Doctoral researcher, Biodiverse Anthropocenes Research Programme

We, at the University of Oulu, work as part of the international science community to produce new scientific information and science-based solutions. We are committed to educating future pioneers to build a more sustainable, intelligent and humane world. Creating new, taking responsibility and succeeding together are values that build a strong foundation for all our actions. We offer a working environment where individuals can cultivate their skills, do meaningful work, and develop professionally. Our university's several specialized research and service units enable extensive and diverse development and career opportunities for experts in various fields.

We are looking to hire a highly motivated

Doctoral Researcher

to join the University of Oulu’s Faculty of Humanities, Unit of History, Culture and Communications.

The full-time (maximum of four years) Doctoral Researcher position will be based in a new transdisciplinary project investigating questions of multidimensional effects that Arctic tourism resorts have had in Finnish Sápmi on the local built environment and landscape, and how these “non-places” shape immaterial spaces – what perceptions, memories, emotions, and phenomenological experiences do different stakeholders associate with these non-places. The project further addresses the question of modern ruin landscapes and abandoned sites, aesthetics of landscape and materiality. The project team approaches these questions from various angles, e.g. from a contemporary archaeology perspective, from a landscape and heritage perspective, a phenomenological and a sense of place standpoint using arts-based methods, interviews, and discourse analysis of landscape representations in the media. The project will be situated within the interdisciplinary arena of environmental social sciences, and will be led by Prof. Thora Herrmann, Professor in Social-Environmental Sustainability at the University of Oulu.

The faculty and the research group

This doctoral researcher position is based within both the research focus area of Biodiverse Anthropocenes and the Archaeology programme, which combines cutting-edge expertise of archaeology, cultural anthropology, information studies, history, and the history of science and ideas. Archaeology at Oulu offers a progressive, stimulating, and international working environment, with strengths across past and current, environment and cultural processes in the North, contemporary archaeology, human-environment interactions, heritage studies, conservation, tourism, and transdisciplinary environmental social sciences.

As a full-time doctoral researcher at the University of Oulu, you will work towards writing a doctoral thesis (article-based thesis) in the discipline of archaeology. While the degree will be awarded in archaeology, the overall approach of the project and research will be interdisciplinary and will draw on and contribute to debates in sister fields of human geography, heritage studies, ethnology, environmental humanities, and environmental sociology.

Located on the coast of the Gulf of Bothnia in Northern Finland with over 13,000 students and over 3,000 employees, the University of Oulu is one of the Nordic countries’ largest universities and a global leader in studies of Arctic environments and peoples. The research unit of History, Culture and Communications combines cutting-edge expertise of cultural anthropology, archaeology, history, information studies, and the history of science and ideas.

Biodiverse Anthropocenes Research Programme

Biodiverse Anthropocenes is a Research Programme of the University of Oulu supported by the Academy of Finland PROFI6 funding (2021‒2026). This innovative and transdisciplinary research initiative brings together scholars from across the social and natural sciences to collaboratively investigate the biodiversity loss currently threatening multi-species well-being and planetary sustainability, and to generate future-oriented solutions both in the Arctic and around the planet. The Biodiverse Anthropocenes Research Programme is framed around four core themes:

• Transformations and adaptations
• Multispecies worlds
• Innovating approaches and methodologies
• and Envisioning sustainability

Together, these themes address the critical topics of: multiple pressures creating biodiversity loss; the responses of species, communities and ecosystems to ecological challenges; creative development and use of research methods for examining human-environmental systems; and, speaking with and listening to the public to use scientific knowledge to enhance sustainable and ethical practices. You will be invited to join as a member of Biodiverse Anthropocenes and take part in the programme’s various activities and events.

Job description

We are looking for a talented and highly motivated research-oriented candidate interested in topics relevant to this project. Potential research areas might include (but are not limited to) the following directions:

• Arctic tourist resorts as non-places and how to (re)create a sense of belonging: memories, emotions and affective milieu;
• Aesthetic visual and multisensory values of landscape and built environment in large tourist resorts;
• Modern ruin landscapes and abandoned sites in large Arctic tourist resorts: local perceptions of abandonment by different stakeholder groups and post-abandonment trajectories;
• Evolution of cultural meanings and land use in areas that change into large tourist resorts and rechange again when tourism decreases;

Your primary tasks will be to carry out research work, attend doctoral courses, and complete your doctoral thesis within four years. You will be supervised by the international project team of senior scholars. You will benefit from the project team’s extensive network of researcher and practitioner contacts, as well as from the intellectual richness of the Biodiverse Anthropocenes programme, and you will have a unique opportunity to produce original work within a new and dynamically growing research area. You will be trained across various methodologies of contemporary archaeology, ethnology and cultural geography field research, arts-based methods and archival research and will be able to collaborate with several research groups. You will disseminate research results in high-ranking publications, at international conferences and in the media.

