The University of Oulu is one of the largest universities in Finland. With about 14 000 students and approximately 3 000 employees it is a vibrant international scientific community. By combining multidisciplinary research and education, high-level infrastructure and wide cooperation with international research and educational institutes, companies and the public sector it has created a significant research and innovation hub of “Science with Arctic Attitude”. More information http://www.oulu.fi/university/ .

The position is located in the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Oulu (https://www.oulu.fi/medicine/ ) and will be hosted by Research Unit of Medical Imaging, Physics and Technology (MIPT). MIPT offers high-quality research and  training in medical imaging, physics and technology at the University of Oulu. The Master’s program in Biomedical Engineering is coordinated by the MIPT. MIPT’s goal is to be the leading research unit in multimodal medical imaging but the research topics cover a wide range from neuroimaging to artificial intelligence and from physical activity and wellbeing to applied connected health and co-creation in digital health solutions. MIPT also collaborates with industry within those areas. Connected health research within MIPT is conducted in interdisciplinary manner as a close collaboration between Oulu Business School (Martti § Ahtisaari Instituutti) and VTT, Technical Research Centre of Finland.

The work will be conducted in an international research project funded by Business Finland. The Stroke-DATA project that aims to build solutions for stroke prevention and diagnostics. The research is conducted as a close collaboration with several companies (Bittium, Everon, Uros, Vetrea, Innokas Medical, Tieto, Bitfactor, Invenco, Predicell) healthcare providers (KYS, OYS) and research institutes (Martti Ahtisaari Instituutti, Oulu University, VTT, Technical Research Centre of Finland and University of Eastern Finland). The work includes the mutually agreed tasks in the project as well as work related to the future funding applications from the same or mutually agreed field.   

Supervisory team: Minna Pikkarainen (UOULU, host), Miia Jansson (UOULU)

Call for applicants

The successful applicant must be passionate, high achieving, early stage researcher, wishing to enrich your intellectual development and career potential through Inter-disciplinary, Inter-sectoral, Inter-technology and International mobility, coupled with high level training in research and transferable competences. The successful applicant must hold master degree (or equivalent degree) in relevant field, preferably related to digital health, medical informatics, engineering science and business science. Professional background as a licenced physician or registered nurse or other prior knowledge of neurology is considered an advantage. Experience of ethical approvals/ research permissions and funding proposals is considered an advantage. Experience in decision support systems, patient guiding systems, artificial intelligence, and data analytics is considered beneficial. Demonstrated experience in writing scientific publications, potential in acquiring supplementary funding and teaching experience will be taken as merits. Fluency in English is essential, fluency in Finnish is an advantage.

Salary

The salary for the new PhD student will be based on the demand level 2-4 of the national salary scale for teaching and research personnel of Finnish universities. In addition, there is a share increase at most 50% of the basic salary, which is based on personal achievements and performance.

Application deadline

Applications, together with all relevant enclosures, must be submitted using the electronic application form by May 28th, 2020, 23:59. Applications sent by email will not be considered.

How to apply

The application pack must include:

1. A motivation letter (1 page)
2. A Curriculum Vitae detailing employment and academic history with residence information at least for the past three years listing the names and contact details of your three referees; the European CV format shall be used that can be accessed here.
3. A copy of academic degree(s) and respective transcripts
4. An abstract of masters or other relevant thesis (1 page)
5. Abstracts (1 page per abstract) for any other publications, academic or non-academic, where the applicant is an author and/or co-author
6. A research proposal for Stroke-DATA project; maximum length of a proposal is 1000 words (excluding bibliography).
7. Three written recommendation letters attesting to the applicant’s academic standing and potential.

Selection process

Shortlisted candidates will be invited for an interview either face to face or via Skype or other video conferencing media. The interviews will be conducted by supervisory team.

Applicants to the programme will be assessed on the basis of high academic achievement, the fit of individual projects with the Stroke-DATA Profile, and an assessment of each candidate’s potential and commitment to complete high-quality research. The evaluation criteria will include inter alia demonstration of excellence in academic and/or non-academic performance, scientific skills, high motivation, the relevance of research experience, ability to work in international and multi-cultural settings, ability to get funding, ability to work collaboratively in teams, and credibility.

The successful candidates will receive a 24-month, full-time employment contract.

Additional information regarding the filling of this post:

Prof. Minna Pikkarainen, MIPT, e-mail: minna.pikkarainen(at)oulu.fi

Tiina Hurskainen, HR Manager, email: tiina.hurskainen(at)oulu.fi

About the City of Oulu

The City of Oulu is Northern Finland’s largest and oldest city, with a population of over 200,000. Located in the Gulf of Bothnia in the Oulu River delta, the city has good access from anywhere. Oulu is a very safe and family-friendly community with a high quality of life. This modern city with a beautiful harbour and market area offers plenty of cultural activities as well as opportunities for exploring northern nature. Open space and parks can be found along the Oulu River and throughout the area and they are easily accessed by bike – the favourite mode of transport in Oulu. There is an entire range of outdoor and sports facilities to choose from, not forgetting Finland’s biggest spectator sport, ice hockey. Winter is a season that is highly celebrated and lit bike trails and bridges bring the city alive. As the world’s northernmost tech hub, Oulu has a highly educated and innovative workforce and the University has a strong role in the community. Oulu is a marvellous place to live, work and enjoys a vibrant academic community. Welcome to the home of science with Arctic Attitude!