The Doctoral Programme in Environmental Physics, Health and Biology (EPHB) combines the fields of environmental research from soil and water systems to the stratosphere, research into the health impacts of the environment, and biological research to form a multidisciplinary programme.
The purpose of the doctoral programme is to provide students with the competences required to create new knowledge, apply methods of scientific research critically and independently, and to work in demanding expert and research positions in academia and the business and public sector.
The director of the doctoral programme is Research director Jarkko Akkanen, and the coordinator is Timo Kumlin (contact information below).
Research areas in the doctoral programme
Research in environmental physics focuses on the study of aerosols (e.g. how atmospheric particulate matter affects the atmosphere). The key areas of aerosol studies also include the creation of aerosols in combustion and under laboratory conditions. Important research interests include the small-scale use of wood as solid fuel, including emissions, nanoparticle synthesis in biomedical and industrial applications, bio aerosols and aerosol measuring and analysis techniques.
Multidisciplinary research in environmental health covers the potential health risks and impacts of biological, physical and chemical factors in our environment. These studies apply the environmental health risk analysis. For example, the study of the health impacts of aerosols is a key area of research in atmospheric particulate matter. The toxicity of aerosols is studied using cell lines, animal testing and clinical sampling.
Biological research includes the analysis of biological processes related to changes in the state of the environment within the atmosphere and terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Studies are conducted using a range of methods at the level of cell and molecule biology, physiology, ecology and evolutionary biology.
Please see the links below for more information about the research areas and the responsible professors.

How to apply?
The degrees of the doctoral programme are Doctor of Philosophy and Licentiate in Philosophy at the following disciplines:
- Applied physics
- Environmental science
- Biology
According to the Universities Act of Finland (558/2009, Chapter 5, Section 37), eligible for studies leading to a doctoral degree shall be a person who has completed an applicable higher university or polytechnic degree, a person who has completed an applicable education abroad which in the awarding country gives eligibility for corresponding higher education, or a person whom the university judges otherwise to have sufficient knowledge and skills for the studies.
There is no term fee for doctoral education in the University of Eastern Finland.
If you are applying for a doctoral study right in a field of research which has not been the main field of you Master's degree, the faculty may require you to complete supplementary studies to ensure that you are qualified to take part in doctoral studies. Possible supplementary studies are specified when the right to doctoral studies is granted and cannot be included in the doctoral degree.
The most important admission criterion for doctoral studies is consent from the supervisor. Other criteria may include performance in previous studies, a preliminary research plan (including financial plan), and a motivation letter.
In addition to the general eligibility criteria for pursuing doctoral studies, the previous studies required for the doctoral degree programme are as follows by discipline or field of research:
- Aerosol physics / Environmental physics: Relevant previous qualifications are physics, chemistry, technical sciences, environmental science or another relevant field.
- Environmental science: Relevant previous qualifications are environmental science, biology, biosciences, physics, chemistry or another relevant field.
- Biology: Relevant previous qualifications are biology, environmental science, forest science or another relevant field.
The leader group of the programme decides on the qualification of previous studies after consultation with the supervisors in the relevant field of research.
A signed engagement from your supervisors is required as an attachment to the application ( a WebPropol form )
Non-Finnish applicants applying to any of the doctoral programmes in the faculty must demonstrate sufficient proficiency in English when submitting their application. The sufficient proficiency can be demonstrated by providing evidence of any of the following:
- PTE (academic): 62
- TOEFL (iBT): 92
- IELTS (academic): 6.5 (overall)
- C1 Advanced (former CAE): 180
- C2 Proficiency (former CPE): 180
- the applicant has completed all prior studies in English. If the applicant has completed the prior studies in English, he/she must attach to the application a statement from the educational institution indicating that the language of instruction was English; or
- the applicant has completed the English test of the Finnish matriculation examination (IB Diploma or English as A1 language); or
- the applicant has completed primary education in English in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom or the United States.
OR sufficient English language skills proven by an interview with the UEF main supervisor.
The right to pursue doctoral studies does not include funding or a contract of employment or teaching tasks at the University. However, full-time doctoral students need funding to cover their costs of living and potential research costs (travel costs, research material etc.). Funding options should be discussed with the supervisor already when planning to apply for a doctoral study right and creating a research plan.
Doctoral studies can be funded for example by a scholarship, by working as a researcher in a research project, by working as a doctoral candidate at the University of Eastern Finland (doctoral student position), or by studying part-time while at work. Doctoral students apply for funding themselves.
Read more about funding options of doctoral studies on Kamu Student handbook.
1. Study the instructions, study requirements and guidelines concerning the doctoral programme issued by the university, the faculty and the programme, which can be found on these web pages.
2. Discuss the possibility to pursue doctoral studies with the potential supervisor(s) or with the head of the doctoral programme.
