Postdoctoral Researcher, Faculty of Education and Psychology, Learning and Learning Process

The University of Oulu; Oulu; On-site; EUR 40,000 - 47,000; Full time

Job summary

The University of Oulu's Learning and Educational Technology (LET Lab) invites applications for a Postdoctoral Researcher. You will contribute to research on AI-supported technologies that promote regulation of learning in collaborative contexts, bridging learning sciences, HCI, software development, and human-AI collaboration.

The position is fixed-term from 15.11.2026 to 30.6.2028 in a multidisciplinary team, with opportunities to publish and mentor junior researchers within the Hybrid

Qualifications

• Doctoral degree completed within 10 years.
• Strong understanding of learning theories (e.g., self-regulated learning).
• Experience in data collection, qualitative coding, and analysis.
• Experience with theory-driven quantitative data analysis (R/SPSS, Python).
• Python development; experience with cloud-based HPC; familiarity with Praat/NVivo/Observer is a plus.
• Interest in human-AI complementarity including HCI, real-time NLP, ethics of handling sensitive data.
• Fluent English; Finnish knowledge is a plus.
• Agentic work approach and strong collaboration and academic writing.
• Ability to conduct independent scientific research.
• Teaching competence for the position.

Responsibilities

• Develop and evaluate the agent architecture in Python.
• Identify reusable components and draft a concrete Python implementation workplan.
• Evaluate infrastructure options (server vs local or edge deployment).
• Translate usability needs into concrete technical decisions for researchers.
• Document system design for a non-technical audience.
• Collaborate with the team to align development with study goals.
• Contribute to agent design with regulation-of-learning theory.
• Design and conduct lab and in-situ studies to refine the agent.
• Analyze multimodal data (video, physiological signals).
• Publish findings in high-impact journals and present at conferences.

Skills

English proficiency

Independent research

Academic writing

Collaboration

Education

Doctoral degree in HCI/CS/digital design/learning sciences

Tools

Python

Praat

NVivo

Observer

R/SPSS

Cloud HPC

Job description

Postdoctoral Researcher, Faculty of Education and Psychology, Learning and Learning Process

Faculty of Education and Psychology, Learning and Learning Process

The University of Oulu is a multidisciplinary, international research university, with about 4000 employees who produce new knowledge based on high-standards research and provide research based education to build a more sustainable, smarter, and more humane world. The University of Oulu community has about 19,000 people in total. Our northern scientific community operates globally and creates conditions for the emergence of innovations. The University of Oulu is ranked in the top 3% of the world’s universities. All our research, education, and community activities are guided by our university’s values and ethical principles.

We are now looking for

a Postdoctoral Researcher

to join us in the Learning and Educational Technology research Lab (LET Lab)at the Faculty of Educational and Psychology

About the jobIn this position, you will contribute to research within the Learning and Educational Technology (LET) Lab, focusing on the design and evaluation of AI-supported technologies that promote regulation of learning in collaborative contexts. The research integrates learning sciences, human-computer interaction, software development, and human-AI collaboration to better understand and support learning processes in authentic educational settings. You will lead the technical development and evaluation of evidence-based technologies that support regulation of learning in collaboration, and human-AI complementarity in education. The position is situated within a broader research portfolio focused on self- and socially shared regulation in learning, the role of teachers, and technology-enhanced learning across K-12, higher education, and emerging learning environments.

You will conduct research within a team, manage project-related tasks, and disseminate research findings in leading international conferences and scientific journals. The topic will be closely connected to the Hybrid Intelligence research programme in Oulu University.

What we offer?

• Globally recognized researchers within the LET Lab, connected to an extensive international network through the University of Oulu’s Hybrid Intelligence Research Programme, partner institutions, and collaborators across Europe.
• The support of an experienced and enthusiastic team of people where you can share your expertise and grow as an expert.
• Development and career options of the big organization.
• We have a HR Excellence in Research -quality label which is a recognition awarded by the European Commission for the development of researchers’ working conditions and careers.
• Finland is one of the most livable countries in the world, with a high quality of life, safety, excellent education system, and competitive economy. Read more about living in Oulu .

Who are you?

In order to succeed and enjoy the position, we expect from you:

• Doctoral degree in human-computer interaction, computer sciences, digital design, interaction design, edtech design, learning sciences or related areas. The degree must be obtained no more than 10 years ago
• A good understanding of learning theories, such as self-regulated learning theory, or a strong interest in learning about them.
• Experience in research data collection, qualitative data coding, and analysis.
• Experience with theory-drive quantitative data analysis (R/SPSS, Python).
• Software development (Python), experience using cloud-based high-performance computing systems; experience with specialist software (Praat, NVivo, Observer) is a plus but not required.
• Interest in human-AI complementarity, including prior experience with topics such as human-computer interaction, real-time spoken natural language processing, legal and ethical considerations in processing sensitive data.
• Fluent spoken and written English, knowledge of Finnish is a plus.
• Agentic work approach and good collaboration and academic writing skills.
• Ability to engage in independent scientific research or artistic work
• Teaching competence required for the position

About the job

• As a postdoctoral researcher, you will engage in innovative research within learning sciences leveraging your own particular expertise.
• In the project, your responsibilities will include:
  • gaining deep understanding of an existing agent architecture designed for supporting regulation in collaborative learning (backend, speech processing pipeline, data flow)
  • identifying what can be reused or needs to be rebuilt for a Python-based implementation and if needed, creating a concrete workplan for the implementation of the agent architecture in Python
  • evaluating and advising the research team on future infrastructure options (e.g. server-based vs local or edge deployment) to fit evolving project needs
  • translating research and usability needs (e.g. ease of use for non-technical researchers, reliability across data collection sessions) into concrete technical decisions
  • ensuring clear documentation of the system design and implementation choices is maintained for a non-technical audience
  • collaborating with the research team to align technical development with the conceptual development of the agent and study goals
  • contributing to the design of the agent by translating socially shared regulation of learning theory into innovative design solutions and functionalities
  • designing and conducting laboratory and in-situ studies to evaluate and refine the agent
  • analyzing multimodal data (e.g. video, physiological signals) for assessing the agent’s impact on learning processes
  • publishing your findings in high-impact journals and presenting work at relevant conferences.
• As a member of the Learning and Educational Technology research lab, you will collaborate with a multidisciplinary research group, contributing to joint publications and other research efforts.
• Additionally, you will have the opportunity to mentor junior researchers and participate in international conferences and workshops.

The position is fixed-term starting 15.11.2026 or as soon as possible thereafter, until 30.6.2028.

The salary will be based on the levels 5-6 of the demand level chart for teaching and research staff of Finnish universities. In addition, a salary component based on personal work performance will be paid (maximum of 50 % of the job-specific component). Starting gross salary will be approx. 3600-4200 € per month (before taxes).

A trial period of 6 months is applied in the position.

We welcome applicants from all backgrounds, such as people of different ages, different genders and members of different language, cultural or minority groups.