Doctoral researcher (speech technology, language research) / Väitöskirjatutkija (puheteknologia, kielentutkimus)

5 days ago

Posted: 5 days ago

Tampere University

Company: Tampere University

Aug. 26, 2025

Due date: Aug. 26, 2025

Tampere

Location: Tampere

Apply!

Tampere University and Tampere University of Applied Sciences create a unique environment for multidisciplinary, inspirational and high-impact research and education. Our universities community has its competitive edges in technology, health and society. www.tuni.fi/en

We are inviting applications for a doctoral researcher (PhD student) position on the topic of early language development and child-directed speech. The position is associated with a project titled “Linking Age-Dependent Changes in Caregiver Speech to Infant Language Development (LINKAGE-SPEECH)” funded by the Research Council of Finland (2025–2029). The aim of the project is to develop speech processing tools to analyze caregiver speech in naturalistic audio recordings of infant-caregiver interactions (so-called “longform child-centered audio recordings”), and then to analyze linguistic characteristics of caregiver speech to infants using these tools. The project will specifically focus on how the speech characteristics may change as the infant develops, and whether they predict infants’ later language development outcomes.

As a PhD researcher in the project, the candidate will develop unique skills in developing and applying speech technology for extremely challenging real-world audio, but also and skills in linguistics and developmental science to study early language development and human speech in general using modern technologies.

In this position, the candidate is expected to:

carry out high-quality research on a mutually agreed topic that aligns with the project aims,
complete a doctoral degree, including mandatory study credits required for a D.Sc. (tech.) degree and participation to doctoral program
participate to assisting teaching tasks and undergraduate supervision (up to 5% of total working time)

The work will be conducted as a member of the Speech and Cognition research group (SPECOG) led by Professor Okko Räsänen and co-supervised by project manager Dr. Daniil Kocharov. We are generally looking for candidates who are interested in human and/or machine language processing, and who are willing to contribute to our cross-disciplinary research efforts in understanding language learning in humans through computational means and using naturalistic large-scale data.

The position is located in the Faculty of Information Technology and Communication Sciences in the Unit of Computing Sciences. The work will be conducted on site, by default, as we encourage active participation to the local and vibrant research community. Partial remote work (e.g., 1–2 days a week) is possible, as separately negotiated.

For more information about the research group, please visit https://webpages.tuni.fi/specog/.

Requirements and further details

To qualify for this position, the candidate needs to have a master’s degree (or equivalent eligibility for doctoral studies) from linguistics, computational linguistics, computer science, or other applicable field completed by the starting date of the position (see below). We expect experience in speech signal processing or natural language processing, basic skills in statistics and machine learning, proficiency in R or Python for linguistic and/or statistical analysis, and strong oral and written communication skills in English (including satisfaction of the language skill requirements of the doctoral program of the discipline; see below).

Knowledge of Finnish language and hands-on experience with machine learning, speech technologies, signal processing, and existing research experience are considered an advantage.

The candidate must demonstrate ability and motivation to pursue and complete a doctoral degree, as demonstrated through prior studies or otherwise.

The successful candidate needs to apply for and be granted a study right for a doctoral degree in the doctoral program of the discipline at Tampere University. Please visit the admissions webpage for more information on eligibility requirements.

We offer

The position will be filled until August 31, 2029. The expected starting date is October 1^st, 2025, or as soon as possible (but no later than January 2026). A trial period of 6 months is applied to all new employees. Target completion time for doctoral studies is 4 years.

We offer a starting salary of €2,738 / month for a starting doctoral researcher with later increases based on demonstrated PhD progress. The salary will be in accordance with the Finnish University Salary System (brand new salary tables only in Finnish at the moment). In addition, the position comes with extensive benefits such as occupational healthcare, excellent sports facilities, flexible working hours, and several restaurants and cafés on the campus with staff discounts. Traveling costs and daily allowances related to presenting peer-reviewed research outcomes in major international conferences is also covered.

Location of the work is Tampere, Finland — the largest inland city in the Nordic countries.

How to apply

Please submit your application through our online recruitment system (link below).

We will accept applications until 26th of August 2025 at 23.59.00 (Finnish time / GMT+3).

The application should contain the following documents (all in .pdf format):

A free-form letter of motivation for the position in question (max. 1 page)
Complete CV with contact information and a list of publications (if any)
A copy of master’s degree certificate.

Please name all the documents as surname_CV.pdf, surname_list_of_publications.pdf … etc. Only the applications sent through the university application portal and containing the requested attachments in the instructed format will be considered in the recruitment process.

The most promising candidates will be interviewed in person or via remote meeting before the final decision.

More information

For more information about the position, please contact Professor Okko Räsänen or Dr. Daniil Kocharov by email (firstname.surname@tuni.fi; no umlauts).

About the research environment

SPECOG research group is part the Signal Processing Research Centre (SPRC) at Tampere University, Finland (https://www.tuni.fi/en/research/signal-processing-research-centre). SPRC houses several internationally respected research groups working on topics such as audio and speech processing, imaging, computer vision, and 3D-media.

Finland is among the most stable, free and safe countries in the world, based on prominent ratings by various agencies. It is also ranked as one of the top countries as far as social progress is concerned. Tampere is counted among the major academic hubs in the Nordic countries and offers a dynamic living environment. Tampere region is one of the most rapidly growing urban areas in Finland and home to a vibrant knowledge-intensive entrepreneurial community. The city is an industrial powerhouse that enjoys a rich cultural scene and a reputation as a centre of Finland’s information society. Despite its growth, living in Tampere is highly affordable. In addition, the excellent public transport network enables quick, easy and cheap transportation around the city of Tampere and university campuses. Overall, working and living at Tampere provides a unique combination of international and ambitious academic environment, easy access to city, culture, and the surrounding nature with large forests and lakes, and an environment that supports develping a healthy work-life balance.