Post-doc­toral Re­searcher, Design Research, UX, HCI

The University of Helsinki is among the leading multidisciplinary research universities in the world. In addition to its 11 faculties, the University includes several independent institutes, some of which are jointly operated with other universities. More than 30,000 students are currently pursuing a degree at the University of Helsinki. Read more of the University of Helsinki as an employer (https://www.helsinki.fi/en/about-us/careers ) and on good life in Helsinki (https://welcome.helsinki/welcome-to-helsinki-living-in-helsinki/#62ad6d38 ). The University of Helsinki welcomes applicants from a variety of genders, linguistic and cultural backgrounds, and minorities.

The Faculty of Law at the University of Helsinki is the leading Finnish institute of legal education. Some degrees granted by the Faculty are completed at the bilingual Vaasa Unit of Legal Studies. The Faculty’s mission is to train qualified, ethically responsible legal professionals for both the Finnish and international markets through high-quality international research and research-based teaching. The Faculty of Law offers undergraduate degrees in Finnish, Swedish and English as well as a bilingual degree in Finnish and Swedish. The Faculty has a teaching and research staff of around 120 people and 2,400 students pursuing a degree.

The appointee will be affiliated with the University of Helsinki Legal Tech Lab (https://www2.helsinki.fi/en/networks/legal-tech-lab ), a research hub located at the Faculty of Law. We are a growing vibrant international community of interdisciplinary -minded scholars. We examine the intersections of law, technology, and society. We believe that these areas of life develop hand-in-hand and co-produce each other. We study law and digitalization broadly, examining technology as object of research, but also as tools of analysis. Legal Tech Lab belongs to the global Network of Internet and Society Research Centers, other members of which include i.a. Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University and Alexander von Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society in Berlin. In addition to in-depth academic research, we value societal awareness building and knowledge mobilization so that our understanding on law, society and technology contributes to a better society.

Further local collaborative frameworks include the interdisciplinary Helsinki Institute of Humanities and Social Sciences (HSSH - https://www2.helsinki.fi/en/helsinki-institute-for-social-sciences-and-h... ) and Finnish Centre for Artificial Intelligence (FCAI - https://fcai.fi/ ). University of Helsinki’s Innovations Services (HIS - https://www.helsinki.fi/en/helsinki-innovation-services ) supports staff in commercializing their ideas.

The Faculty of Law invites applications for POST-DOCTORAL RESEARCHER (Before the code: Digital administration redesigned for everyone (DARE)) for a fixed term of 36 months.

The appointee will be a research group member in a new interdisciplinary project (directed by Assistant Prof. Riikka Koulu). The DARE project (https://www2.helsinki.fi/en/networks/legal-tech-lab/dare-digital-adminis... ) examines the topical issues of AI ethics and interface design. One of its goals is to develop usability indicators and policy recommendations for digital administration. The successful candidate will have a doctoral degree from a relevant field, such as design research, UX or HCI before the start of employment. No degree in law is required.

Generally, the DARE project addresses the legal side of interface design. Descriptively it asks: What impact design has on legal rights and what impact law has on the design process? Moreover normatively: How should law inform technological design in administration? DARE builds on socio-legal studies, social sciences and computer science. It aims to establish legal interface design as an interdisciplinary research field. DARE draws theoretical inspiration from Science and Technology Studies and is supported by an interdisciplinary advisory board of experts representing technology, ethics, design experimentation and (HCI) methods.

Our expectations:

The appointee will focus on researching human-computer interaction (HCI), empirically establishing the challenges of design for public administration interface technology. This includes collaborating with DARE partners to test solutions and tease out actionable usability indicators as well as policy recommendations that improve the design and accessibility of digital interfaces. The appointee works closely with DARE doctoral researcher (law), who will deliver the required legal doctrinal analyses.

The appointee will have obtained a doctoral degree from a relevant field prior to the start of employment. Varied academic and professional career paths to this point are welcome, however, they cannot include working in academia for more than 1-2 years after completing the doctoral degree. As the appointee will become part of a research group, the ability to collaborate successfully in a multidisciplinary environment across different levels of seniority is required. In addition to collaboration, proven ability and motivation to independently plan, execute, and complete design experiments are required. Knowledge of and practical experience in interface design and demonstrated experience in publishing papers in international peer-reviewed journals or conference proceedings will be considered an asset.

Good writing and communication skills, as well as very good or excellent oral and written proficiency in English are required. Command of other European languages is an advantage. We are open to all academic and professional backgrounds, though a demonstrated understanding of academic research is key.

What we offer:

Conducting research as part of group (c. 50%) and individually (c. 40%) is the main duty of this post-doctoral position. Other duties, such as providing teaching and supervision in the field of law, technology and society, as well as other tasks at the Faculty and the University of Helsinki Legal Tech Lab, are capped at 5-10% of working time. The appointee is suggested to spend a mobility period at the Legal Design Lab (Stanford Law School), where the research project collaborates with its Director Hagan on empirical and exploratory research into human-centred design.

The salary will be based on level 5 of the demands level chart for teaching and research personnel in the salary system applied in Finnish universities. In addition, the appointee will be paid a salary component based on personal work performance. The salary range will be €3,100–3,800 per month, depending on the merits and experience of the appointee. There will be a six-month trial period for the position.

How to apply:

The application must contain the following enclosures (in English):

• An application written by the applicant, indicating the applicant’s interest in conducting research, as well as expertise and teaching experience related to the research field
• A curriculum vitae
• A list of publications
• A tentative research plan (max. 3 pages) that relates to the theme of the project

Please also include contact details (incl. phone number) of at least two senior academics for references.

The application, together with the required attachments, must be submitted as one PDF file through the University of Helsinki electronic recruitment system by clicking on the link below. Applicants employed by the University of Helsinki must submit their application through SAP Fiori (https://msap.sap.helsinki.fi/flp#ZEREC-Postings ). The closing date for applications is 11 May 2022. The appointed post-doctoral researcher is scheduled to start working during fall 2022.

Further information on the position may be obtained from Dean Johanna Niemi, [email protected] and University of Helsinki Legal Tech Lab Research Coordinator Suvi Sankari, [email protected] .

Further information on the recruitment system may be obtained from [email protected] .

Due date

11.05.2022 23:59 EEST