Other duties, if of interest and appropriate, may include teaching on undergraduate courses (approximately 5% of the total 1612 working hours per year), supervising Master’s theses and participating in student-related administrative tasks of the university and/or unit.

Qualification requirements

You must hold a Master’s degree completed with very good/excellent grades in archaeology, heritage studies, cultural geography, anthropology, architecture, landscape architecture, or related field in humanities and social sciences (or other applicable Master’s degree). In addition, we appreciate

• Strong knowledge in ethnographic and qualitative methodologies, experience with participatory research;
• Background or strong interest in contemporary archaeology, cultural geography, and in the questions of sense of place, abandonment, memory, emotions and representation of landscape, modern ruin landscapes and abandoned sites, aesthetics of landscape and materiality;
• Evidence of working with concepts such as non-place, modern ruins, heritage, sense of place, emotion and affect, perception of landscape is desirable;
• Experience in spatial data analysis: cartography and GIS, practical work with ArcGIS or comparable programs is desirable;
• Enough proficiency in Finnish to be able to conduct ethnographic research;
• Very good oral and written English language skills;
• High motivation and ability to work efficiently;
• Good communication skills and the ability to work both independently and in a group with people from various academic and cultural backgrounds.

See also the requirements for Doctoral degree studies set out by the University of Oulu Graduate School (UniOGS ).

What we offer

• We offer you a world-class research environment in a multinational, high ranking research group working to solve globally significant scientific and environmental challenges.
• We provide you with multiple opportunities to advance your career via different routes (see https://www.oulu.fi/en/career-alternatives for details).
• We offer you significant personnel benefits and opportunities to develop your own skills and competences.
• You will receive a competitive salary paid monthly, which includes paid leave and an additional holiday bonus in the summer.
• You will receive university 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.

How to apply

Applications should be submitted using the electronic application form by Monday 31st  October 2022 at 23:59 (Finnish local time). The application should be written in English and should include the following appendices:

1) A motivation letter (max. 1 page) summarizing your professional experience and expertise and describing why you are interested in this position. Information on personal research interests and future career plans can also be provided here.

2) A tentative research proposal (max. 3 pages) presenting your proposed research idea, estimated timescale, relevant methodologies and theories, and how this is related to the core ideas of the above described project.

3) A writing sample (max. 10 pages) in English of your academic work (e.g. published or draft article, excerpt from your M.A. thesis, etc.)

4) Curriculum vitae (max. 2 pages) in accordance with the guidelines of the Finnish Advisory Board on Research Integrity http://www.tenk.fi/en/template-researchers-curriculum-vitae .

5) Certificates/Diplomas: Scanned copy of your Master’s and Bachelor’s diploma and transcript, officially translated to either Finnish or English (if originally in another language).

6) Contact information of two senior/experienced researchers who may be asked to give a personal statement about you (note that these will only be requested if you are shortlisted for this position).

Only applications containing all relevant appendices and submitted through the online recruitment system will be considered. The top candidates will be invited to an on-site or online interview. All applicants will be notified at the various stages of the selection process, including once it has been completed.

Salary

The salary of the selected doctoral researcher will be in accordance with the standard Finnish university salary system for teaching and research personnel at the level 2-4. In addition, a salary component based on personal work performance will be paid (maximum of 50% of the job-specific component). The starting gross salary will be approximately 2300-2500€ per month (before taxes).

Further information

The position is fixed term maximum for 4 years beginning on 1.1.2023 or as soon as possible thereafter and ending latest on 31.12.2026. A trial period of 6 months is applied to the position.

For further information, please contact

Professor Thora Herrmann [email protected] .

About Oulu, Finland

Finland is one of the most livable countries in the world, with a high quality of life, safety, excellent education system, and competitive economy. Oulu is a Northern Nordic city known for its stunning natural surroundings, vibrant cultural life and friendly, easy-going atmosphere. Residents enjoy Finland’s high standard of living, combined with affordable housing and lower living costs compared to larger cities in the south. The greater Oulu region is home to over 200,000 people making it the largest urban centre in the Nordics and one of the fastest growing regions in northern Finland. Find out more about Oulu: https://www.oulu.fi/university/living-in-oulu