The University of Turku is a world-class multidisciplinary research university which offers interesting challenges and a unique vantage point to national and international research and education.

THE FACULTY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES, UNIVERSITY OF TURKU, INVITES APPLICATIONS FOR

a fixed term position of Senior Researcher in Sociology for November 1, 2021 – October 30, 2024

The post is positioned at the Finnish research flagship center INVEST (https://invest.utu.fi/). The researcher will work in the newly formed multidisciplinary research group INVEST-HUB, which is dedicated to (field) experimental research in behavioral and social sciences. The research group consists of scholars from psychology, sociology, economics and political science.

The recruited researcher in sociology will work in close collaboration with the INVEST/sociology research groups led by professor Jani Erola, professor Mikko Niemelä and senior researcher Marika Jalovaara. The focus of research in these groups is in socioeconomic and educational inequalities over time and across generations, and their demographic causes and consequences. The groups are interested in experimental research in education, career choice and income distribution as well as family formation and fertility. The research conducted in the groups relies on high quality register datasets as well as comparative setups. The groups also collaborate with professor of practice Olli Kangas, the head of the Finnish Basic Income experiment.

The research group is supported by an IT expert, who assists the researchers in managing and developing IT-solutions required in various types of experiments and gives support to handle data collection and manage large administrative datasets. In addition, a dedicated specialist will help the research group to implement field experiments.

Requirements

The eligibility criteria for the position is defined in the rules of procedure of the University of Turku (section 38). The person selected for the position of Senior Researcher is required to have:

1. a doctoral degree in sociology or a related field. It is possible to apply for the position, if a person expects to achieve a doctorate within the next six (6) months.
2. the ability to conduct independent research and apply experimental and/or quasi-experimental methods in social sciences.

Successful applicants have strong research orientation and fluency in English. Knowledge of Finnish is not required.

Salary

The salary is determined by the collective agreement system of Finnish universities. The position belongs to the category of teaching and research personnel. The pre-estimated salary will be 2850-3000 eur/month for a person holding a Master's degree, and in average 3300-4000 eur/month for a person holding PhD degree. The exact salary will depend on the person’s competence and research experience and will be specified when the employment contract is prepared. Progress in the researcher's personal performance will be taken into account when determining the salary during employment.

The position is subject to a six (6) months trial period. The candidate is expected to begin work in November 2021 or no later than January 2022. The duration of the position is three years.

Working in Finland

The university offers good support and orientation for international recruits. Please learn more about the culture and people:

• Working culture
• This is Finland

Applications

Applications should be accompanied by:

• a motivation letter in which the applicant describes applicant’s own research interests and how they relate to the activities of the research group
• a CV 
• a list of publications
• a “job market paper” (a published article or a manuscript) that best describes the applicant’s qualifications for the position and how she or he has contributed to the scientific literature

The appendices should follow the guidelines of the faculty.

The electronic database allows the applicant to submit only one application file to each application section. Information on the file forms to be used can be found in the additional information of each application. Please note that the database only allows the publications to be submitted in a packaged form (.zip). One .zip-file may include several individual files.

For further information, please do not hesitate to contact professor of practice Lauri Sääksvuori, lauri.saaksvuori(at)utu.fi or professor Jani Erola, jani.erola (at)utu.fi, +358 29 4502 157. For practical matters concerning the application process and electronic application system, please contact HR specialist Marja Andersson, marja.andersson(at)utu.fi, +358 29 4504 756.

Applications must be submitted by October 18, 2021 (23:59 GMT+02:00 Helsinki) using the electronic application form of the University of Turku on the following address: https://www.utu.fi/en/university/come-work-with-us/open-vacancies. The link to the application system is at the beginning of this announcement (“Apply for the job”).