The University of Helsinki (UH) annually allocates funding to doctoral programmes for salaried positions (employment contract).
The next application period for salaried positions will be on 29.08.-14.09.2023.
Salaried doctoral researcher positions are aimed at enabling full-time work on doctoral dissertations and doctoral studies, with the goal of completing a doctoral degree in four years. The exact duration of employment, its’ start and end dates are determined in the employment contract.
The salary and other further details concerning the employment relationship are available in the call for applications (available when the call is open).
You can apply for a salaried position in a doctoral programme if you are currently a doctoral student at the University of Helsinki or are planning to pursue a doctoral degree.
If you already have a doctoral study right at the University of Helsinki, you can apply for a salaried position, if you have not yet spent a total of four years with a UH funded doctoral researcher salary.
Please read your doctoral programme’s instructions below.
Applications for a salaried position in a doctoral programme are submitted by completing the application form and enclosing the required attachments.
If you do not yet have the right to pursue a doctoral degree at the University of Helsinki, you can apply for the right in the September study right call or in the spring at the latest. Please note that this may result in your employment beginning later than 1 January 2024.
If you are offered a salaried position, you must apply and be awarded the right to pursue a doctoral degree in your doctoral programme within the six-month trial period.
Please note that you may apply for a UH-funded doctoral candidate position from a maximum of two doctoral programmes. If an applicant has submitted more than two applications, the two most recently dated will be considered and reviewed.
If you already have the right to pursue a doctoral degree at the University of Helsinki, you may also apply for a salaried position from another doctoral programme that suits your research profile.
If you receive a salaried position from another doctoral programme, you will need to change your doctoral programme. This means that you may need to reapply for study right if your faculty or target degree changes. This application should be made in the spring at the latest. Please note that this may affect the start date of your potential employment. If you are applying for a salaried position in more than one doctoral programme, please complete a separate application form for each one.
You will find more instructions on applying from the doctoral programme specific instructions below.
On these pages you will find information on how to use the recruitment system.
Further information can be requested by writing to phd-positions(at)helsinki.fi
Microbes have a major effect on the ecosystem and humans. Microbes run biogeochemical cycles of the elements, play a major role in the intestines of animals and biotechnology such as waste water treatment and food production, just to mention some. On the other hand, microbes cause diseases for plants, animals and humans.
The Doctoral Programme in Microbiology and Biotechnology covers the entire field of microbiology, i.e., bacteria, archaea, eukaryotic microorganisms and viruses in any environment where microbes can be found. In addition to basic research in microbiology, it includes applied microbiology which is reflected by including microbiologically relevant biotechnology in the program.
Focus area of the program include:
The researcher community formed around the program is nationally the most significant unit in its field and the only one in Finland in several sub-fields.
The Faculty of Agriculture & Forestry has main responsibility for the programme.
You can find MBDP degree structure on Studies-service. For MBDP events, please visit the MBDP Profile and activities page.
Only students who have completed their Master’s degree by the end of the application period may apply for the salary positions. Please provide documentation in the application. Note that you must apply for the study right in the February 2024 or April 2024 call of the doctoral program and that you must receive the right to pursue a doctoral degree at the University of Helsinki within the 6-month trial period of the employment.
MBDP offers salaried doctoral reseacher positions starting in January 2024. The salaried positions are for 1-4-years of full time work. Applicants must apply for full years (one, two, three or four years), corresponding to the length of time required to complete the PhD. The minimum period is 12 months starting in 2024.
Please note that there are also 10 strategically targeted positions with the theme "Multidisciplinary research on One Health including a global dimension". One Health is understood in its widest scope referring to an integrated, unifying approach to balance and optimize the health of people, animals and the environment.
The global dimension may be evident in the research proposals in the spirit of global responsibility, with a special focus on Africa. Groundbreaking basic research, open-minded curiosity and cooperation that transcends boundaries are supported. The projects are expected to increase our knowledge towards building a sustainable future by finding solutions to both local and global issues and thereby benefiting the global community.
If your research fits into this theme, please indicate it in your application and describe the connection with this theme.
In addition to The Confirmation of Supervision, the supervisor’s letter of recommendation regarding the applicant must be completed by the primary supervisor. Please share this link to your primary supervisor to complete the recommendation. The deadline for the recommendation letter is Sunday 17 September. Please inform your primary supervisor with these instructions.
Only applications in English may be evaluated.
You will find the application form for Doctoral programme in Microbiology and biotechnology during the open call period (29.08-14.09.2023) from the University of Helsinki Open positions webpages.
Applications for a salaried position are submitted via the University of Helsinki recruitment system.
You need to include the following attachments in this order to your application
CV
To ensure the equal treatment of applicants, CV must follow the template of the Finnish National Board on Research Integrity TENK. The application may be rejected if the instructions are not followed.
Layout: Font Arial/Calibri size 11 or similar if not using Word
Row min 1,15
Maximum length of CV: 2 pages
Approval of the supervisors and the coordinating academic (if you don’t have a doctoral study right yet)
Copies of your degree diploma and transcript of studies
All attachments need to be combined as one pdf file and attached to the ‘CV/Ansioluettelo’ section of the application. The maximum size of the combined file is 5 MB.
Language of the application: English
The application form is open during the application period. You will find the application form for each doctoral programme during the open call period (29.08.-14.09.2023) from the University of Helsinki Open positions webpages. (available during the call period).
Please note that you may apply for a UH-funded doctoral candidate position from a maximum of two doctoral programmes. If an applicant has submitted more than two applications, the two most recently dated will be considered and reviewed.
Please note that even though the application closes at midnight, we advise you to submit your application earlier. We will not answer your question about the application, or the application form, after 16.00 EEST on the day the application closes.
The Doctoral Programme in Microbiology and Biotechnology (MBDP) evaluates all applications in accordance with the following criteria:
The board will evaluate the written applications, and top applicants will be invited to an interview. The board and three external evaluators will interview and evaluate the top candidates. The interviews will be arranged on 1 November 2023 and the invitations will be sent by email one week before the interviews. The decisions are made within one week after the interviews.
The board of the doctoral programme makes a proposal regarding appointment of salaried doctoral researcher positions. The director of the relevant employment unit makes the final decision on the appointments.
All applicants will be personally notified of the decisions by the end of November. The names of the applicants selected for the positions will be published on the doctoral programme’s web pages (if the applicant has given permission).
Please note that applications for the right to pursue a doctoral degree are processed according to a different schedule by the responsible Faculty. The relevant faculty makes decisions regarding study rights and applicants are personally notified in a separate notification to salary positions. If you are applying also for the study right, please read carefully the instructions for doctoral study right applicants from your doctoral programme webpage.
MBDP received altogether 51 applications. The MBDP board and two external (international) evaluators evaluated all applications and top 8 applicants were invited for the interview that was arranged on November 1. The interviews were held by two external evaluators and the decision was made according to their suggestion. The final decisions were based on both written applications and interviews. Conflicts of interest were taken into account.
Liina Hannula (supervisor Ilona Rissanen), 1 year
Melina Markkanen (supervisor Antti Karkman), 1 year
Ada Pajari (supervisor Jarno Mäkelä), 4 years
Meri Salomaa (supervisor Minna Poranen), 2 years
Kyrylo Bisikalo (supervisor Sarah Butcher), 4 years One Health position
Juulia Manninen (supervisor Aki Sinkkonen), 4 years One Health position