Tampere IAS Research Fellowships

Tampere University was launched in 2019, when the University of Tampere and Tampere University of Technology merged to become Finland's second largest university. Our focus areas are technology, health, and society. The new university aims at scientific excellence and societal impact in research. The university regards the competence of staff as its most important strategic asset and supports its development. For further information, please visit www.tuni.fi/en.

As a university-level initiative to boost scientific excellence, Tampere University launched the Tampere Institute for Advanced Study in 2021. The purpose of the Institute is to provide researchers an opportunity to concentrate on conducting research of highest quality and thus advance to their next career stage. To this end, the Institute grants fixed-term Postdoctoral, Senior and Professorial Research Fellowships to researchers in all scientific fields represented at Tampere University. The Institute also invites leading international researchers for short visits, collaborates with similar institutes and organizes scientific events. Its activities are tightly connected with the research conducted in the faculties of Tampere University.

The Tampere Institute for Advanced Study now calls for applications for nine (9) two-year, fixed-term and full-time Postdoctoral Research Fellow positions starting on 1 September 2024 and ending on 31 August 2026.

We are also calling for applications for three-year Senior Research Fellowships in a separate job posting. Please note that you are allowed to submit only one (1) application either for the Postdoctoral Research Fellowship or the Senior Research Fellowship after choosing the one that best fits your current academic career path, and in one (1) focus area (technology, health or society) only.

The positions are based in Tampere where the appointed Fellows are expected to be primarily physically present. 

Eligibility and evaluation of applicants

To be eligible to apply for these Postdoctoral Research Fellowships your doctoral certificate has to be dated between 4 March 2019 and 4 March 2024 (Certificates dated on 4 March 2019 and 4 March 2024 are eligible). Orientation towards intensive international research collaboration is appreciated but is not a necessary precondition for applying. 

Applications for these Postdoctoral Research Fellow positions are evaluated on the basis of scientific quality and ambition of the work plans demonstrated in the application documents. 

Applications for both postdoctoral and senior positions will be assessed against the following key evaluation criteria.

• High academic quality and innovativeness of the work plan
• Feasibility of the work plan

Academic achievement will be taken into account, assessed in relation to the length of the applicant’s past research career. Shortlisted applications will be sent to external evaluators for review. Please note that interviews will not be conducted.

Frequently asked questions about Tampere IAS eligibility

We offer

We offer a research-inspiring work environment with an excellent up-to-date infrastructure and a collaborative work community in three modern campuses, as well as high-quality support services for researchers. We also offer a wide range of staff benefits, such as occupational health care, flexible working hours, excellent sports facilities and several restaurants and cafés on campuses. Please read more about  Working at Tampere Universities.

The salary is based on job demands and employees’ personal performance in accordance with the Finnish University Salary System. The position of Postdoctoral Researcher is initially placed at levels 5-6 in the salary system. In addition, employees receive performance-based salary. A typical starting salary of Postdoctoral Researcher in The Tampere Institute for Advanced Study is between 3900€ - 4100€ per month. Higher salary may be agreed dependent upon experience and/or performance.

Tampere University will cover each Fellow’s reasonable research-related costs, such as travel, publishing, and infrastructure operating costs.

Please note that the appointed Fellows may be expected to give postgraduate education of their field (up to 5% of total working hours).

City of Tampere and Finland

Tampere and its surroundings are, after the Helsinki metropolitan area, Finland's second most significant concentration of education, science, economy and culture. Getting to and around Tampere is effortless, no matter where you come from. The city is an industrial powerhouse that enjoys a rich cultural scene and a reputation as a centre of Finland’s information society. Among people living in Finland, Tampere has repeatedly ranked as #1 in the list of desired cities to live in. Tampere is also surrounded by vivid nature with forests and lakes, providing countless opportunities for easy-to-access outdoor adventures and refreshment throughout the year. 

For more information on the City of Tampere, please check Visit Tampere.

Finland is among the most stable, free and safe countries in the world, based on prominent ratings by various agencies. Finland offers one of the most advanced and comprehensive social security systems in the world, including personal and family health care and a variety of family benefits. The Finnish educational system is renowned worldwide. For more information on Finland, please check InfoFinland and This is Finland. 

How to apply 

Please submit your application through our online recruitment system (link below). The closing date for applications is 4 March 2024 at 23.59 EET (UTC +2).

• Please write your application and all accompanying documents (listed below) in English.
• Please attach them to your application form in the order mentioned below combined as only one (1) PDF file named LastnameFirstnamePostdocFellow2023.pdf
   Please note that other kinds of file formats will not be accepted.
• Please use Times New Roman 12pt font or a similar easy-to-read font for all documents. 

1. Cover letter

Maximum length one (1) page, in which you present your rationale for applying for the post and why you are particularly suited for it.

2. Curriculum Vitae 

Maximum length five (5) pages, according to the Finnish National Board on Research Integrity (TENK) guidelines, but without the list of publications.

1. Personal details and the date of the CV
2. Degrees
3. Other education and expertise
4. Language skills
5. Current employment
6. Previous work experience
7. Career breaks
8. Research funding and grants
9. Research output
10.  Research supervision and leadership experience
11.  Teaching merits
12.  Awards and honours
13.  Other key academic merits
14.  Scientific and societal impact
15.  Other merits

3. Work plan

Maximum length 1,700 words (including the title, abstract, headings, and a list of cited literature as footnotes) with the following structure and in the following order.

1. Title of the work plan (stating the research topic)
2. Abstract, maximum length 70 words 
3. Word count of the work plan
4. Your current career stage and how this two-year Postdoctoral Research Fellowship would help you raise the level of your research and/or broaden its scientific horizon and, thus, take your career to the next level.
5. Background, rationale and current phase of the work you plan to implement during the term of two years
6. Significance of the expected results of your work
7. Description of how your research would benefit from working at Tampere University and what it would offer to the research conducted at the university
8. Planned international cooperation
9. Planned outputs of the work plan

4. Full list of your publications according to the Research Council of Finland guidelines. Please clearly indicate (in bold) your ten (10) most important publications in terms of your work plan and add hyperlinks to these publications, if possible.

Please follow the above instructions carefully. Incomplete or non-compliant applications will not be accepted for evaluation. 

For more information, please contact us at tampere-ias-queries-about-applications@tuni.fi.