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The Faculty of Information Technology and Communication Sciences invites applications for 8 doctoral researcher positions. One position in the field of Computing and Electrical Engineering is funded from Tuula and Yrjö Neuvo Fund.
JOB DESCRIPTION
We are looking for highly qualified and motivated doctoral researchers to join the Faculty of Information Technology and Communication Sciences at Tampere University. Our Faculty is made up of four units: Computing Sciences, Electrical Engineering, Communication Sciences and Languages. Our research combines a diverse spectrum of communication and interaction, be it between humans, between humans and machines, or between machines. Our research themes include, for example, robotics, game research, artificial intelligence, electronics and embedded systems, smart grids and power electronics, communication, journalism, media and culture, theatre and drama, and literature and linguistics.
The position of doctoral researcher offers you the opportunity to concentrate full time on your doctoral studies while receiving high-quality supervision along with the freedom and encouragement to develop your ideas in a supportive, inspirational and multidisciplinary research environment.
Doctoral researchers are hired on a fixed-term basis for from 2 years up to 4 years. The exact length of the contract will depend on the current stage of your studies and your expected graduation date.
Besides conducting research for your dissertation, you will be expected to teach or perform other duties related to your studies. These duties may not exceed 5% of your overall working hours.
The successful candidates will pursue a doctoral degree in one of the doctoral programmes of the Faculty.
The successful candidates will be able to explore topics relating to any of the research fields of our Faculty. Depending on your research topic, you can apply to one of the four theme areas available in our doctoral programmes:
1. Human-Technology Interaction
Doctoral research in Human-Technology Interaction can address a variety of perspectives related to novel technology-mediated systems and applications that shape people’s everyday life and work. This research field addresses topics such as:
- Novel forms of human-technology interaction, including multimodal and multisensory interaction
- Interaction and applications on new technology platforms such as Virtual Reality, social robots and autonomous vehicles
- Human-Centered aspects of computing systems and Artificial Intelligence
- User experience and emotions in information technology systems
- Societal impact, accessibility, and ethics of digital technology
Information Studies
Doctoral research in Information Studies addresses four areas. The student becomes an expert in either information practices, information management, information retrieval, or learning technologies. Those who complete the degree are employed, depending on their selected area, in libraries, archives or other information-intensive public sector or business organisations. Potential research themes include:
- Information practices of individuals and organizations
- Information searching and retrieval
- Archives and registries in contemporary society and the future
- Educational technologies
- Information literacy
- Library studies and reading studies
- Knowledge management
Games & Gamification
Doctoral research in the Games and Gamification addresses the multifaceted challenges related to society, ecology, economy, well-being, culture, literacy, and technology as well as other areas of human-game/technology practice. Through the design and research of games, gamification, and game-related technologies, from several academic approaches, the research seeks to address the “wicked problems” facing humanity.
The research topics include but are not limited to:
- Gamification in application domains such as Education: e.g., serious games, game-based learning; Media: e.g., esports, social media, gamification in journalism; Commerce: e.g., business models, gamification in marketing; Work: e.g., gameful work, gamification in leadership; Health: e.g., quantified self, gamification for health and well-being
- Gamification for societal phenomena such as environment/climate, culture, governance: e.g., human-forest interaction, climate-change engagement, democracy, participation, justice, urban planning, smart and playable cities
- Gamification design principles and methods, designing gamification artefacts, playful and speculative design
- Critical approach to gamification: e.g., detrimental effects of gamification, extrinsic control, and de-gamification
Read more about the Doctoral Programme of Humans and Technologies.
2. Computing and Electrical Engineering
Electrical engineering and Information processing sciences underlie the core activities in organisations and the broader society. Operations and events generate tremendous amounts of data that needs to be processed, analysed and transmitted wherever it is needed. Computing, signal processing and telecommunications are the scientific fields that deal with these tasks. Data analysis and information processing are based on mathematics and statistics. The required hardware and power are developed in the fields of electronics and computer and electrical engineering. The methods and applications of power generation and transmission, electronics and information technology pervade all human activity and are central in answering the global and local challenges that we are facing.
Possible areas of research include:
- software design, process and business
- logic and algebra
- inverse problems and mathematical analysis
- statistical data analytics
- data and knowledge modelling
- machine learning
- computer and robot vision
- audio, image and video signal processing
- computer engineering
- network and information security
- information systems
- communications engineering and radio systems
- electronics and embedded systems
- electrical energy engineering and smart-grids
- power engineering, power electronics and electromechanics
Read more about the Doctoral Programme of Computing and Electrical Engineering.
3. Language Studies
The Doctoral Programme in Language Studies is a multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary programme that combines research on languages, literature, and culture, as well as the study of translation and interpreting, with different theoretical frameworks. The programme offers doctoral degrees in the following fields: The programme offers doctoral degrees in the following fields: English Philology, Finnish language, German language and culture, Russian language and culture, Scandinavian languages, and translation studies (English, Swedish, German, Russian).
Possible areas of research include:
- sociolinguistics
- spatial literary and cultural studies as well as environmental humanities
- sociology of translation
- linguistic challenges of the globalised, increasingly multilingual and multicultural society
- mobility and cross-cultural relations in literature and other art forms
- translation and interpreting as professional operations; specialised translation
- historical perspectives on language, literature and translation
- corpus linguistics and corpus-based translation studies
Read more about the Doctoral Programme in Language Studies
4. Media, Communication and Performing Arts
The Doctoral Programme in Media, Communication and Performing Arts educates experts and researchers in communication, game studies, journalism, media studies, sound studies, visual culture and performing arts. These fields are connected through the research of reality and the construction of performances of said reality, the public nature of these professions and the concrete dimension of skills, social aspects and an understanding of communications from the perspective of simultaneity of meaning and materiality: as images, words, sounds, interaction, embodiment, game and play, performances and stories.
