PhD in 3 years: Two Doctoral Researchers, Planetary Health, Sustainability Transformations Doctoral Education Pilot (SusTra)

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 two highly motivated and talented

Doctoral researchers (three years)

to join the Sustainability Transformations Doctoral Education Pilot (SusTra) headed by Professor of Public Health Jouni J. K. Jaakkola. Positions will be at the Center for Environmental and Respiratory Health Research (CERH), Research unit of Population Health, Faculty of Medicine, and the positions are under the planetary health approach of the SusTra program. 

Sustainability Transformations Doctoral Education Pilot (SusTra) produces information about social, cultural, organizational and individual-level change processes when targeting a sustainable and just society without exceeding the planetary boundaries. Complex social-ecological challenges such as climate change, biodiversity loss and global social inequality require in-depth sustainability transformations, across all sectors, scales and actors.

In this position, you will participate in the national 1000 doctorates pilot programme. As a partner in the programme, the University of Oulu is dedicated to ensuring you have a carefully planned and guided doctoral research experience which will be tailored to support your career plans, enabling you to continue into demanding expert positions in the changing job markets in private and public sector and academia.

About the job

The selected applicant will be joining the CERH team at the Research Unit of Population Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oulu. CERH comprises a multidisciplinary group of researchers with expertise in epidemiology and biostatistics, clinical medicine, biology, genetics, environmental sciences, ecology, geography and anthropology. We are located at the Kontinkangas Campus, Oulu, Finland.

You will be part of multidisciplinary research group and your PhD project will be part of our research program. As a doctoral researcher you will participate in weekly supervisory meetings together with other doctoral researchers and the supervisory team, including professors Jouni Jaakkola and Maritta Jaakkola, university researcher Aino Rantala, university lecturer Timo Hugg, and postdoctoral researchers Ines Paciencia and Haile Fenta.

Sustainability transformation requires new perspectives for human health and well-being. In CERH, we are applying the concept of planetary health as a new research framework. Planetary health conveys the idea of interdependence between human well-being and the state of the environment in global scale. Global environmental change includes several complex drivers that shape living environments and behavior. 

Global public health challenges can be viewed through megatrends. A megatrend is a general trend, a broad arc of change that consists of several phenomena, such as the ecological sustainability crisis. Megatrends often take place on a global level, and the direction of development is often believed to continue in the certain direction. Megatrends can be used to identify more detailed factors affecting public health, environmental exposures, factors affecting disease susceptibility, or forms of behavior. Important megatrends from planetary health perspective include health risks related to climate change and loss of biodiversity caused by human activity, the health effects of urbanization and global population mobility and refugee flows, pandemics and military conflicts. The topic of the doctoral thesis will be tailored within the planetary health framework and it will be selected according to doctoral researchers interests and capacity and competence of the supervisory team. 

Participation in our doctoral program will provide you an overview of planetary health issues and their linkage to sustainability transformation. This training will give you a strong background for future research work in the areas of sustainability and planetary health. It will also provide competence for existing and emerging expert positions in national and international organizations.

Qualification requirements

We are looking for excellent candidates who must fulfill the following criteria:

1. Must hold a master's degree or equivalent degree (e.g. licentiate) in epidemiology, medicine, biomedicine, public health sciences, or other related field. (Undergraduate students are eligible to apply provided their Master’s or equivalent degree is finished by 30.9.2024.)
2. Must have achieved a good grade in their degree (i.e. at least 60 % of the maximum grade in both taught courses and the master's thesis)
3. Excellent writing skills and fluency in English are expected.
4. Good communication and teamwork skills are required. Ability to pursue independent research is expected.

The chosen doctoral researchers will be expected to apply for doctoral study rights at the University of Oulu Graduate School. Eligibility for study rights will be evaluated during the job application process.

What the University of Oulu offers

• A wide variety of support services allowing you to focus on your studies and research.
• A competitive salary paid monthly, which includes paid leave and an additional holiday bonus in the summer.
• Wellness benefit ePassi covering sport, culture, and well-being. Read more about other staff benefits. 
• Development and career options of the big organization.
• Work that matters and a workplace that promotes flexibility and work-life balance. Read more about working with us.
• Our Buddy Programme and Spouse Network support you and close-ones in settling into Oulu.
• We have a HR Excellence in Research -quality label which is a recognition awarded by the European Commission for the development of researchers’ working conditions and careers.
• Finland is one of the most livable countries in the world, with a high quality of life, safety, excellent education and healthcare system, and competitive economy. Read more about living in Oulu.

Position and salary

Doctoral researchers selected in the pilot programme will by default be offered a three-year (36 month) fixed-term full-time employment contract by the University of Oulu. These positions are available for highly motivated and talented researchers wishing to undertake and complete training for a research-focused doctoral degree, starting 1.1.2025. A six-month trial period is applied in the position.

The salary will be based on the 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 (maximum of 50 % of the job-specific component). Starting gross salary will be approx. 2500 – 2800 € per month (before taxes).

The employment contracts are based on a total working time of 1 612 hours per year, which gives the doctoral researchers freedom to plan their working hours.

How to apply

Applications, together with all relevant attachments, should be submitted through our recruitment system by 6.10.2024 (23:59 Finnish local time). The application should be written in English and include the following:

1. Curriculum vitae (max. 2 pages). CV including a list of possible peer-reviewed scientific publications (with full reference details). Follow the template of the Finnish National Board on Research Integrity 

2. Cover letter / Motivation letter (max. 2 pages) summarizing applicant’s professional experience and expertise and describing why applicant is interested in this position. Also, information on personal research interests, experience and career plans are valuable to provide here. Letter should also include potential specific interests in in the planetary health approach of the Sustainability Transformations Doctoral Education Pilot (SusTra) at Center for Environmental and Respiratory Health, University of Oulu.

3. Certificates/Diplomas. Scanned copy of the original relevant Master’s degree certificates and transcript of records and, when necessary, official translations to Finnish or English.

4. Names and contact information of two referees available for recommendation.

4. Research plan (max. 2 pages). The research plan should contain information about the background and significance of the research (you can use Impact Helper tool), a description of the intended objectives and methods, and a preliminary schedule.

5. A certificate of language proficiency.

Note: Only applications containing all relevant appendices and submitted through the online recruitment system will be considered. Applications received after the call deadline will not be considered.

The eligible applicants fitting best in the research profile expected for the position may be invited to an on-site or remote interview. All applicants will be notified during the selection process.

Contact information

If you have any further questions, please contact

Professor Jouni J. K. Jaakkola
Center for Environmental and Respiratory Health Research (CERH), Research Unit of Population Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oulu
Email: jouni.jaakkola (at) oulu.fi
https://www.oulu.fi/en/research-groups/cerh

1. Jouni Juha Kalervo Jaakkola, +358406720927