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Doctoral Researcher positions, Doctoral Programme in Exact Sciences (EXACTUS)

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  • University/Institute Name University of Turku
  • Position Funding Type
  • Unspecified Unspecified
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Position Details

University of Turku’s Doctoral Programme in Exact Sciences (EXACTUS) is inviting applications for fixed-term doctoral researcher positions under an employment contract, which start at the earliest on 1 January 2026 and can last until 31 December 2029. 

In EXACTUS the following academic disciplines are represented: applied mathematics, astronomy, chemistry, learning analytics, materials science, mathematics, physics, statistics and theoretical physics. The supervisors of the doctoral researchers are mainly from the Department of Physics and Astronomy, Department of Chemistry, Department of Mathematics and Statistics, the Finnish Centre for Astronomy with ESO, the Turku PET Centre or the Turku Research Institute for Learning Analytics. The website of the doctoral programme can be found at www.utu.fi/EXACTUS.

Job description

The position of a Doctoral Researcher is set to begin on 1 January 2026 at the earliest and can last until 31 December 2029. The EXACTUS doctoral programme uses a matching funding model, in which University of Turku Graduate School (UTUGS) funding can be granted for a maximum of 24 months per doctoral researcher. The applicant can apply for a funding period (the doctoral researcher position under an employment contract) of maximum 36 months (3 years) from the EXACTUS doctoral programme. From the funding period, at most 24 months can be UTUGS funding and the rest of the required funding (matching funding) must be arranged together with the doctoral researcher’s supervisor and the Department / Unit.

The doctoral researcher positions are intended for full-time doctoral dissertation research and postgraduate studies. Duties other than those related to doctoral dissertation research, such as teaching duties, must be proportioned so as not to compromise the completion of the doctoral dissertation within the planned schedule. As a rule, up to 5% (a maximum of about 80 hrs per academic year) of the annual working time of the doctoral researcher can consist of teaching.

When determining the length of the employment contract, prior funding granted for pursuing a doctoral degree, planned schedule and current phase of the research is taken into account. The maximum length for a doctoral researcher position is three years from the EXACTUS doctoral programme. A person already awarded with a doctoral degree cannot be chosen as a doctoral researcher under an employment contract.

A doctoral researcher position requires working in Finland. The place of work is Turku. The University of Turku has flexible opportunities for remote work. The doctoral researcher works at a department or unit affiliated with the EXACTUS Doctoral Programme.

Who we are looking for

Requirements

  • You are required to have completed a relevant Master’s degree awarded by a university or a university of applied sciences, or a relevant study programme abroad which in the awarding country gives eligibility for the corresponding level of higher education (Universities Act 558/2009, 37§); The degree, which grants the applicant the eligibility for the study right for a doctoral degree, must be completed within the application period, or after the application deadline on the condition that the applicant graduates and submits a scanned degree certificate and a transcript of study records to the University of Turku email [email protected] by 14 November 2025.
  • You are required to have an active right to study in the EXACTUS Doctoral Programme. In addition, you must demonstrate the ability to undertake doctoral studies and complete a doctoral degree in accordance with the research plan (University of Turku Rules of Procedure). If you have not yet been granted a right to study, you must apply for a right to pursue a doctoral degree in the Faculty of Science in the EXACTUS Doctoral Programme by filling in an electronic form in My Studyinfo service (for details, please, see section “How to apply the right to study for a doctoral degree”). A right to study is a prerequisite for an applicant to be chosen for a fixed-term doctoral researcher position under an employment contract;
  • You are planning to pursue, or pursuing, your first doctoral degree;
  • You have not previously been granted a full-time four-year funding for pursuing a doctoral degree.

If you have not yet been granted a right to study in EXACTUS, you must apply for a right to pursue a doctoral degree in the Faculty of Science in the EXACTUS Doctoral Programme by filling in an electronic form in My Studyinfo service. The September study right call ends 12 September 2025 at 16:00 (time in Finland). Please note, that you are required to have completed a relevant Master’s degree awarded by a university or a university of applied sciences, or a relevant study programme abroad which in the awarding country gives eligibility for the corresponding level of higher education (Universities Act 558/2009, 37§); The degree, which grants the applicant the eligibility for the study right for a doctoral degree, must be completed within the application period, or after the application deadline on the condition that the applicant graduates and submits a scanned degree certificate and a transcript of study records to the University of Turku email [email protected] by 14 November 2025. You must fulfil the University of Turku language skill requirements. Link to language requirements in the web page of the university’s graduate school. You are required to fulfil the prerequisites set by the Faculty of Science for granting a right to study. Read more about  how to apply the right to study for a doctoral degree on the EXACTUS doctoral programme webpages.

Benefits

Please read more about University of Turku as an employee from our Come work with us! pages.

The European Commission has awarded the University of Turku the right to use the HR Excellence in Research quality label. The label is a token of the University’s commitment to continuous development of the position and working conditions of researchers according to the guidelines set forth in the European Charter for Researchers. 

The university offers good support and orientation for international hires. Please learn more about the Finnish culture and relocation to Finland:

The University of Turku is among the top of the world’s universities in most rankings and among the best universities in the world in certain fields. Our high-quality basic research, a multidisciplinary research profile and close cooperation in research infrastructures creates the basis for international top research. Read more about University of Turku in international university rankings.

The University of Turku has several high-quality research infrastructures required for cutting-edge research. Learn more about the roadmap of research infrastructures and how the research infrastructure and expert teams offer tailored solutions for businesses and organizations.

