Postdoctoral Researcher (Karelia, Karelianness, And Finnish-Russian Border And Border Area)

The Karelian Institute of the Faculty of Social Sciences and Business Studies is inviting applications for a Postdoctoral Researcher position on the Joensuu Campus. The position will begin on 1 June 2026. Read more below and submit your application no later than 30 April 2026.

Position and salary

The Karelian Institute of the Faculty of Social Sciences and Business Studies is filling one Postdoctoral Researcher position (Karelia, Karelianness and the Finnish-Russian border and border area). The position is linked to the activities of the university’s Cultural Encounters, Mobilities and Borders (BOMOCULT) Research Community and the VERA Centre for Russian and Border Studies of the University of Eastern Finland.

The main duty of the Postdoctoral Researcher is to conduct research in accordance with their research proposal. In addition, the Postdoctoral Researcher is expected to participate in the preparation of research projects in their field and in the supervision of academic theses.

In accordance with the Onnenmäki Foundation’s endowment, the selected candidates’ research will focus on Karelia, Karelianness, or the Finnish-Russian border and border area. The successful candidate may investigate different aspects of social, economic, regional, political or cultural processes, or processes of border-making and border-transcending, in this geographic location.

The position is filled for a two-year term starting on 1 June 2026. The position is filled for a fixed term due to it pertaining to a specific funding programme with the option for a two-year extension.

The salary of the position 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 these positions, the job-related salary element is based on level 5 of the job requirement level chart (EUR 3,366.55), and the personal salary element is 6–50% of the job-related salary element. Depending on the personal salary element, the salary will be approximately EUR 3,700-4,200/month at the beginning of the employment relationship.

A trial period is applied to new members of the university’s staff.

Requirements and advantages

Requirements

• The person to be appointed to the Postdoctoral Researcher position is required to hold a suitable doctoral degree, which may not have been completed more than five years ago at the time of accepting the position. In this context, the 5-year limit refers to a net period of time, which does not include maternity leaves, parental leaves, military service, etc. If the applicant pleads to the above-mentioned reasons, they need to explain them in the application.
• The Postdoctoral Researcher is expected to have language skills that support the field’s research. A good command of the English language is required.

Considered as an advantage

• Experience in international research cooperation and international researcher mobility will be regarded as merits.

Evaluation

The applicant is expected to present a concise (max. 3 pages) research proposal and a brief development plan which clarifies the applicant’s contributions to the development of the Karelian Institute, the VERA Centre and/or the BOMOCULT Research Community in terms of network building, project activities and societal impact.

The applications meeting all the eligibility requirements will be sent for evaluation. Applications will be evaluated according to the excellence of a) the research proposal, b) earlier academic performance, c) its impact and d) international orientation.

What we can offer you

• Cutting-edge research, research training and career development for postdoctoral researchers in fields associated with Karelia, Karelianness, and the Finnish-Russian border and border area.
• An inspiring international and creative, participatory and engaging research environment in a well-established research institute and university community.
• The opportunity for international collaboration as part of a research team.
• A wide range of support services at UEF.
• Work that matters and a workplace that promotes work-life balance.
• The university’s occupational health insurance. The Finnish government also provides benefits to residents and their families, for example, access to the national healthcare system and high-quality, affordable childcare and school services.
• Staff benefits of the University of Eastern Finland, including comprehensive occupational health care, versatile staff training opportunities, affordable campus restaurant lunches and Sykettä sports services.

Please read more in the Work at UEF section on our website.

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How to apply

Submit your application by using our electronic application form no later than 30 April 2026 by 24:00 (midnight) Finnish time (UTC+3). The application is required to contain the following appendices:

• a CV (Template for CV, TENK web page)
• a list of publications (Research Council of Finland web page)
• copies of the academic degree certificates/diplomas, and copies of certificates/diplomas relating to your language proficiency, if not indicated in the academic degree certificates/diplomas.
• a concise summary of the applicant’s scientific achievements and research activities, including research collaboration (max. 1 page).
• a research proposal written in Finnish or in English (max. 3 pages)
• a development plan (max. 1 page) explaining how the applicant intends to promote project activities, network building and societal impact of the BOMOCULT Research Community and the VERA Centre for Russian and Border Studies.

The applicant may also include other documents to demonstrate their merits for the position (e.g., a statement from the opponent, letters of recommendation, etc.).

The CV, list of publications and research proposal can be submitted in Finnish or in English.

If your degree certificate is not in English, Finnish, or Swedish, you must provide official English translations of your degree certificate documents. All translations must be issued by the awarding educational institution or an authorised translator. Each page of the official translation must bear the translator's stamp and/or signature. Official translations must be accurate translations of the original documents. Translations made by the applicants themselves will not be accepted.

Questions?

For more information on the position, please contact the Head of the Karelian Institute Petri Kahila

(petri.kahila@uef.fi, +358 40 411 8445) or Vice Head of the Karelian Institute Joni Virkkunen (joni.virkkunen@uef.fi, +358 50 442 4469).

For further information relating to the application procedure, please contact HR Specialist Airi

Leppänen, airi.leppanen@uef.fi.

Tutkijatohtorin tehtävä

Haemme tutkijatohtoria Itä-Suomen yliopiston Joensuun kampukselle, Karjalan tutkimuslaitokselle erityisalana Karjala, karjalaisuus, Suomen ja Venäjän raja tai raja-alue. Tehtävä sijoittuu yhteiskuntatieteiden ja kauppatieteiden tiedekuntaan ja alkaa 1.6.2026. Tehtävä täytetään kahden vuoden määräajaksi ja sen tehtäväkohtainen palkanosa on vaativuustasoluokittelussa tasolla 5. Lisäksi maksetaan henkilökohtaiseen suoriutumiseen perustuvaa palkanosaa, joka on 6–50 % tehtäväkohtaisesta palkanosasta. Tehtävissä edellytetään erinomaista englannin kielen taitoa.

Lue tarkemmat tiedot tehtävistä ja hakuohjeet yllä olevasta englanninkielisestä ilmoituksesta. Hakemuksen voi jättää suomeksi tai englanniksi. Hakuaika tehtävään päättyy 30.4.2026 klo 24.00.

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.

At the Karelia Institute, we conduct interdisciplinary basic and applied research in humanities and social sciences and offer doctoral education in interdisciplinary border studies. We work in close collaboration with various research areas of the Faculty of Social Sciences and Business Studies. Our thematic research areas are: Regional development and rural studies, Ethnicity and culture, and Borders and Russia. The Karelia Institute was founded in 1971, and it currently employs around 70 experts.

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 | Paikkojen lukumäärä: 1 | Työllisyysaste: 100 | Paikkakunta: Joensuu | Maakunta: Pohjois-Karjala | Maa: Finland | Ilmoitusnumero: 496/01.01.03/2026 | Julkaistu: 2026-03-31 | Haku päättyy: 2026-04-30