Doctoral researcher position for NORTHSENSE: Materialities and Mobilities of the North through...

The University of Oulu is part of the international scientific community producing new scientific knowledge and science-based solutions related to problems of society. The University of Oulu is committed to educate future pioneers for building a more sustainable, intelligent and humane world. Creating new knowledge, 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. The specialized research and service units of the University of Oulu enable extensive and diverse development and career opportunities for experts in various fields. Doctoral researchers in the University of Oulu are part of an international, multidisciplinary scientific community. Doctoral training is coordinated by the University of Oulu Graduate School (UniOGS).

University of Oulu has allocated twenty (20) 4-year doctoral researcher positions to the emerging research themes in association with the four focus institutes Biocenter Oulu, Eudaimonia Institute, Infotech Oulu and Kvantum Institute. The Emerging projects in the strategic focus areas will connect multidisciplinary research across disciplines with the spearhead projects of the University of Oulu.  

We are now looking for

A Doctoral researcher

for a maximum of four years, starting at the earliest on 01.01.2023 in a research project of Associate Professor Dr Roger Norum in the Cultural Anthropology Programme, Faculty of Humanities. The applied position is under the Emerging projects programme 2023-2026 within the context of Eudaimonia Institute, which offers a high-level international multidisciplinary environment supplied with cutting-edge infrastructures in the strategic focus area Humans in Change.

Our research aims to study the materiality of the senses in remote, high-latitude landscapes using innovative sensory and mobile ethnographic methods (https://www.oulu.fi/en/projects/northsense-materialities-and-mobilities-north-through-innovative-sensory-ethnographic-methods ). The position is supervised by Dr Roger Norum and is focused on understanding a range of mobility practices (from walking and flying, to tourism and migration) in Northern and mountain regions using emerging experimental methods on visuality and sound (e.g. immersive video and ecoacoustics). Considering shifting global and local perspectives on sustainability and mobility following Covid-19, this project seeks to empower citizen perspectives on sustainable development and will generate new tools for understanding human-environment relations that will enable studying emerging forms of sustainable connections among, humans, more-than-humans and landscapes. The project focuses on research across three primary topic areas: 1) the social and environmental politics of mobility and infrastructure; 2) the role of new, networked and digital forms of social encounter in human-environment relations; 3) affective and sensory understandings of mobilities, ecologies and wellbeing. Methodological approaches for this project draw from cultural anthropology, the environmental humanities and media studies, bringing innovative, transdisciplinary approaches to studying contemporary configurations of mobility and place.

Job Description

We are looking for a talented and highly motivated research-oriented candidate interested in topics relevant to this project, particularly how a concern with human-environment relations, landscape and the senses intersects with broader debates around sustainability, biodiversity, climate change, and the Anthropocene. The focus of the specific doctoral project is open, and could be based around – but is not limited to – any of the following themes:

• New concepts and practices of mobility that are currently emerging in Northern or other remote mountain and high-latitude locales;
• Aesthetic visual, sonic and multisensory understandings and values of landscape, conservation, and the environment;
• Artistic engagement with the mobility of humans and non-humans;
• Understandings of landscape identities as both ‘taskscapes’ and ‘leisurescapes’, or as sensuous material form;
• Debates and practices linking mobility with environmental change and climate change adaptation;
• Methodological enquiry into the use of innovative sensory and mobile research methods (e.g. immersive video, ecoacoustics) can be effectively used to research new forms of mobility in remote areas;

In your application, you are very welcome to propose any research topic of relevance to the intersection of mobility, landscape and the senses with other issues related to sustainability, climate change, and the Anthropocene. The specific geographical focus is open, and could be e.g., across the circumpolar Arctic or in high-mountain or remote regions (e.g. Alps, Himalayas, steppe) in other parts of the world.

Studying mobilities using innovative and creative research methodologies is a recent and rapidly developing area of research in developing better understandings of human and non-human responses to environmental change, and Dr. Norum is a leading scholar in this research area. You will therefore benefit from Dr. Norum’s extensive network of researcher and practitioner contacts, as well as from the Eudaimonia and Biodiverse Anthropocenes programmes, and you will have a unique opportunity to produce original work within a new and dynamically growing research area.

Requirements

You must hold a Master’s degree or an equivalent degree (e.g. licentiate) preferably in anthropology, geography, environmental humanities, or related field in humanities and social sciences. Degree must have been completed with good grades (at least 60% of maximum grade, or 3/5, in both the taught studies and the Master’s thesis). Ability to pursue independent research and excellent writing and fluency in English is expected. The doctoral researcher position is intended for an Early Stage Researcher (ESR) who, according to the ”European Charter for Researchers and the Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers”, is defined as a researcher in the first four years (full-time equivalent) of their research activity, including the period of research training. Applicants will either be starting their doctoral training or have completed no more than two full years of training (adjusted for possible previous part-time status) at the time the position is filled. You will carry out your doctoral studies in the Human Sciences Doctoral Programme of the University of Oulu Graduate School (or one of the other UniOGS Doctoral Programmes, if appropriate) and you must meet the minimal requirements to receive doctoral study rights as defined in UniOGS .

What we offer

• We offer you a place in a highly talented research group, working to solve globally significant research problems in the field of anthropology and the environmental humanities
• The University´s wide variety of support services are at your disposal, allowing you to focus on your studies and research.
• In addition to modern research facilities, we offer you personnel benefits such as free occupational healthcare, support for sport services and endless opportunities to develop your skills and competences.
• Regular salary is paid 12 months per year, including paid leave and an additional holiday bonus in the summer.
• The employed person will be insured by the university and provided occupational healthcare. The Finnish government provides benefits to residents and their families, for example possibility to the national healthcare system and high-quality affordable childcare and school services.

Salary and key terms

The salary of selected doctoral researchers will be initially set on level 2, and later on levels 2 – 4 of the national salary scale for the teaching and research staff of Finnish universities. In addition, a supplementary remuneration is given for personal achievement and performance (max. 50 %). In practice, the salary is roughly 2200 – 2700 € (before taxes) per month for an early-stage researcher, depending on the appointee’s qualifications and progress of the doctoral thesis.

The position is fixed term for maximum of four years starting earliest on 1st of January 2023. A trial period of 6 months is applied to the position.

How to apply

Applications must be submitted through the online system by 6 November 2022, 23:59 (Finnish local time), with the following attachments as three separate pdf files (please note that the online system has a maximum size limit of attachments):

Applications sent by email 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 when the selection process is completed.

For further information

-       Dr Roger Norum [e-mail: roger.norum (at) oulu.fi

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. The 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. Oulu is a combination of beautiful, northern nature, vivid cultural life and modern technology. Oulu is also known for its highly-educated people and friendly, easy-going atmosphere. Living in Oulu is easy – everything is only max. 20 minutes away! Find out more about Oulu: https://www.oulu.fi/university/living-in-oulu