoral Researcher (PhD Student)

University of Eastern Finland; Kuopio; On-site; EUR 30,000 - 32,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible multi-location work

Professional development

Extensive occupational health care

Staff training

Lunch discount

Job summary

The University of Eastern Finland in Kuopio invites applications for three Doctoral Researchers (PhD Students) to lead their own theses on developing Data Science and AI for spatial data within the MINE-THE-GAP project. You will work with international collaborators, train scalable models on Earth observation data, and publish results in international journals.

Salary starts around €2,710–€2,845 per month, with a strong focus on training, conferences, and career development, including

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in a quantitative field (e.g., Data Science, Computer Science, Engineering, Geoinformatics, Statistics) or equivalent.
• Good command of written and spoken English.
• Be eligible for postgraduate studies; final-stage Master’s candidates may apply with degree certificate by 15 December 2026.

Responsibilities

• Conduct research for the doctoral dissertation and complete postgraduate studies.
• Build, train, and validate scalable deep learning and computer vision models on large Earth observation datasets.
• Collaborate with the PI, postdocs, and international partners; publish results in journals and present at conferences.
• Engage in open science and contribute to international research visits and collaborations.

Skills

Machine learning

Geospatial data

Earth observation

Cloud computing

GitHub collaboration

Education

Master’s degree in quantitative field

Tools

PyTorch

TensorFlow

scikit-learn

GitHub

Job description

Doctoral Researcher (PhD Student), 3 positions, Development of Data Science and AI for Spatial Data

The Faculty of Science, Forestry and Technology, School of Computing

The University of Eastern Finland is inviting applications for three Doctoral Researcher (PhD Student) positions in the field of Development of Data Science and AI for Spatial Data at the School of Computing on the Kuopio campus. The positions will be filled for a fixed term of three years as from 1 February 2027 (or as agreed).

Please find more information below and submit your application by 17November 2026.

Role and salary

The demand for minerals required for energy transition and digitalisation is expanding mining faster than our ability to understand its impacts. MINE-THE-GAP (website) , funded by the European Research Council (ERC), combines satellite imagery, mining data reports, and AI to map mining activities and their impacts worldwide and provide the information needed for more transparent and sustainable mining. We are seeking three motivated Doctoral Researchers (PhD Students) to join the project, each leading their own thesis on mapping different aspects of mining. As part of the MINE-THE-GAP team, you will, as a Doctoral Researcher (PhD Student), have the opportunity to apply your data science and programming skills to a global sustainability challenge and to become an expert in handling large Earth observation datasets and scalable AI.

We offer three Doctoral Researcher (PhD Student) positions in a research group with strong international visibility. You will receive hands‑on training in the processing of large Earth observation and spatial datasets, as well as in scalable AI methods, developing highly sought‑after skills for careers in academia, industry, government, and non‑governmental organizations. The position provides opportunities for international collaboration and research visits abroad through an extensive network of partner institutions, including the German Aerospace Center (DLR), GFZ Helmholtz Centre for Geosciences, Monash University Indonesia, and the University of Melbourne. You will benefit from close supervision, mentoring, and a supportive team environment, along with dedicated funding for conference participation, workshops, and scientific publications.

One Doctoral Researcher (PhD Student) will be recruited for each of the following three research topics:

• mining land use: semantic segmentation of satellite images to map mining areas (e.g., open pits, waste rock piles, tailings dams)
• mining waste: predicting terrain height changes from radar and optical satellite image time series to estimate mining waste
• minerals and commodities: image classification with multispectral and hyperspectral data to identify the minerals and commodities of mining sites.

Within your chosen research topic, you will build, train, and validate scalable deep learning and computer vision models using large, multi‑modal Earth observation data (e.g., Sentinel‑1 radar, Sentinel‑2 multispectral, LiDAR, hyperspectral). You will work closely with the principal investigator, Victor Maus, postdoctoral researchers, and international collaborators, publish your results in international journals, present them at conferences, and contribute to open science.

Your main duty as a Doctoral Researcher (PhD Student) is to conduct research for the doctoral dissertation and to complete postgraduate studies.

The positions will be filledfor a fixed termof three years as from 1 February 2027 (or as agreed). The positions will be filled for a fixed term due to the Doctoral Researcher’s (PhD Student’s) own doctoral dissertation work and studies. A trial period is applied to all new members of the staff.

The salary of the position 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 2,710–2,845 /month.

Our requirements and expectations

• be eligible for postgraduate studies; i.e., to hold a Master’s degree in a quantitative field (e.g., Data Science, Computer Science, Engineering, Geoinformatics, Statistics, 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
• have a good command of written and spoken English.

Students in the final stages of their Master’s degree may also apply provided that they complete their degree and deliver a copy of their degree certificate to the faculty by 15 December 2026.

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.

Other requirements

• interest in machine learning and spatial data.

The following will be considered an advantage

• experience with machine learning or deep learning (e.g., PyTorch, TensorFlow, scikit‑learn) or strong motivation to learn these skills
• experience with Earth observation or geospatial data, desirable, but we encourage anyone with a strong willingness to learn to apply
• experience with cloud computing or collaborative software development (e.g., GitHub) is also welcome.

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

• the opportunity for flexible multi‑location work
• excellent opportunities for professional development and continuous learning
• 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

You will have an opportunity to work in meaningful 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.

Questions?

For further information on the position, please contact Professor Markku Tukiainen, email: [e-mail], tel. [phone].

Type of employment

Type of employment Temporary position

Contract type

Contract type Full time

First day of employment

First day of employment 1 February 2027 (or as agreed)

Salary Collective agreement for universities

Number of positions

Number of positions 3

Full-time equivalent 100%

City

County

Country

Country Finland

Reference number

Reference number 1290/01.01.03/2026