The Faculty of Law, University of Turku invites applications for the position of Doctoral Researcher in Law (1 January 2027 – 31 August 2030). We are looking for a candidate to undertake a PhD on state-corporate harms in context of Finnish forests within the Research Council of Finland-funded project Regimes of Permission and Posthuman Harm: Corporate Exploitation in Finnish Forests (Corporate Forest).
Job description
The research project Corporate Forest aims to undertake a critical, posthuman analysis of Finnish forest governance. The doctoral researcher will co-design and use empirical methods (including focus group interviews; archival research and experts’ interviews) to document diverse dimensions of corporate harms in context of Finnish forest; situate examples of these harms within broader legal, economic, and political contexts; and examine the development of context-dependent ‘regimes of permission’ in Finnish forest governance.
The doctoral researcher’s tasks include conducting research and attending doctoral courses. The position may include up to approximately 80 hours/academic year of teaching and additional faculty-assigned duties. The position requires that the employee resides in Finland for the duration of the employment contract.
The doctoral researcher will work in close cooperation with the PI Hanna Maria Malik. The doctoral researcher will be co-supervised by the PI, who is a Docent of Comparative and Socio-Legal Studies, and a second supervisor depending on the doctoral researcher’s chosen research focus. The research proposal must align with the description above and the focus of Corporate Forest (more information about the project can be found on the website: Research Hub Corporate Forest | Corporate Forest). The language of the dissertation should be English.
Requirements
We expect the candidates to have
- A master’s degree in law, criminology, political or social sciences or legal geography (other degrees may be also considered).
- A research interest in one or more of the following areas: socio-legal studies, empirical legal research, criminology, social harm studies, legislative studies; environmental law, forest law, forest governance, corporate and state-corporate crimes, violence of the law, posthumanism, the rights of nature, earth jurisprudence or new materialism.
- Clear interest in crossing disciplines’ boundaries and learning new methods and theoretical perspectives
- Excellent spoken and written Finnish and English.
The eligibility requirements for the position must be fulfulled by the end of the application period for the position.
Desirable qualifications
- Preliminary experience in carrying out qualitative, empirical research, and content or narrative analysis after data collection is an advantage.
- Previous experience in multicultural and group cooperation.
- Additional language skills
- Project management skills
The selected person also needs to apply for their study right in a doctoral programme during the next possible application period (Autumn 2026 or the latest Spring 2027) via the Studyinfo.fi service through the Doctoral Programme in Law (Faculty of Law). Read more about applying for the right to study on the website Doctoral Programme in Law / Instructions for Applicants. The qualification requirements for doctoral researchers are described in the rules of procedure of the University of Turku (section 38).
Until the selected person gets their study right in a doctoral programme, their title will initially be Project Researcher.
We value collegiality and promote equality, diversity, and inclusivity. We encourage all qualified applicants with different backgrounds to apply for our open positions. Our selection criteria are based on the principle of finding the most qualified and suitable candidate for the job. In practice, this means that not only education, publications and working experience but also personal qualities, communication, motivation, and other relevant criteria will be considered.
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.
Please read more about University of Turku as an employer 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 offers good support and orientation for international hires. Please learn more about the Finnish culture and relocation to Finland:
Salary and trial period
The salary is determined in accordance with the university salary system for teaching and research personnel. The job requirement level of the position is 2 – 4. In addition, a salary component based on personal work performance is 6–50% of the task-specific salary. The task-specific salary component of an entry-level Doctoral Researcher is typically on level 2, in which case the salary range is about 2600 € per month at the beginning of the employment relationship.
The position has a trial period of six (6) months.
How to apply
Please submit your application through our online recruitment system. The closing date for applications is 15.9.2026 at 16.00 (Europe/Helsinki).
Applicants should enclose with their application:
Interviews for the position will be held at the end of October 2026.
Further information
For further information about the position, please contact Academy Research Fellow Hanna Maria Malik, hanna.malik(at)utu.fi.
For practical matters concerning the application process and electronic application system, please contact HR Specialist Janika Ulenius, jajoul(a)utu.fi (available from 11 August onwards).
