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Faculty of Social Sciences in the Tampere University invites applications for two (2) fixed-term (2 years) post-doctoral researcher positions, starting as of 1st September 2025 (or as agreed) till 31st August 2027.
The project ‘Ontologies of Waste: A Relational Study of How Waste Comes to Matter for Humans, Society, and Future (WasteMatters)’ at the Tampere University will run from September 2022 to August 2027. The project is funded by European Research Council (ERC) and led by Professor Olli Pyyhtinen. The project offers a supportive and inspiring working environment, and excellent opportunities for a researcher to develop their skills and career in an international and interdisciplinary setting.
WasteMatters studies humans and the spatiotemporal scales of society from the perspective of waste. It focuses mostly on food waste, plastic waste, waste incineration ash and nuclear waste and examines what waste does for and to us: what kind of relations, agencies, and scales it assumes, enacts, and sustains; what kind of risks, responsibilities, and possibilities it presents; to what kind of futures society commits itself with its waste practices; and what are the sorts of humans that we both individually and collectively become with waste. Empirical insight will be derived from fieldwork to be conducted across various sites, such as households, businesses, biogas plants, waste incinerators and a nuclear waste repository. It will produce knowledge of waste as both constitutive of economy and society and as something that disturbs them.
The WasteMatters project is hosted at the Faculty of Social Sciences, Tampere University. Tampere University is an internationally renowned research-led university and one of the few in the world to specialize in social sciences (www.tuni.fi). For more information about Tampere, please see VisitTampere and BusinessTampere. For further information about Finland, please visit InfoFinland and This is Finland.
Position
The two post-doctoral researchers will focus on studying waste flows and their management. The researcher is expected to collect data mainly through a short period of fieldwork, but the main emphasis is on the co-production of the key empirical, methodological and theoretical contributions of the project. The selected candidate can influence the emphasis of their own research within the scientific scope of the WasteMatters project.
The post-doctoral researcher’s main duties will consist of conducting research and publishing actively. In addition, the post-doctoral researcher is expected to participate in regular project meetings and other activities of the research team. They are expected to present their research at seminars and academic conferences. A successful candidate is expected to show interest and enthusiasm towards working in a team.
Qualifications
The selected candidate must hold a doctoral degree in a relevant field, such as sociology, anthropology, social psychology, or philosophy. The degree must be completed before the end of the application period.
The selected candidate must have the ability to conduct independent, high-quality scientific research. The candidate should have excellent analytical and methodological skills and be able to work and publish both independently and collaboratively as part of a research team. A successful candidate is expected to have experience and training in qualitative research within the social sciences or a discipline relevant to the topic and approach of the project. Experience in ethnographic fieldwork is considered as an advantage.
Excellent skills in written and oral English are required. A command of Finnish is considered an asset but not required.
Please be prepared to provide proof of your merits when requested.
We offer
The job is a temporary position (from September 1 2025 to August 31 2027). The salary of the doctoral researcher will be based on level 5 of the demands level chart for teaching and research personnel in the salary system of Finnish universities. In addition to the basic salary, supplementary salary will be paid according to the personal performance, depending on the selected candidate’s qualifications and experience. At commencement, the typical starting salary for a post-doctoral researcher is approximately 3800 eur - 4000 eur/month. A trial period of six months applies to all new employees.
We offer a wide range of staff benefits, such as occupational health care, flexible working hours, excellent sports facilities on campus and several restaurants and cafés on campus with staff discounts. Please read more aboutworking at Tampere University.
The application process
Applications should be written in English and submitted electronically via the Tampere University’s electronic recruitment system (link below) by 23:59 (UCT +2:00) on June 25, 2025. The interviews of the top candidates will be held in the first week of August.
The following documents should accompany your application:
- The following documents should accompany your application:
(1) CV (max. 3 pages) and list of publications
(2) Short letters of reference from two referees
(3) Preliminary research proposal (max. 3 pages) consisting of
i. a description of previous research experience (such as PhD thesis);
ii. a research idea/vision where you tell why the project’s themes or approach interest you and how you would like to focus your own research in this context;
iii. motivation for the task with a statement on working as part of a research team.
Enquiries
For further information on the position please contact the WasterMatters PI, Professor Olli Pyyhtinen, olli.pyyhtinen(at)tuni.fi.
Application period starts: 2025-05-21 09:15. Application period ends: 2025-06-25 23:59
