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JOB DESCRIPTION

The work in these three (3) postdoctoral positions will be focused on conducting postdoctoral research for the exit phase of the Centre of Excellence in Game Culture Studies (CoE-GameCult) and preparing new openings in cultural game studies.

The positions are situated in the Tampere University Game Research Lab, which is a research group at the Unit of Communication Sciences in the Faculty of Information Technology and Communication Sciences. The tasks will mainly consist of conducting game studies, including e.g. research planning, stakeholder meetings, data gathering, workshop organizing, qualitative and/or quantitative analyses, dissemination and publishing. Moreover, the researchers are expected to participate in and initiate new research collaborations and engage in further research funding acquisitions, for themselves and in collaboration with other Gamelab members.

The postdoctoral researchers are also expected to participate in teaching and supervision activities within the field of game studies. A typical teaching arrangement in this position is expected to be maximum 10 % of the total workload, which equals to planning, teaching and evaluating one master’s level course annually, plus some thesis supervision.

REQUIREMENTS

The ideal candidates for this position should have a background in game studies and being particularly knowledgeable of the humanities and critical social sciences theoretical and methodological traditions. Moreover, the candidate should be open to interdisciplinary collaboration and comfortable with working in multi-method research contexts.

Additionally, due to the specific framing of these positions, researchers accepted into the position would be expected to proactively and independently build networks among cultural sector, game industry, and the third sector, as well as other stakeholders operating with the arts, policy, and education, aiming to engage with them into research collaborations and other new initiatives. The successful research work would thus integrate with the societal and cultural impact creation via workshops, events organization and active engagement with relevant media outlets.

Selected postdoctoral researchers will be supervised by either Professor Frans Mäyrä or by Professor Olli Sotamaa. 

• Minimum qualifications:
  • A suitable doctoral degree
  • Ability to conduct independent scientific research
  • Ability to teach and supervise students in the Master’s programme level
  • Expertise in research methods relevant for game studies
• Advantageous qualities:
  • Willingness to collaborate and support, and the curiosity to learn, innovate and explore new directions
  • Willingness to actively engage in research funding acquisitions and also seek funding for other research group members
  • Experience from acquiring funding from different funding sources (national and international level)
  • In addition to good knowledge of English, Finnish language skills are considered as an advantage, but not as a necessary requirement in these positions.

THE POSITION

• Duration: The duration of the employment is to 31.12.2027. 
• Start date: At start of January 2026, or as soon as possible after it.
• Salary: Salary will be based on both the job requirements and the employee’s personal performance in accordance with the Finnish University Salary System (newest table only available in Finnish). According to the criteria applied to teaching and research staff, the position of a Postdoctoral Researcher is placed on level 5-6 of the job requirements scale. In addition, employees will receive a performance-based salary component. Typical salary could be c. 4100-4500 €/month. Note also that higher salaries may be negotiated for candidates with exceptional experience.
• A trial period of six months applies to all our new employees.

RESEARCH AREAS

The Game Research Lab at the Tampere University has a history of over two decades of high-profile game studies research. The open positions are planned to continue and extend further the research work that was conducted particularly in the Centre of Excellence in Game Culture Studies (Research Council of Finland, 2018-2025). The Centre was designed to uncover the interconnectedness of four key dimensions in game cultures: the meaning and form of games, the creation and production of games, players and player communities as well as the societal framing of games. The Gamelab research team has made contributions in all these, and other areas, carrying special responsibility in game production studies and cultural player studies areas.

The selected postdoctoral researchers will be provided the opportunity to work in the construction of future research areas and new research projects in cultural game studies, in collaboration with other Game Research Lab personnel. 

WORKING ENVIRONMENT

The accepted candidates will work in close collaboration with the other members of Game Research Lab, and the Taru Research Centre, at the Unit of Communication Sciences. The Game Research Lab is one of the strongest clusters of research expertise in the field of game studies, with over 50 successfully completed, externally funded research projects, and having the research personnel annually at 15–25-person level. The research group is currently jointly led by Professors Usva Friman, Frans Mäyrä and Olli Sotamaa. For more information, see: https://gameresearchlab.tuni.fi. 

We offer you the opportunity to join our dynamic and innovative international community. As a member of staff at Tampere University, you will enjoy a range of competitive benefits, such as a flexible work schedule, good facilities for teleworking, occupational healthcare services, a variety of affordable food and drink outlets across our campuses and a personal fund to spend on sports and cultural activities in your free time. Please read more about working at Tampere University. You can also find more information about us and working and living Tampere by watching our video: Tampere Higher Education Community - our academic playground.

LIFE IN TAMPERE

Tampere is one of the major academic hubs in the Nordic countries and offers a dynamic living environment. Tampere region is one of the three 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. The city campus of the Tampere University, where the candidates will be located, is within walking distance of the city centre, and is an international centre of game research. For more information on Tampere and Finland, please visit:

• https://visittampere.fi/en/
• https://www.visitfinland.com/
• https://www.infofinland.fi/en/frontpage

HOW TO APPLY

The closing date for applications is 31.10.2025 (at 23.59.00 EET / UTC+2). Please write your application and all accompanying documentation in English and attach them in PDF format only.

List the attachments that candidates should append to their applications: 

• CV following TENK guidelines (www.tenk.fi/en)
• Research agenda for two years, where you are expected to shortly outline, how you would continue, expand, and extend into original new directions the field of game studies in Tampere University. The outlined agenda should also describe the applicant’s concrete plans for acquiring additional and continuing research funding during the research period. (max 4 pages)
• An application letter (maximum of 1000 words) that briefly outlines motivation to apply, background and skills related to positions, past research achievements, earliest starting date, and any other miscellaneous remarks that the candidate wishes to make
• PDF copies of your doctoral and master’s degree certificates in original language. If original language is other than Finnish, Swedish or English, please provide an official translation in one of those languages.
• One or two samples of academic writing (e.g., research articles)
• Optionally: one or two recommendation letters with the contact details of two referees.

MORE INFORMATION

Frans Mäyrä, frans.mayra@tuni.fi

Olli Sotamaa, olli.sotamaa@tuni.fi

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