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 is open for the period 1 April 2026–31 March 2029. The employment will begin on 1 April 2026 or as agreed.

The recruited researcher will participate in the Multilingual Reading Assessment (MUREA) project, a consortium with the Dept. of Psychology and Speech-Language Pathology (SLP) and Turku Research Institute for Learning Analytics (TRILA) as partners. The MUREA project, led by University Lecturer Raymond Bertram (SLP) and Professor Mikko-Jussi Laakso (TRILA) and funded by the Academy of Finland, tackles declining reading skills and growing gaps linked to gender and linguistic background. It does so by developing new tools to assess key reading skills among native and non-native Finnish pupils in grades 1–9 as well as personalized interventions. Central to our project is the ViLLE learning platform developed by TRILA, enabling us to collect data from 25,000 students annually. The project collaborates with the EU-granted EYE-TEACH project, which aims to develop eye-tracking practices for classroom use to support teachers in improving students’ reading comprehension. The PhD will be supervised by Raymond Bertram (SLP) and Professor Johanna Kaakinen (Psychology).

Job description

The responsibilities of the Project Researcher/Doctoral Researcher include the further development of assessment tools for key reading skills. This work involves analyzing existing datasets, refining assessment tools as well as developing entirely new ones. Another line of research focuses on the development of eye-movement–based practices in the classroom, including exploring the use of webcam-based eye tracking and developing AI-assisted analyses tools to help educators support pupils’ reading comprehension.

Who we are looking for

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.

Requirements 

Applicants must hold a relevant Master’s degree, for example in psychology or speech‑language pathology. The degree must be completed by the end of the application period.

For the position of Doctoral Researcher, applicants must 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. 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:

• Interest in or experience with reading research, learning sciences, or educational assessment
• Experience in quantitative data analysis and working with research datasets
• Familiarity with research methods related to eye tracking or learning analytics, or a willingness to acquire such expertise
• Programming and data analysis skills (e.g., R, Python, or similar tools)
• Ability to work independently as well as collaboratively in a multidisciplinary research team
• Excellent written and spoken English skills

The following will be considered an advantage:

• Good written and spoken Finnish skills
• Previous experience in developing assessment tools
• Experience with educational interventions
• Knowledge of AI-assisted data analysis or educational technology tools

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.