Postdoctoral Researcher / Senior Researcher in Political science

 

The University of Turku is a world-class multidisciplinary research university which offers interesting challenges and a unique vantage point to national and international research and education.

THE FACULTY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES, UNIVERSITY OF TURKU, INVITES APPLICATIONS FOR THE FIXED TERM POSITION OF

Postdoctoral Researcher / Senior Researcher in Political science for the period August 1, 2021 – July 31, 2024

The vacancy is positioned at the department of Philosophy, Contemporary History and Political Sciencein the political science unit. Researcher will work in the newly formed multidisciplinary research group INVEST-HUB, which is a part of the Finnishresearch flagship center INVEST (https://invest.utu.fi/). The INVEST-HUB is dedicated to (field) experimental research in social sciences. The research group consists of scholars from psychology, sociology, economics and political science.

The task of the selected researcher is independent research work in his or her special field and the development and application of experimental research methods in political science. The researcher will work in collaboration with the Political Science unit at the Turku University.

The research group is supported by an IT expert, who assists the researchers in managing and developing IT-solutions required in various types of experiments and gives support to handle data collection and manage large administrative datasets. In addition, a dedicated specialist will help the research group to implement field experiments. Research group members will have access to the experimental decision-making laboratory (PCRClab). The laboratory is a part of a larger national research infrastructure, the Finnish Research Infrastructure for Public Opinion, FIRIPO (https://www.firipo.fi/) that enables researchers to collect survey data on public opinion and to conduct experiments on different panels of subjects.

Requirements:

The eligibility criteria for the position is defined in the rules of procedure of the University of Turku https://www.utu.fi/sites/default/files/public%3A//media/file/UTU_Rules_of_Procedure.pdf (sections 36 and 37). Person selected for the position of Postdoctoral Researcher/Senior Researcher is required to have:

a)      a doctoral degree in political science (or related fields such as economics, sociology, data science or quantitative social sciences). It is possible to apply for a position if a person expects to achieve a doctorate within the next six (6) months.

b)      ability to conduct independent research and apply experimental, quasi-experimental and/or survey -methods in political science. Applicants with previous experience on conducting RCTs (e.g. field or survey experiments) in political science and/or applying quasi-experimental methods to large administrative datasets are favored.

Successful applicants have strong research orientation and fluency in English. Knowledge of Finnish is not required.

Salary:

The salary is determined by the collective agreement system of Finnish universities. The position belongs to the category of teaching and research personnel. The pre-estimated salary will be in average 2850-3000 eur/month for a person holding a MSc degree, and in average 3300-4000 eur/month for a person holding PhD degree. The exact salary will depend on the person’s competence and research experience and will be specified when the employment contract is prepared.  Progress in the researcher's personal performance will be taken into account when determining the salary during employment

The position is subject to a six months trial period. The candidate is expected to begin work in August 2021, no later than November 2021. The duration of the position is three years.

Applications:

Applications should be accompanied by:

a)      a motivation letter in which the applicant describes applicant’s own research interests and how they relate to the activities of the research group,

b)      a CV,

c)      the list of publications,

d)      a copy of the dissertation (preferably in pdf-form), or a copy of the manuscript from the dissertation and the supervisor's statement on the estimated date of the defense of the dissertation, 

e)      a “job market paper” (a published article or a manuscript) that best describes your qualifications to the position and contribution to scientific literature and

f)       copie(s) of degree certificate(s) (if the degree / degrees have not been completed at the University of Turku)

The appendices should follow the guidelines of the faculty, see: https://www.utu.fi/en/university/faculty-of-social-sciences/career.

The electronic database allows the applicant to submit only one application file to each application section. Information on the file forms to be used can be found in the additional information of each application. Please note that the database only allows the publications to be submitted in a packaged form (.zip). One .zip-file may include several individual files.

For further information, please do not hesitate to contact Professor of practice Lauri Sääksvuori, lauri.saaksvuori@utu.fi or Professor Maija Setälä, maiset@utu.fi. For practical matters concerning the application process and electronic application system, please contact HR Specialist Nina Kramsu, nina.kramsu@utu.fi.

Applications must be submitted by the 31 may, 2021 (23:59) using the electronic application form of the University of Turku on the following address. The link to the application system is at the beginning of this announcement (“Apply for the job”). 

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