4-8 research assistants (summer 2025) for Software Engineering research groups
The Software Engineering Unit of the Department of Computing is looking for motivated research assistants for the summer of 2025. For more information about the teaching, research and project activities of the unit, please visit https://tt.utu.fi/sweng/.
As a research assistant, you will be involved in ongoing research projects and have the opportunity to learn about methods and research in the field. The content of the work will be agreed with the candidate according to their skills and personal interests.
Summer jobs are available in the following areas:
1. Developer of teaching materials: Development and updating of mainly digital teaching materials and related tools used in the department's courses, e.g. generation of task variations or example projects for programming courses. The position requires good Finnish and/or English language skills, good knowledge of programming courses and knowledge of tools (e.g. version control). The target audience is a broad set of courses under the responsibility of Software Engineering ( https://tt.utu.fi/sweng/teaching/#courses ). Knowledge of language models and generative AI in general and independent data mining skills will be considered an advantage. More information: Erkki Kaila (ertaka@utu.fi).
2. Developer of teaching tools: The research team has previously developed a variety of tools for teaching purposes. Recently, most of these have been related in some way to the exploitation of large-scale language models (LLMs). The position will involve developing a variety of new tools for teaching, such as plagiarism detection using language models, tools to support the production of teaching materials, or the design and documentation of the use of virtual machines/containers. A good knowledge of Python or Java and programming tools (e.g. version control, Maven) is required. An understanding of basic web development principles would be an advantage. More information: Erkki Kaila (ertaka@utu.fi).
3. Flavoria Research Restaurant Applications Developer: The Software Engineering Unit is involved in the development of IT solutions to be used and piloted in the Flavoria Research Restaurant (see https://www.flavoria.fi/), e.g. smart grid solutions, customer flow modelling solutions and interactive solutions for the Aistikattila cave environment. Good programming skills in e.g. web and unity environments are required. Knowledge of embedded systems would be an advantage. More information: Lauri Koivunen (lamkoi@utu.fi).
4. Research Assistant for the IDA (Intimacy in Data-Driven Culture) project: The IDA project investigates privacy and data leakage in everyday digital services such as websites. The project is currently developing tools to automatically assess the privacy and sustainability of websites, including through the use of artificial intelligence. The position requires good programming skills, the ability to write scientific texts and good written and oral English skills. An understanding of web development basics and proficiency in using Google Chrome developer tools are also appreciated. You may also write a final paper on the topic of your research project. More information: Sampsa Rauti: (sjprau@utu.fi).
The summer work can serve as the basis for a thesis, and provides an excellent basis for possible future research assistantships after the summer.
Who we are looking for
The work requires good proficiency in Finnish and/or English, depending on the position, as well as programming and documentation skills. Depending on the specific task, prior experience with technical systems may be considered an advantage.
Duration: 3 months (one or more periods).
Time window: 1.4.2025–30.9.2025 (negotiable flexibly).
Salary: 2 225 euros/month.
Trial period is one month.
How to apply
Applications should be submitted at the latest on Wednesday, March 5, 2025 (16:00) using the electronic application form of the University of Turku on the following address: https://intranet.utu.fi/en/news/open-vacancies
The link to the application system is at the beginning of this announcement (“Apply for this position”).
Please attach your Curriculum Vitae, study transcript and a brief motivation letter.
Kindly indicate in your motivation letter which research themes / teams you are primarily interested in.
All students at the University of Turku can apply for the summer work positions. Students of the Department of Computing are preferred. The positions are primarily intended for those who have no earlier work experience at the department.
