Summer trainees/research assistants, 3-6 positions: Materials Engineering

The Faculty of Technology at the University of Turku and the unit of Materials Engineering is looking for 3-6 summer trainees/research assistants to assist in various research projects carried out in the materials engineering groups. The topics of research are:

  • Light-Emitting Materials and Devices
  • Solar Energy Materials and Systems
  • Artificial Intelligence for Materials Science
  • Materials in Health Technology
  • Sustainable Electronics

As a summer trainee/research assistant, you would be working on one or two of such projects under the guidance of the group members. The exact work duties will be tailored according to the background and interests of the applicant, as well as the needs of the different projects during the summertime. Internship positions are intended for those who have no earlier work experience at the department. The research assistant positions are for candidates that have basic working skills related to these research fields, and tasks and responsibilities can be thus tailored accordingly.

Who we are looking for

Required basic skills for summer trainee
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Basic 1st year bachelor studies in materials engineering (or related field such as chemistry, physics or computing sciences) are on track to be done by the time work begins. You should have good skills in both written and spoken English since you would be working in international research environment. Understanding Finnish is an advantage. A successful applicant has a good study record, genuine interest in the topic area, willingness to learn new things, and good teamwork skills.

Required basic skills for research assistant
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You have prior working experience (more than 2 months) in relevant research tasks. Basic 1st year bachelor studies in materials engineering (or related field such as chemistry, physics or computing sciences) are dominantly done. You should have good skills in both written and spoken English since you would be working in international research environment. Understanding Finnish is an advantage. A successful applicant has a good study record, genuine interest in the topic area, willingness to learn new things, and good teamwork skills.

We value collegiality and promote equality, diversity, and inclusivity. We encourage all qualified applicants with different backgrounds to apply for our open positions.

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Benefits

We offer you responsible and interesting tasks and the opportunity to develop your professional skills in a versatile operating environment. You get a professional and inspiring team to support your work. We take care of your well-being at work and the functionality of your everyday life, e.g. with the help of flexible working hours and our well-being services.

  • Possibilities to develop your expertise – We encourage our personnel to develop their professional expertise by offering versatile training and competence development possibilities which employees can take advantage of during their working hours. Also, the course offering of Open University is free of charge for our personnel.
  • Your well-being is important to us! – In addition to comprehensive occupational health care, our own well-being services monitor, support and develop the well-being of our personnel. You are entitled to use the CampusSport’s services at a personnel price.
  • We support your work-life balance – Flexible working hours and extensive remote work options help you balance work and leisure time. 
  • An inspiring and supportive work community – We encourage each other and value working together!

Please read more about University of Turku as an employee from our Come work with us! pages.

The European Commission has awarded the University of Turku the right to use the HR Excellence in Research quality label. The label is a token of the University's commitment to continuous development of the position and working conditions of researchers according to the guidelines set forth in the European Charter for Researchers. 

The University of Turku is among the top of the world’s universities in most rankings and among the best universities in the world in certain fields. Our high-quality basic research, a multidisciplinary research profile and close cooperation in research infrastructures creates the basis for international top research. Read more about University of Turku in international university rankings.

The University of Turku has several high-quality research infrastructures required for cutting-edge research. Learn more about the roadmap of research infrastructures and how the research infrastructure and expert teams offer tailored solutions for businesses and organizations.

Duration and salary

Duration: 3 months
Suggested period: 1.5.—31.8.2026
Note: the starting date and duration can be adjusted to meet the preferences of the applicant.

Salary for summer trainee: 1463 euros/month

Salary for research assistant: 2198 euros/month

The position has a trial period of one month.

How to apply

Applications should be sent by Wednesday 22.1.2026 (by 16:00) using the electronic form at https://www.utu.fi/en/university/come-work-with-us/open-vacancies

Please attach your Curriculum Vitae, study transcript, and motivation letter. Please submit your application in English, because it is evaluated by an international working group.

The tasks are aimed at basic degree students of materials engineering (or a suitable field, e.g. chemistry, physics or computing science) who are enrolled in a Finnish higher education institution.

Further information

For further information about the position, please contact Kati Miettunen (kati.miettunen(at)utu.fi), , Konstantinos Daskalakis (konstantinos.daskalakis(at)utu.fi), Milica Todorovic (milica.todorovic(at)utu.fi), Emilia Peltola (emilia.peltola(at)utu.fi), Vipul Sharma (vipul.sharma(at)utu.fi).

With questions about the application process, please contact: HR specialist Janna Salminen (jansaly(at)utu.fi)

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering is a unique combination of mechanical engineering, materials engineering and industrial engineering and management with contemporary research and teaching. Our vision is to create trends. We take the needs of the community, business, society and the environment into account when actively guiding our activities in teaching, research and collaboration.

The Faculty of Technology is the newest faculty of the University of Turku, it was established in the beginning of 2021. The Faculty consists of the Department of Computing, Department of Biotechnology and the Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering. We have more than 2,000 graduate and postgraduate students and circa 400 employees, 50 of whom are professors. Our faculty is an international, multicultural and diverse work community.

The University of Turku is an inspiring and international academic community of 25,000 students and staff in Southwest Finland. We build a sustainable future with multidisciplinary research, education, and collaboration. With us, your work will have a significant impact and relevance in the changing world.

See our open vacancies

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Information for the applicant

The application form cannot be saved as a draft. However, after submitting you can return to edit your application via the link you receive by email. The application can be edited until the application deadline.

You have 6 hours to complete your application before the timeout.

Instructions for submitting a job application

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Summer trainees/research assistants, 3-6 positions: Materials Engineering

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