At the Department of Psychology and Speech-Language Pathology in the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Turku, a fixed-term position as a Project Researcher/Doctoral Researcher (65%) is open for the period 1 September 2026 – 30 April 2030. The employment will begin on 1 September 2026 or as agreed.

The position is part of a project entitled “Parental experiences of social protective factors and early childhood brain and self-regulation development in low and extremely high psychosocial risk contexts” (PROSODE) which is funded by the Research Council of Finland (RCF) and connected to the ongoing RCF-funded InterLearn Centre of Excellence research program. The project examines parents’ social experiences after their child is born, and the significance of these experiences for the development of self-regulation and the brain in early childhood. The aim is to investigate these connections in both low-risk and extremely high-risk families who are within the services of the Federation of Mother and Child Homes and Shelters. The project utilizes the latest research methods and links to large international datasets (e.g., HBCD study and ABCD study). It seeks to generate up-to-date methodological knowledge to support the development of positive emotional well-being and learning in early childhood.

Job description

The position will be filled either as a project researcher or a doctoral researcher. The main responsibilities for the researcher include planning, conducting, and coordinating brain imaging measurements (EEG, mobile EEG) in infants and toddlers, as well as developing data preprocessing pipelines and analyzing the data. In addition, the researcher will be responsible for preparing and publishing scientific manuscripts as part of a doctoral dissertation, making use of the data collected in this project as well as other related project datasets. The formulation of the research topic will take into account both the applicant’s own interests and goals and the objectives of the whole project.

Who we are looking for

Requirements 

The position of Project Researcher/Doctoral Researcher is intended for an early‑career researcher who has not yet completed a doctoral degree. The eligibility requirements for the positions of Project Researcher and Doctoral Researcher are laid down in the Regulations of the University of Turku. (Project Researcher section 37 and Doctoral Researcher section 38).

Applicants are required to hold a relevant Master’s degree, for example in neuroscience, engineering or physical sciences (data science, biomedical engineering, bioinformatics), psychology, or speech‑language pathology. Since the key work tasks include data processing, particular value is placed on hands-on experience in modeling time series reflecting brain activity, brain network modeling, and analysis of open datasets. The required degree must be completed by the end of the application period.

For the position of Doctoral Researcher, applicants must also have the right to pursue a doctoral degree at the University of Turku and a research plan for a doctoral dissertation that aligns with the project’s topic. In addition, when acquiring their degree or otherwise, they are required to have demonstrated the ability to undertake postgraduate studies and the capacity to complete a doctoral degree in accordance with the research plan. If the selected applicant does not have the right to pursue a doctoral degree at the University of Turku by the end of the application period, the position will initially be filled under the title Project Researcher. The selected person will then be expected to apply for the right to pursue doctoral studies in the next possible application round. For additional information, please see University of Turku Graduate School (UTUGS) and Doctoral Programmes.

In addition, the successful candidate is expected to have:

• Excellent written and spoken English skills
• Ability to work independently as well as collaboratively in a multidisciplinary research team
• Evidence of academic writing and/or the ability to produce publications

The following will be considered an advantage:

• Skills and practical experience in either collecting brain imaging data or in its preprocessing and analysis, for example:
  • Modeling time series reflecting brain activity
  • Brain network modeling
  • Analysis of open datasets (Big/Open data)
  • Programming skills in commonly used languages (bash, Matlab, Python)
  • High-performance computing (HPC)

The primary place of work is Turku, and the selected candidates must reside in Finland for the duration of the employment.

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