Postdoctoral Researcher, in the FRONT research programme

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.

We are now looking for

a Postdoctoral Researcher

to join us in the Frontiers of Arctic and Global Resilience (FRONT) research programme at the University of Oulu. The postdoctoral researcher position will be placed in the Faculty of Education and Psychology. The FRONT research programme forms a part of our national profiling actions supported by the Research Council of Finland. FRONT programme focuses on changing human-environment relations and challenges to cope and adapt with that change and aims to ground-breaking transdisciplinary research on resilience and how to ‘Adapt for Our Future’ in the Arctic and elsewhere on the planet. The programme involves cutting-edge research to advance the existing frontiers of knowledge on systemic changes needed for resilience planning and governance, and for finding solutions to the wicked problems of resilience across the social and environmental sciences. FRONT focuses on international top-level collaborative and transdisciplinary research on socio-economic and socio-ecological resilience in different scales across social and environmental sciences, supported by the new Resilience Academy. By bringing together international, national and University of Oulu-based scholars from across disciplines, and encouraging effective public communication of science, FRONT will promote inter- and transdisciplinary and citizen-engaged studies of the environment and raise the University’s profile as an international leader in addressing the challenges of humans in change and human impacts and dependency on environment.

About the job

We are looking for a postdoctoral researcher in psychology (social psychology, environmental psychology, political psychology, developmental psychology etc.), education, or a neighboring social science field. The two-year project will be exploring “critical emotional awareness (CEA)” (Ojala, 2023, 2026) as a possible resilience factor against disinformation/propaganda and for civic engagement among young people in a time of polycrisis (climate change, war etc.). The age groups in focus in the project are young people between late childhood and up to young adulthood. The preliminary plan is that the post doc in collaboration with the project leader will: (1) Conduct interviews to explore young people’s emotions, and views about emotions, in relation to different intertwined societal problems (polycrisis), analyze, write, and publish an article on the data. (2) Based on earlier research and the interviews and in collaboration with young people create a survey scale capturing CEA, test how this scale works in groups of young people and publish articles on the data. Besides working in FRONT, you will work together with colleagues in the SERSus (Socio-Ecological Resilience and Sustainability) research group, led by Prof. Maria Ojala (who is also the project leader of this post doc project), at the Faculty of Education and Psychology, University of Oulu.    

As a postdoctoral researcher you will also

• Collaborate in service to FRONT programme, faculty, and university
• Participate in the development and activities of the Resilience Academy of Oulu (RAO)
• Engage in writing and submitting applications for research funding
• Take part in teaching activities, subject to faculty and research unit needs and your own teaching/research capabilities and interests

What we offer

We offer you a supportive academic environment in a community of committed scholars and the possibility to make use of funding opportunities to generate new research ideas and build an innovative programme that will attract international scholars. The University of Oulu offers flexible working hours, an excellent work-life balance and provides a range of occupational healthcare services. Our competitive salaries include paid leave and an additional holiday bonus in the summer. 

• The support of an experienced and enthusiastic team of people, with whom you can share your expertise and grow as an expert.
• Wellness benefit ePassi covering sport, culture, and well-being. Read more about other staff benefits here.
• Our Buddy Programme and Spouse Network support you and your close ones in settling into Oulu.
• Development and career options of the big organization.
• We have an HR Excellence in Research -quality label, which is a recognition awarded by the European Commission for the development of researchers’ working conditions and careers. 
• Work that matters and a workplace that promotes flexibility and work-life balance. Read more about working with us.
• Finland is one of the most livable countries in the world, with a high quality of life, safety, an excellent education system, and a competitive economy. Read more about living in Oulu.

What we expect

• A doctoral degree in a relevant field that was awarded not more than ten years ago
• Skills in advanced statistical analyses and a solid experience in working with quantitative survey studies and preferably with scale development
• Experience of qualitative methods in the form of conducting interviews and analyzing interview data
• Good, demonstrated capacity to collaborate in research and research dissemination activities
• Excellent written and interpersonal communication skills in English

We also appreciate: 

• Knowledge of other methodological approaches and multidisciplinary experience
• A transdisciplinary research orientation with demonstrated research experience or interest
• Earlier experience of research about emotions in a societal context
• Earlier experience of psychological or educational research about climate change and other sustainability issues

As a person you are creative, analytical, curious, open to other scientific disciplines, and can conduct excellent research in a novel subfield. When assessing the candidate’s merits for the position of Postdoctoral Researcher, attention will also be paid to scientific excellence, such as research outputs, international scientific activities and collaboration, supervision of undergraduate students, pedagogical competence, societal relevance, impact and potential of scientific activities, and services for the academic community. 

Salary

The position is fixed-term for two years, starting at the latest on 1st of January 2027 or as soon as possible thereafter.

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 (a maximum of 50 % of the job-specific component). The starting gross salary will be approx. 3700-4300 € per month (before taxes).  

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

How to apply?

Interested? If yes, please apply by 30th of September 2026 (23:59 Finnish local time) through our recruitment system.

The application should be written in English and include the following:

1. Cover letter
2. CV, following the guidelines of the Finnish Advisory Board on Research Integrity 
3. List of publications, following the guidelines of the Research Council of Finland 
4. Certificates/Diplomas: Scanned copy of the original Ph.D. degree certificate and, when necessary, official translations to Finnish or English. In case the degree is still in process, please give an official notification from the supervisor or faculty to address the estimated date of defense.
5. Contact information of two senior/experienced researchers who may be asked to give a statement on the candidate.

The eligible applicants fitting best in the profile expected for the position will be invited to an on-site or remote interview. The shortlisted candidates will also be asked to submit their diplomas, and their references will be contacted. All applicants will be notified during the selection process.

We welcome applicants from all backgrounds, including people of different ages, genders, languages, cultures, and minority communities.

Contact Information

If you have any further questions, please contact FRONT coordinator Dr Lotta Haukipuro ([email protected]) or the project leader Prof. Maria Ojala ([email protected])

1. Lotta Haukipuro, [email protected]
2. Maria Ojala, [email protected]