The University of Oulu is a multidisciplinary, international research university, with about 3,600 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 17,000 people in total. Our northern scientific community operates globally and creates conditions for the emergence of innovations.
We are now looking for
to join us in the Frontiers of Arctic and Global Resilience (FRONT) research programme (Profi7) at the University of Oulu. The doctoral researcher position will be placed at Faculty of Humanities, Giellagas Institute.
The FRONT research programme is 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. It 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 the 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.
We are seeking a candidate who researches the resilience of Indigenous Sámi culture and/or languages, with a particular focus on societal and political dynamics, power struggles, and hierarchies. The specific research focus could include but is not limited to, topics such as cultural resilience in the face of climate change, biodiversity loss, industrial and military land use, the tensions surrounding the existing livelihoods in Sápmi, the resilience of Sámi political systems, and possibilities for their improvement, the development of the Sámi Parliament's political activities and influence, the electoral systems of the Sámi Parliament(s), societal engagement among the Sámi people, the social and political participation of younger Sámi generations, intergenerational dynamics, and societal-political struggles related to languages.
In this role as a doctoral researcher, you will join a transdisciplinary research group focused on exploring the resilience of Sámi culture within the context of polycrisis—a concept that captures the interconnected and mutually reinforcing nature of global and local crises, such as climate change, biodiversity loss, and geopolitical conflicts. These overlapping challenges intensify one another, leading to complex and unpredictable outcomes, as well as new path dependencies that increase uncertainty and drive material changes. The group examines how Sámi communities and individuals, both within and beyond Sápmi, particularly the youth, navigate and sustain cultural resilience amid these evolving material, political, and social dynamics. Your responsibilities will include collecting qualitative or quantitative data, writing a dissertation, co-authoring articles with senior researchers, contributing to the FRONT programme, collaborating with faculty and university initiatives, and potentially participating in teaching activities.
In order to succeed and enjoy the position, we expect from you:
We also appreciate
The position is fixed-term for 4 years as of 1.1.2025 or as soon as possible thereafter.
The salary will be based on levels 2-4 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. 2300-2600 € per month (before taxes). A trial period of 6 months is applied for the position.
Interested? If yes, please apply by the 21st of October 2024 (23:59 Finnish local time) through our recruitment system.
The application should be written in English and include the following:
The eligible applicants fitting best in the profile expected for the position will be invited to an on-site or remote interview. All applicants will be notified during the selection process.
We welcome applicants from all backgrounds, such as people of different ages, genders, and lingual, cultural, or minority groups.
If you have any further questions, please contact
Tapio Nykänen, Associate Professor, Faculty of Humanities, Giellagas Institute, tapio.nykanen@oulu.fi
Type of employment: Temporary position
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