3. Discuss the research topic, doctoral studies and their completion, as well as other supervisors with the future main supervisor. In the Faculty, two or more persons are appointed on application as the supervisor for post graduate studies. Of these, all must hold a doctoral degree and at least one must be a professor, associate professor or assistant professor (Tenure Track) in the Faculty. If a person other than a professor, associate professor or assistant professor (Tenure Track) in the Faculty is proposed as the main supervisor of a doctoral dissertation, their up-to-date list of publications must accompany the application.
You and your supervisors must negotiate and agree on responsibilities and commitment to supervising your research project. The supervisors must give their written consent on the application form. Draw up a preliminary research plan (including the funding plan). You must indicate in the application the doctoral programme for which you are applying the right to study (EPHB).
4. The prospective doctoral student applies for the right to pursue doctoral studies using an application form at the Studyinfo.fi.
The following documents must be submitted with the application:
- a copy of the basic university degree certificate, and other documents which may affect the granting of a study right,
- a transcript of earlier academic records,
- a preliminary research plan (including the funding plan) approved by the main supervisor,
- a supervisor agreement/supervisors' agreement (form in Finnish/form in English)
- if necessary, a statement from the Committee on Research Ethics and a permission for the use of laboratory animals.
The application must include the written consent of at least two supervisors. At least one of the supervisors must be a professor, or a senior researcher with a docent's qualification, at the University of Eastern Finland. For more information about our supervisors, please see the individual research area pages.
All the required enclosures must be uploaded in the online application at the latest within one month after the online application is submitted.
Registration
After receiving the notification of being admitted to pursue doctoral studies at the University of Eastern Finland, new doctoral students must register as a student in the University's Student Services. The faculty will send the registration form to new doctoral students enclosed with a Letter of Admittance. This form is only used on the first registration; in the following years, registration is done through intranet (WebOodi), by phone, e-mail or personal visit to Student Services. Registration for the next academic year must be completed before 15th September. Please note that in order to maintain your study right you must register to the university each year.
Postgraduate Study Plan
The studies will be specified in a personal study plan, which must be created within three months after receiving the right to study. Create the plan in co-operation with your main supervisor using the doctoral study plan- form.
Doctoral student must submit a personal doctoral study plan to the Faculty Administration Office within 3 months after receiving the study right.
The study plan is written under the supervision of the subject's professor and other supervisors. The plan should include the following information: studies included in the degree and their modes of study along with a preliminary timetable. Also visits abroad are mentioned in the study plan. The meaning of the study plan is to ensure that the courses and the research form a good completeness and that the student is really able to complete the studies and research within four years.
Application period
The EPHB doctoral programme is open for admissions throughout the year. The decisions will be made within two weeks.
What is Studyinfo.fi?
Studyinfo.fi is the official national admissions portal with all the up-to-date information about study programmes leading to a degree in Finland.
Studies
A doctoral dissertation can be described as a scientific presentation based on independent research, which promotes knowledge in the discipline in question (monograph). A number of scientific publications or manuscripts approved / intended for publication on the same research problem (Article dissertation) and a summary thereof may also be accepted as a dissertation.
The structure of the dissertation in the faculty is as follows:
- An article dissertation typically consists of 3-4 peer-reviewed scientific articles
- The dissertation of three articles must be at least two and in the dissertation of four (or more) articles at least 50% published or approved for publication in international peer-reviewed scientific series
- The doctoral candidate must be the main author in at least two sub-publications. The doctoral candidate must write a clarification of his / her part work in joint publications.
The degree (30 ECTS) consists of the following parts:
- Transferable skills studies, 8-10 ECTS credits
- Studies in the discipline and field of research, 20-22 ECTS credits, of which at least 15 ECTS credits must be of advanced level.
Transferable skills studies (8-10 ECTS): Transferable skills studies must include a Research Ethics course organized by the UEF Doctoral School. In addition, studies may include, for example, scientific communication and communications and intellectual property studies, or other studies offered by the UEF Doctoral School. The courses available each year are described in the UEF Doctoral School curriculum in Kamu.
Studies in the discipline and field of research (20-22 ECTS): The degree must include science and research studies, mainly advanced studies, which support research work. Elective science and research studies must support the student's dissertation / licentiate research. The compulsory course is a research seminar (2 ECTS credits) consisting of a presentation of at least 30 minutes and five listened presentations. The seminar can be conducted either in separate series of seminars or in a seminar organized by the doctoral program.
Studies may also include courses from other departments, doctoral programs and universities, as well as summer schools, seminars, book exams or other courses, as long as they support research work. The doctoral program aims to organize research seminars and methodological studies. The supervisor assesses the suitability of the deliverables for the study unit.
You can find information for different phases in the doctoral education on Kamu Student handbook:
- Doctoral education at the University of Eastern Finland
- Starting doctoral education
- Doctoral curriculum and study requirements
- Internationalisation in doctoral education
- Guidance and support in doctoral education
- Support for doctoral research
- Funding of doctoral education
- Wellbeing of doctoral researcher
- Permission for public examination and pre-examination of doctoral dissertation
- Publishing of doctoral dissertation