PhD in 6 positions

University of Eastern Finland; Joensuu; On-site; EUR 25,000 - 32,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Occupational health care

Staff training

Affordable campus lunch

Sykettä sports services

Job summary

The Faculty of Social Sciences and Business Studies at the University of Eastern Finland invites six Doctoral Researchers to join its doctoral programme in Joensuu or Kuopio, starting 1 January 2027 or as agreed. Positions are fixed‑term for 1–3 years, and can be full‑time or part‑time with appropriate funding.

Salary follows the university’s pay scale: job element levels 2–4 (EUR 2,331.67–2,907.24/month) plus a personal element of 6–50%.

Qualifications

• Must hold a relevant Master’s degree or have suitable foreign education.
• Must have the right to pursue postgraduate studies at the University of Eastern Finland.
• Ability to conduct doctoral research according to an approved research proposal.

Responsibilities

• Conduct doctoral research in accordance with the approved proposal.
• Contribute to the doctoral programme activities and maintain publication plans.

Education

Master's degree or equivalent

Job description

the Faculty of Social Sciences and Business Studies We are seeking Doctoral Researchers (6 positions) to the doctoral programme of the Faculty of Social Sciences and Business Studies.

The positions are located at the Faculty of Social Sciences and Business Studies in either Kuopio or Joensuu and will start on 1 January 2027 or as agreed.

Please find more information below, and submit your application by 10 November 2026.

One post of Doctoral Researcher will be filled in the doctoral programme of the Faculty of Social Sciences and Business Studies in each department or school of the faculty (Department of Geographical and Historical Studies, UEF Business School, UEF Law School, Department of Health and Social Management, Department of Social Sciences, and Karelian Institute).

As a Doctoral Researcher, you will work in the Doctoral Programme of the Faculty of Social Sciences and Business Studies.

The duties of a Doctoral Researcher include conducting doctoral research in accordance with their approved research proposal.

The position of a Doctoral Researcher may be applied for either on a full-time or a part-time basis. Part-time positions must be co‑financed with some other funding source (for example, an external grant), so that the total amount of funding enables the candidate to work full-time on their doctoral dissertation.

The positions will be filled as from 1 January 2027 or as agreed, however, no later than 1 April 2027. Doctoral Researcher positions are always filled for a fixed term. The positions are filled for a fixed term due to doctoral dissertation work related to postgraduate studies. The positions will be filled for a fixed term of at least one and at most three years. Any previous employment relationships as a doctoral researcher and any other previous funding used for doctoral research will be taken into account in the granting of a Doctoral Researcher position and its duration. The aim is to complete the doctoral degree in three years, working full‑time. A trial period is applied to new members of the staff.

The salary of the post 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 this position, the job‑related salary element is based on levels 2–4 of the job requirement level chart (EUR 2,331.67 – 2,907.24 /month), depending on the stage of the applicant’s doctoral research and postgraduate studies. In addition, a personal salary element is paid, which is 6–50% of the job‑related salary element.

Eligibility to pursue doctoral education: to hold a relevant Master’s degree or have suitable foreign education qualifying for equivalent university studies in the awarding country, meet the student admission criteria for the Doctoral Programme of the Faculty of Social Sciences and Business Studies. Student admission criteria can be found here: https://www.uef.fi/en/degree-programme/doctoral-programme-of-the-faculty-of-social-sciences-and-business-studies

Applicants must have the right to pursue postgraduate studies at the Faculty at the time they start in the position.

An interesting position in an international, creative, participatory and inclusive university community, the opportunity for flexible multi‑location work, The staff benefits of the University of Eastern Finland, including comprehensive occupational health care, extensive provision of staff training, affordable lunch in our campus restaurants and Sykettä sports services.

Applications are submitted via the electronic form. The application can be edited and supplemented during the application period. Please specify on the electronic form whether or not you already have the right to pursue postgraduate studies at the Faculty of Social Sciences and Business Studies and which doctoral student position you are applying for (Department of Geographical and Historical Studies, UEF Business School, UEF Law School, Department of Health and Social Management, Department of Social Sciences or Karelian Institute).

The application must contain the following appendices in PDF format in Finnish or English. If your certificate/diploma and transcript of records are not in Finnish, Swedish or English, official translations into one of these languages must be enclosed with the application.

The following appendices are required:

• A CV (a template for researchers: TENK website).
• A list of publications specifying the publications to be included in your doctoral dissertation. List of publications, Research Council of Finland (website), if not included in the curriculum vitae.
• A research proposal including:
  • a) a research funding plan describing the resources required and existing for the research as well as a brief description of
  • b) the relevance/impact of the research in the field
  • c) of the applicant’s international orientation.
• A copy of the degree certificate and a transcript of academic records that prove the applicant’s eligibility for postgraduate studies are required from persons who do not have an existing study right for doctoral studies at the University of Eastern Finland.
• Certificates/diplomas demonstrating the applicant’s Finnish or English proficiency, if not indicated in the academic degree certificates/diplomas.
• For more detailed information about language requirements, see Eligibility and admission criteria - Finnish or English language proficiency.

Applicants who do not yet have the right to pursue postgraduate studies at the University of Eastern Finland must agree in advance on the supervision arrangements of the doctoral dissertation with the supervisor before submitting the application. The application must be accompanied by the written consent of a supervisor who is a member of the staff of the Faculty of Social Sciences and Business Studies at least at the level of docent to act as a supervisor in the doctoral dissertation.

Appendices must be submitted by the end of the application period. Applications that do not contain all the required appendices will not be considered.

Applications will be evaluated based on uniform criteria by each department taking into account:

• a) the research plan
• b) the relationship between the significance and impact of the research topic and its linkage to the research priorities of the school/department
• c) the applicant’s international orientation

In addition, the progress of doctoral research and postgraduate studies will be taken into account for those applicants who are already registered as Doctoral Researchers with the faculty of the University of Eastern Finland.

The research plan of the doctoral dissertation must comply with the instructions of the doctoral programme.

The Faculty of Social Sciences and Business Studies operates on two campuses of the University of Eastern Finland – in Joensuu and Kuopio.

The faculty trains experts in the fields of history, geography, economics and business administration, law, social sciences, and social and health management.

The faculty’s research is closely linked to the research areas identified in the university’s strategy.

The faculty has 4,480 Bachelor’s and Master’s degree students and approximately 500 postgraduate students actively pursuing their studies. The faculty has 550 staff members.

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.

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.

For more information about how to apply for the right to pursue postgraduate studies: [e-mail]

For more information about the application procedure: [e-mail]