The versatile career paths and opportunities of the University of Eastern Finland are available to the entire university staff. Our academic career model is based on the four-step career model that progresses through degrees and merits. The four-step career model and its nomenclature are complemented by the tenure track and UEF Teacher career model. As a rule, all positions in the academic career model include research and teaching. To support teaching and research, expert and supporting services are needed, which are provided by University Services, by the university's independent institutes and service centres, and by schools and departments operating within the faculties.
The work on the career model at our university is continuous and proactive. Current goals include identifying needs for new roles and combinations at the interfaces of the position structures commonly used at universities, searching for new operating models to support the careers of project staff in particular, and increasing and supporting students' awareness of academic careers.
We offer our staff opportunities to develop in their careers, which also supports the operations and development of the entire university. We are involved in international development projects and networks that seek solutions to challenges related to research careers and, together with other European universities, develop the status of researchers, academic careers and responsible evaluation of researchers and research. Read more about developing the careers and position of researchers.
Career paths and opportunities
Our multidisciplinary university offers professorships in four faculties. High-quality scientific/artistic competence, good teaching skills and, if it is considered important in the position, practical knowledge of the field of teaching are required of the candidate or person invited to the position. The professor leads and develops research and education in their field. In addition, the professor is expected to acquire external funding and participate in the development of international cooperation in their field of research. The professorship also includes expert and societal interaction tasks. In addition to the application and invitation procedure, you can proceed to the position of a professor through the Tenure Track.
Our Tenure Track enables an accelerated and personalised pathway to the position of a professor. The Tenure Track is a two-phase process; in the first phase, the title of the professor is Assistant Professor (Tenure Track), and in the second phase, the job title is Associate Professor. The maximum duration of the terms is 4 years, but the model also enables an accelerated assessment based on merit. A personal plan is drawn up for each person on the Tenure Track. The plan specifies the criteria for progressing on the Tenure Track based on the university's common practices. Based on the overall evaluation of the term as Associate Professor, it is possible to proceed to a permanent professorship in the field. Positions on the Tenure Track can be flexibly opened to both levels. In addition to competence and merit, recruitment on the Tenure Track emphasises the recognition of academic potential and the ability to develop into academic positions of responsibility.
As a rule, candidates for the position of Professor of Practice must have a doctoral degree as well as special merits obtained outside the university community and high-quality competence in their area of responsibility. The purpose of the position is to support the connection between the labour market outside of the university world and academic research and teaching. The position is fixed-term and it is filled by invitation.
University lecturer, university researcher and university teacher are among the most common titles at our university. The employees in these positions work with the core teaching and research tasks.
In most cases, the role of the university researcher focuses on independent field-specific research work while the university lecturer takes care of teaching responsibilities; however, flexible work planning enables individual emphases and division of labour also through merit. A person working in a research-focused position must be qualified as an independent principal investigator which includes work related to the management of a research team and ensuring the acquisition of external research funding. Teaching-focused positions are positions for an experienced teacher in charge. The responsibilities of the position include being in charge of their academic subject, leading extensive courses, supervision of theses and responsibility for developing education. The roles of university researcher and university lecturer require a suitable doctoral degree and good teaching skills. Clinical teacher is a title corresponding to university lecturer in our university's clinical fields.
University teacher must have a suitable master's degree and a good practical knowledge of the scope of the field of teaching as well as good teaching skills.
The recruitment for the aforementioned position is carried out mainly through an open application process, but it is also possible to progress through qualifications in the academic career model.
The UEF Teacher Career Model includes a path from a university teacher to a university lecturer or a clinical teacher and an opportunity to become a senior university lecturer or a senior clinical teacher. The eligibility criteria for the aforementioned positions are a suitable doctoral degree and special teaching merits; it is also possible to apply for the positions through the university's annual joint internal application process. A senior university lecturer and a senior clinical teacher have a widely recognised status as a teacher and excellent teaching skills as they are among the best teachers in their field.
Staff Scientists are experts in research infrastructure and methods, promoting high-quality research at the university and its long-term development. The candidate must have a suitable doctoral degree, practical knowledge and special merits related to the research infrastructures and/or methods of their field of research. The position also includes the candidate’s own independent research and senior level teaching and guidance tasks.
After completing a doctoral degree, you can apply for a position as a postdoctoral researcher. The position typically lasts for 1-2 terms (maximum 3 years/post doc period). The person selected for the position of Postdoctoral Researcher must have completed their dissertation a maximum of 5 years earlier, excluding statutory leaves. The goal of the Postdoctoral Researcher’s role is to become qualified as a researcher and to be able to plan and manage research. The university offers support for researcher mobility, networking and applying for funding, which play an essential role and are an incentive for progressing in a scientific career.
Postgraduate student, doctoral candidate, doctoral student, doctoral researcher - the post-graduate goes by several names. The title used at the University of Eastern Finland is doctoral researcher (and postgraduate student in matters related to studies). Doctoral researchers belong to one of the university's doctoral programmes. The funding opportunities for doctoral research include the university's joint UEF doctoral researcher positions and the shared doctoral student system.
If you are writing your doctoral dissertation on a grant, read more about the position and benefits of the grant researcher on the student's Kamu website.
UEF shared doctoral student system
In the shared doctoral researcher position system of the University of Eastern Finland, the employee has two part-time (50%) employment relationships at the same time. The employment relationship is full-time so that the doctoral researcher has a part-time contract of employment both at the University of Eastern Finland (50%) and with an external employer (50%).
In the shared doctoral researcher position system, the main work of the doctoral researcher is a doctoral dissertation in both employment relationships. The work may also include, to a minor extent, teaching related to or promoting the doctoral dissertation.
The aim of the shared doctoral researcher position system is to increase and strengthen co-operation with working life.
When recruiting to the shared doctoral researcher position system, in addition to the selection criteria of ordinary doctoral programmes, the usability of the expertise gained in course of the doctoral dissertation by business or society at large is assessed. The working life relevance of the external employer of the doctoral researcher is assessed by the management group of the doctoral programme in question.
A doctoral researcher recruited to the shared doctoral researcher position system must have a valid right to postgraduate studies at the University of Eastern Finland.
In the shared doctoral researcher position system, the contract of employment is concluded for a minimum of one year and a maximum of four years. The title of the employee at the University of Eastern Finland is doctoral researcher. Working in both employment relationships takes place in Finland.
In the employment relationship of a doctoral researcher employed through the shared doctoral researcher position system, the same terms and conditions of employment apply as in other positions of a doctoral researcher.
Expert and support service tasks are needed to support teaching and research. They are located in University Services, schools and departments operating within the faculties, and the university’s independent institutes and service centres.
Current developments in the work of expert and support staff include a career model reform for positions in laboratory and technical fields, which is based on updating common operating models and the changing job requirements and their competence needs. We are also examining the overall concept of substance-based expert support services for research and education with the aim of strengthening the career paths of expert groups at the university level. This also involves ongoing career model work on project staff (administrative and development tasks).
The university supports operating models that enable including students in research and teaching as part of the university work community. Students can write their master's thesis while working as a research assistant, and the teaching assistant supports the teacher's everyday activities and acts as a peer support for the students. The UEF Trainee programme has been tailored to the university's international students as one option alongside other internship opportunities.
Read more about internship opportunities in the students' Kamu online service.