Doctoral Researcher Positions, Doctoral Programme In Health Sciences

We are seeking a total of 20 Doctoral Researchers to the Doctoral Programme of the Faculty of Health Sciences. The positions will be hosted by the Faculty of Health Sciences on the Kuopio campus and will start on 1 January 2027 (or as agreed by the end of 2027). Please find more information below, and submit your application by 28 August 2026.

Role and salary

This call for applications pertains to doctoral researcher positions in the Doctoral Programme of the Faculty of Health Sciences.

The Doctoral Programme of the Faculty of Health Sciences offers a multidisciplinary and high-quality research environment for the study of health, disease, and wellbeing. The programme covers and integrates the research fields of molecular and biomedical sciences, clinical medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, and health sciences, and trains internationally oriented and competitive researchers and experts for demanding national and international positions.

The doctoral programme includes both basic and applied research focusing on major public health diseases and their risk factors, as well as on disease prevention, early detection, and treatment. Research topics cover a broad spectrum from molecular-level mechanisms to effective, personalised, and prevention-oriented solutions, with the overall aim of promoting lifelong health (web page).

The duties of a Doctoral Researcher include conducting doctoral research in accordance with their approved research plan. The aim is to complete the doctoral degree in 3–4 years of full-time study.

In this call, you can apply for:

• a full-time doctoral researcher position for a fixed term of at least six (6) months and at most three (3) years.
• individual months as a full-time researcher, if you are working on a doctoral dissertation, for example, alongside clinical work. When applying for months as a researcher, the minimum duration is one (1) month, and the months can be distributed over a maximum of three (3) years.
• funding for finishing a doctoral dissertation after three years of full-time work. Funding can be applied for finishing a doctoral dissertation for a fixed term of 1–12 months, depending on the stage of the doctoral dissertation.

In all options, work on the doctoral dissertation must be full-time during the period that the application concerns. Part-time work is only possible when other funding (e.g., a personal grant or part-time employment in another organization) can be combined with the position and the funding as a whole enables full-time work on the doctoral dissertation.

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.

Our requirements

• you are eligible for doctoral education, hold a relevant Master’s degree completed at a university or a university of applied sciences, or have suitable foreign education qualifying for equivalent university studies in the country concerned,
• you have the right to pursue postgraduate studies in the Doctoral Programme of the Faculty of Health Sciences or you are planning to apply for it and you meet the admission criteria for the Doctoral Programme of the Faculty of Health Sciences (web page),
• you are planning or working on your first doctoral degree,
• the duration of your full-time doctoral research (from the moment the right to pursue postgraduate studies was granted) does not exceed four years by 31 December 2027,
• you have sufficient English language skills for the task.

We offer you

• an interesting position in an international, creative, participatory and inclusive university community,
• 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.

How to apply

Please submit your application no later than 28 August 2026 by 24:00 (midnight) Finnish time (UTC+3) by using the electronic form.

Please note that the application must contain the following appendices in PDF format in English:

• A CV (a template for researchers: TENK website).
• A publication list 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 plan (cover sheet + max. 4 pages) including a research funding plan describing the resources required and existing for the research, as well as a brief description of the relevance/impact of the research. Persons who are already registered as postgraduate students must submit an updated research plan, including a report on the progress of their doctoral research and the intended schedule for the completion of the doctoral research and the initiation of the pre-examination process. See the Faculty of Health Sciences’ instructions for a research plan (pdf).
• A motivational letter (1 page), in which the applicant describes their motivation to pursue postgraduate studies and to conduct research, and presents their career plans.
• 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 right to pursue postgraduate studies at the University of Eastern Finland. If your certificate/diploma is not in English, Finnish or Swedish, official English translation issued either by the awarding educational institution or an authorised translator must be provided of the certificate/diploma documents.

Applications will be evaluated based on uniform criteria, utilising external experts.
The research plan will be evaluated based on the following criteria: the quality and clarity of the research plan, the novelty value of the research plan and its feasibility as doctoral research, the applicant’s demonstrated experience in research work and motivation based on the motivational letter.

The evaluation may include an interview.

The aim is to make decisions by mid-November.

Questions?

You can send your questions to healthpostgrad@uef.fi.

The Faculty of Health Sciences operates at the Kuopio Campus of the University of Eastern Finland. The Faculty offers education in medicine, dentistry, nutrition and pharmacy, as well as in some other central fields of the health care sector. The Faculty is research-intensive, and its internationally recognised research activities are closely linked to the strategic research areas of the University. There are approximately 3 090 degree students and about 800 PhD students in the Faculty. The faculty has 1020 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. Our campuses are located in Joensuu and Kuopio. 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.

Työsopimuksen voimassaolo: määräaikainen työsopimus | Työsuhteen luonne: kokoaikainen/osa-aikainen | Paikkojen lukumäärä: 20 | Työllisyysaste: 100 | Paikkakunta: Kuopio | Maakunta: Pohjois-Savo | Maa: Finland | Ilmoitusnumero: 1022/01.01.03/2026 | Yhteys: healthpostgrad@uef.fi healthpostgrad@uef.fi , healthpostgrad@uef.fi healthpostgrad@uef.fi , | Julkaistu: 2026-08-10 | Haku päättyy: 2026-08-28