Postdoctoral Researcher in the computational analysis of culture

We are recruiting a postdoctoral researcher for a fixed term contract between 9/26 – 5/29 or as agreed for the OTSO project.

This position is based in the Human Sciences – Computing Interaction Research Group at the Department of Digital Humanities and relates to a long-standing interdisciplinary collaboration that studies the Finnic oral poetry system based on a large set of transcribed poems.

The post-doctoral researcher will work in tight collaboration with people from computer science, linguistics and folkloristics to develop and apply capabilities for the large-scale modelling and analysis of the Finnic oral poetry system, based on a large set of transcribed poems.

Depending on the background of the selected candidate, this may include, for example, the development of LLM and other machine-learning methods for the identification and extraction of higher-level signals (e.g. motifs, story schemas, naming formulas) from this multilingual corpus, the statistical modelling and large-scale analysis of said phenomena, or the development of mixed-method research pipelines.

Requirements for the position and assessment of qualifications

According to the Regulations of the University of Helsinki, an appointee to the position of postdoctoral researcher shall hold a doctoral degree and have the ability to conduct independent scholarly work as well as the teaching skills necessary for the position.

For this position, the appointee must hold a doctoral degree in computer science, data science, digital humanities, statistics, or a related field, and have a keen interest in tackling complex problems in interdisciplinary collaboration. Previous experiences of such, as well as of working with large volumes of data (also in high-performance and GPU-accelerated computing environments) are considered advantages. Strong teamwork skills and an excellent command of written and spoken English are also required. A knowledge of Finnic languages is considered an advantage for the corpus work, but not a necessity.

When assessing applicants’ qualifications, attention will be paid to international academic activities, including high-quality peer-reviewed publications.

The position is filled with a six-month trial period.

What we offer

The salary for the position will be based on level 5 of the job requirement scheme for teaching and research personnel in the salary system of Finnish universities. In addition, the appointee will be paid a salary component based on personal performance. The annual gross salary is €42,000 - €49,000.

In Finnish universities, the teaching and research staff (app. 65% of total staff) have a special system regarding the free time equivalent to holiday. They belong to the 1,612 annual working hour system, in which the annual amount of paid holiday is app. 5-6 weeks on average per year.

The University of Helsinki offers comprehensive services to its employees, including occupational health care and health insurance, sports facilities, and opportunities for professional development.

The University provides support for internationally recruited employees with their transition to work and life in Finland. More information here: https://www.helsinki.fi/en/about-us/careers/welcome-finland-information-arriving-staff

How to apply

The application must be accompanied by the following documents in PDF format:

• A statement of motivation for applying for the position, or how you would contribute to the project and a description of your core skills (max. 750 words)
• A curriculum vitae
• A list of publications
• Names and contact information of two referees

Other attachments, including letters of recommendation or certificates, are not required at this point. We expect that you will send us a self-written application that reflects your own voice and thoughts. Applications generated by artificial intelligence do not meet our expectations.

Applications must be submitted through the University of Helsinki electronic recruitment system by clicking on the link below. Current employees of the University of Helsinki must submit their applications through SAP Fiori’s Suffeli recruitment portal.

Further information about the position can be obtained from Professor Eetu Mäkelä. Further information about the recruitment process can be obtained from recruitment(at)helsinki.fi. Please indicate the position title in all inquiries. 

A diverse and equitable study and work culture is important to us. That is why we do our best to promote an inclusive university community. We encourage all qualified applicants from diverse backgrounds to apply for our positions.

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