Salary and trial period

The salary is based on the salary system of the University’s teaching and research staff. Salaries will consist of a task-specific salary component and a personal performance salary component. The task-specific salary component of a doctoral researcher varies between levels 2 to 4, depending on the stage of the doctoral degree. In addition, a personal performance salary component is paid. The salary of a doctoral researcher varies between € 2 400 and € 3 300, depending on the progress of the doctoral research and the experience and skills of the person concerned.

The probationary period of 6 months applies.

How to apply

Submit your application through our online recruitment system. The closing date for applications is 12 September 2025 at 16.00 (Europe/Helsinki). The application link can be found at the top and bottom of this page (“Apply for this job”). Applications that arrive after the application period has ended will not be processed.

Applicants must include in their application in PDF form (recommended to be written in English; see attachment requirements in the Call for Applications):

  • Curriculum Vitae (CV) including publications list: Link to instructions by the Finnish National Board on Research Integrity (TENK) for writing a CV. You can also choose to do a free-form resume. Link to publications list instructions in English and in Finnish.
  • Research plan:
    • If an applicant already has the right to study from the EXACTUS doctoral programme, then they have to attach a research plan to their application. The maximum length of the research plan is 3 pages (including references). The research plan should follow the guidelines for the responsible conduct of research (see Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) | Finnish National Board on Research Integrity TENK). The research plans can be checked with the Turnitin OriginalityCheck plagiarism detection software. The use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the research plan should be clearly stated in the application. The research plan should contain:
      • Name of the applicant
      • The planned title of the doctoral dissertation
      • Research topic in the context of the field
      • Scientific motivation and goals
      • Methods and environment of the research
      • Applicants own role and specialization in the study
      • Timetable of research
      • Current state of doctoral thesis and postgraduate studies.
    • Those applicants who apply for the study right, will write a research plan in the second application phase. The study right applicant will write the plan together with their supervisor. If the study right applicant does not have a research plan when applying during the first stage, they can upload a blank document to the system.
  • Bachelor’s and Master’s degree certificates and study transcripts (or documents of corresponding degrees):
    • If you have completed your Bachelor’s and Master’s degree(s) (or corresponding degrees) at a higher education institution in Finland, you should attach the scanned original degree certificates and transcripts of study records to the electronic application form.
    • If you have completed your Bachelor’s and Master’s degree(s) (or corresponding degrees) at a higher education institution abroad (i.e. outside of Finland), you should attach the scanned original degree certificates and transcripts of study records (in the language that the degree was completed in). If the original degree certificates or transcripts of study records are not written in English, Finnish or Swedish, official translations to one of these languages should also be submitted. A transcript in English can be replaced by a Diploma Supplement (DS) awarded by a European educational institution, provided that it contains the information about completed courses and other study attainments.
    • If the Master’s degree is not completed by the deadline of application time, an up-to-date transcript of study records should be attached to the application.
  • Study transcript of doctoral degree: If you already have a study right in the EXACTUS doctoral programme, you should upload an up-to-date study transcript for the doctoral degree from Peppi study system and attach it to the application.

Evaluation of applications

In addition to the eligibility criteria related to the right to pursue a doctoral degree, criteria used in the selection of doctoral researchers for fixed-term doctoral researcher positions may also include the applicant’s merits, completed previous studies and the time taken to complete them, grade of the Master’s thesis (or corresponding work) and capability to complete a doctoral degree, as well as the quality and feasibility (in the planned schedule) of the research plan, including the number of publications and already completed postgraduate studies for the doctoral degree, are taken into account in the selection of doctoral researchers.

The doctoral programme is multidisciplinary and aims to further all relevant research fields, which may be considered when filling the doctoral researcher positions. Any other funding received by the applicant for doctoral studies, the planned schedule, and current phase of the research, may be taken into consideration when determining the duration of the doctoral researcher funded position.

Decisions

The Head of the Department/Unit decides on the recruitment of the applicant for the position of a doctoral researcher under an employment contract based on the proposal of the steering committee of the Doctoral Programme. All applicants will be personally informed about the decisions by 28 November 2025. The names of the persons who have been selected for the funded positions will be published on the website of Doctoral Programme (www.utu.fi/EXACTUS). A selected applicant has to notify their acceptance of the position according to the instructions given in the offer notification.

Further information

[email protected]

www.utu.fi/EXACTUS/

Link to instructions on how to apply to doctoral training in the Faculty of Science

Doctoral Programme in Exact Sciences (EXACTUS)

The University of Turku Graduate School (UTUGS) consists of doctoral programmes which cover all disciplines and the approximately 2,000 doctoral researchers of the University. 

The aim of the Graduate School is to provide systematic and high quality doctoral training for the doctoral researchers of the University of Turku. Each doctoral researcher has a personal supervisor and the progress of the doctoral dissertation is followed regularly. The aim of doctoral training is to train highly qualified experts with the skills required for both professional career in research and other positions of expertise.

The Doctoral Programme in Exact Sciences (EXACTUS) is responsible for the doctoral education in applied mathematics, astronomy, chemistry, learning analytics, materials science, mathematics, physics, statistics and theoretical physics.

The University of Turku is an inspiring and international academic community of 25,000 students and staff in Southwest Finland. We build a sustainable future with multidisciplinary research, education, and collaboration. With us, your work will have a significant impact and relevance in the changing world.

See our open vacancies

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Phone:
+358 29 450 5000
Email:
[email protected]

Location: 20014 Turun yliopisto

Information for the applicant

The application form cannot be saved as a draft. However, after submitting you can return to edit your application via the link you receive by email. The application can be edited until the application deadline.

You have 6 hours to complete your application before the timeout.

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Research Areas & Fields of Study involved in the position

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