Possible areas of research include:
- Research on journalistic work, journalism as a profession, the role of journalism in society, visual journalism, public participation, digitalization.
- Media, technology and society, media theory, media and affects, visual culture, sound studies
- Critical and societal studies of game cultures and game production, methods for analyzing individual games and forms of play, research of players and player experiences
- Small group and interpersonal communication, political communication, communication and working life, health communication
- Academic and artistic research on theatre, drama and the performing arts
Read more about the Doctoral Programme in Media, Communication and Performing Arts
REQUIREMENTS
We expect candidates to hold an applicable master’s degree and to have been admitted to one of the doctoral programmes administered by the Faculty of Information Technology and Communication Sciences at Tampere University by the beginning of their employment.
Please note that the successful candidates must apply for admission to one of our doctoral programmes separately if they are not already students. Please be aware that the application period to the Doctoral Programme of Humans and Technologies, to the Doctoral Programme in Language Studies and to the Doctoral Programme in Media, Communication and Performing Arts is 3 April – 28 April 2023, the application round ends on 28 April at 15.00 Finnish time (EEST). The Doctoral Programme in Computing and Electrical Engineering accepts applications on a rolling basis. More instructions for applying to our doctoral programmes .
In addition to the above-mentioned four doctoral programmes, students from the following doctoral programmes are eligible to apply for the doctoral researcher’s positions as well: Doctoral Programme in Communication, Media and Theatre, Doctoral Programme in Information and Systems and Doctoral Programme in Information Studies and Interactive Media. Please note that there is no admission to these three doctoral programmes anymore.
When considering candidates, we will focus on the following:
- ambition, scientific quality and innovativeness of the research plan
- feasibility of the proposed research
- merits of the applicant
- research environment and/or support of the research group
- demonstrated (during studies towards the master’s degree or otherwise) competence and motivation to successfully complete a doctoral degree
Tampere University is a unique, multidisciplinary and boldly forward-looking, evolving community. Our values are openness, diversity, responsibility, courage, critical thinking, erudition bildung, and learner-centredness. We hope that you can embrace these values and promote them in your work.
WE OFFER
The positions will be filled for a fixed-term period of from two years up to four years starting as soon as possible but no later than August 2023.
The salary will be based on both the job requirements and the employee’s personal performance in accordance with the salary system of Finnish universities. According to the criteria applied to teaching and research staff, the position of a doctoral researcher is placed on level 2-4 of the job requirements scale. A typical starting salary for a doctoral researcher is approx. 2400€/month. A higher salary may be agreed upon based on the successful candidate’s experience and the progress of his or her doctoral studies.
A trial period of six months applies to all our new employees.
We invite you to join our vibrant, active and truly international research community. We offer a wide range of staff benefits, such as occupational health care, flexible working hours, excellent sports facilities on campus and several restaurants and cafés on campus with staff discounts. Please read more about working at Tampere University. You can also find more information about us and working and living Tampere by watching our video: Tampere Higher Education Community – our academic playground.
HOW TO APPLY
Please note that you must separately apply for admission to one of the four doctoral programmes listed above if you are not already a doctoral student in one of our programmes. Please be aware that the application period to the Doctoral Programme of Humans and Technologies, to the Doctoral Programme in Language Studies and to the Doctoral Programme in Media, Communication and Performing Arts is 3 April – 28 April 2023, the application round ends on 28 April at 15.00 Finnish time (EEST). The Doctoral Programme in Computing and Electrical Engineering accepts applications on a rolling basis.
Submit your application for the doctoral researcher’s position through our online recruitment system (link below). The closing date for applications is 28 April 2023 (at 23.59 EEST / 20.59 UTC). Late applications will not be considered.
Please attach the following documents to your application in PDF format:
- Curriculum Vitae prepared according to the guidelines issued by the Finnish Advisory Board on Research Integrity (TENK)
- Your research plan, max. 6 pages, including:
- Summary/abstract, background, goals and research questions, expected contributions and novelty of results – please see the web page of the doctoral programme for potential instructions for the research plan structure
- Schedule (e.g. a chart including the start date of your doctoral studies and your expected graduation date), required period of funding and a clear indication of other funding received and the related funding periods
- A table of papers (or chapters/substudies in case of a monograph) with the following columns where the rows represent individual studies/articles/chapters:
- tentative title (topic)
- research question explored
- methods and data gathered
- targeted publication channels
- estimated date of submission
- A list of completed courses that are counted towards your doctoral degree and preliminary plan for topics of the courses intended to take during doctoral studies (for example in terms of methods, theories, academic skills etc.)
- Signed agreement from your supervisor and co-supervisor (if applicable) demonstrating that they have read and agree with the proposal
- Copy of your MSc and BSc degree certificates, including transcripts of all university records and their English translations (Finnish certificates are accepted) and Diploma Supplement
For more information about the positions, please contact:
Computing and Electrical Engineering, Information and Systems: Professor Matti Mäntysalo (matti.mantysalo@tuni.fi, tel +358407576800)
Humans and Technologies: Professor Kaisa Väänänen (kaisa.vaananen@tuni.fi, tel. +358408490731)
Language Studies: University Lecturer Liisa Mustanoja (liisa.mustanoja@tuni.fi , tel. + +358503180769)
Media, Communication and Performing Arts: University lecturer Sanna Kivimäki (sanna.k.kivimaki@tuni.fi, tel. +358504280911)
With questions about the recruitment process, please contact: HR Specialist Meri Pere (meri.pere@tuni.fi)