The University of Oulu is an international, multidisciplinary research university with a rich pool of creative and intellectual talent. It hosts approx. 15 000 students and 3000 staff members. The University of Oulu has eight faculties and more than 70 different specialist disciplines.

The Faculty of Humanities of the University of Oulu announces an opening for a Postdoctoral Researcher in the Research Unit for Languages and Literature (English) for the period 1 August 2020 – 31 July 2023 (with a 6-month trial period). The position is located in the research project PeaceTalk: Talk and Interaction in Multinational Crisis Management Training, which is funded by the Academy of Finland. In addition to this, the successful applicant will work as a member in the broader COACT research community (http://www.oulu.fi/coact/) and the English unit (http://www.oulu.fi/englishphilology/).

Subject field and description

The postdoctoral researcher will work in the PeaceTalk project (https://www.oulu.fi/englishphilology/node/60783) that collaborates with the Finnish Defence Forces International Centre, Finnish National Defence University and CMC Finland. The project uses video-based methods (conversation analysis, interaction analysis, discourse analysis and/or ethnography) to study talk and interaction in multinational crisis management training. The studied situations involve military or civilian personnel who are trained to participate in international peace and humanitarian missions. The trained personnel come from different countries and organisations, and their working language is English. The activities studied in the project can include car patrolling, simulated negotiations and meetings, and various other learning situations. The appointed researcher will mainly be responsible for researching talk and interaction from the perspective of civilian crisis management training, focusing for example on collaboration between military, police and civilian personnel. The position involves the collection of new video materials in various training situations. The appointed researcher is expected to collaborate with Finnish organisations offering crisis management training. The researcher will also have access to video materials that have already been collected in the project.

Duties

The hired postdoctoral researcher will be responsible for conducting research in the project’s area. The researcher can also take part in teaching and supervision (max. 5% of working time).

Eligibility

A Ph.D. for example in linguistics, (applied) linguistics, or education and strong experience in conversation analysis, interaction analysis, discourse analysis and/or ethnography is required. Other selection criteria for a Postdoctoral Researcher are the applicant’s potential and suitability to act as a researcher in the project, experience in producing international referee publications, participation in the acquisition of funding or success in funding applications, and connections to international scientific communities. Experience in the research of talk, language use and interaction in professional settings (e.g. workplaces, educational settings) is considered a merit. Familiarity with the use of video-based methods and experience in working in international research environments are also considered merits. The applicant should have attained a Ph.D. before the end of the application period and no more than ten years before the end of the application period. The successful applicant must be a Finnish citizen and have excellent command of written and spoken English. Before the work contract is signed, the candidate for the position will undergo a security screening.

Evaluation Criteria

Special emphasis will be given to the following criteria: a) research expertise within the subject field, demonstrated by the doctoral dissertation and publication record; b) relevance and connection of the applicant’s research to the PeaceTalk project as evidenced in the applicant’s description of their prior research.

Top candidates may be interviewed.

Salary

The salary of the appointed postdoctoral researcher will be set at levels 5 or 6 of the national salary scale for the teaching and research staff of Finnish universities. In addition to this basic salary, supplementary remuneration will be given for personal achievement and performance, the sum rising to a maximum of 50% of the basic salary level for the post. The base salary is paid for monthly and in practice is roughly 3 300-4 100 euros per month, depending on the appointee’s qualifications and experience.

Application

Applications, together with all relevant enclosures, should be submitted electronically through the Saima system by 20 April 2020. Applications submitted via e-mail will not be considered.  

The following enclosures must be included:

1. A cover letter including a brief statement (max. 1 page) of the applicant’s motivation to work as a postdoctoral researcher in the PeaceTalk project.

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

3. A list of publications following the guidelines of the Academy of Finland (https://www.aka.fi/en/funding/apply-for-funding/az-index-of-application-guidelines/list-of-publications/).

4. Brief account of research activities and their connection to the applied position (max. two pages).  Applicants are asked to: (1) outline the foci, themes, questions and findings of their work so far (including a description of the settings and/or activities they have studied); (2) describe their research activities and output so far; and (3) to envision and describe how their background may connect to and support the aims and objectives of the PeaceTalk project.  

Contact information

Professor Pentti Haddington

Research Unit for Languages and Literature / English

Faculty of Humanities
PO Box 1000
90014 University of Oulu
Finland
Tel. +358-(0)50 341 0347
E-mail pentti.haddington@oulu.fi