From Doctorate to Postdoctoral Researcher at the Philosophical Faculty

This guide is intended for you if you have completed or are about to complete your doctoral degree at the Philosophical Faculty, or if you are considering postdoctoral research in our faculty.

What is the postdoc stage?

Postdoc (postdoctoral) refers to the research stage following the doctoral degree. It is not a job title but a general term for an academic career phase that typically lasts 2–7 years. There is no separate application or formal decision associated with entering the postdoc stage.

The postdoc stage differs fundamentally from doctoral research:

• You do not have a designated supervisor – you are responsible for your own research.
• Collaboration with your former supervisor or other researchers is based on collegial partnership, not a supervisory relationship.
• You are expected to develop your own line of research.

Without funding or an employment relationship, postdoc status is very limited and in most cases not formally recognised.

What do you do as a postdoc researcher?

• Apply for funding independently (e.g. grants, project funding).
• Conduct and publish research, primarily as first or second author.
• Develop your own research profile and expertise.
• Build a research group and collaboration networks.
• Actively communicate your research and engage in societal impact work.
• Participate in supervision, teaching, and research collaboration.
• Develop your research in international settings.

How to get started?

If you are interested in postdoctoral research at the Philosophical Faculty but are unsure how to proceed, contact the Deputy Head of School (research) of the department relevant to your research area. The Deputy Head will advise you and direct you to suitable research groups or contact persons.
Deputy Heads of School (research):

Department	Deputy Head	Email
Department of Humanities	Kati Launis	[email protected]
Department of Education and Psychology	Maija Korhonen	[email protected]
Department of Applied Education and Teacher Training	Teemu Valtonen	[email protected]
Department of Theology	Lotta Valve	[email protected]

Typical routes to becoming a postdoc researcher

A. Applying for an open postdoc position

• Universities and research projects open funded postdoc positions. You can find information on open positions through:
• university job vacancy pages
• mailing lists in your field
• research networks and direct contacts with research groups
• international job sites for researchers

B. Applying for your own funding

You can apply for postdoc funding independently, for example from foundations. In this case:

1. First, contact professors in your field and discuss your research ideas, potential collaboration, the unit’s research profile, and ongoing and future projects.
2. Agree on a postdoc affiliation at the department with the professor.
3. Agree on the research and funding application with the host organisation before submitting the funding application.

Postdoc funding

In the humanities and educational sciences, postdoctoral research is typically funded by national research funders, foundations and funds, universities, and international programmes.

Good to know about funding:

• You are often expected to apply for funding independently.
• Grant-based funding is more common than salaried positions.
• Funding is project-specific and fixed-term.
• International mobility is an advantage or requirement in many funding schemes.

National funding sources (examples)

• Research Council of Finland (earliest eligibility: 2 years after the defence)
• Kone Foundation
• Jenny and Antti Wihuri Foundation
• Emil Aaltonen Foundation
• Svenska litteratursällskapet i Finland (SLS)
• Finnish Cultural Foundation

International funding sources (examples)

• Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA PF)
• ERC Starting Grant

University funding

• Postdoctoral researcher positions at universities
• The Philosophical Faculty does not regularly offer funded postdoc positions – open calls are announced on the Job Vacancies page (opens in a new tab).
• Project funding (e.g. Research Council of Finland or foundation projects) with a salaried postdoc position

Career path at the university

After the doctoral degree, you can apply for a postdoctoral researcher position. In a postdoctoral researcher position, you typically serve 1–2 terms (the postdoc period is a maximum of three years). Applicants must have defended their dissertation no more than five years prior, excluding statutory leaves.
As a postdoctoral researcher, your goals are to:

• qualify as an independent researcher
• gain competencies in research planning and leadership

The university offers support for researcher mobility, networking, and applying for funding.
Learn more about research career paths and opportunities on the university website (opens in a new tab).

Your status at the university during the postdoc stage

Postdoctoral researcher in an employment relationship

If you are hired for a university postdoctoral researcher position or a research project, you work as an employee with the title of postdoctoral researcher.

10% employment contract for grant-funded researchers

If you have received a working grant of at least 12 months from an external funder, you can enter into a 10% employment contract with the university. In the postdoc stage, your job title is postdoctoral researcher.
Learn more about research funding during a research career on the university website (opens in a new tab). Learn more about part-time employment conditions on the UEF Intranet (opens in a new tab) (requires UEF login).

Grant-funded researcher agreement

If you work on a personal grant and the criteria for a 10% employment contract are not met, you can arrange a grant-funded researcher agreement:

1. Contact the Head of Department and describe your research, grant, and the need for an agreement.
2. The Head of Department decides on the agreement and forwards the request to HR for preparation.
3. At the same time, agree on the resources available to you (e.g. remote access to library e-resources and staff email).

Study rights for postdoc researchers

Alumni study right

If you completed your doctoral degree at UEF, you can apply for alumni study rights, which allow you to take doctoral education courses. Learn more about alumni study rights in Kamu.

Course-specific study right

If you do not have alumni study rights – for example, if you graduated from another university or your alumni study rights have expired – you can apply for course-specific study rights by emailing [email protected].

Courses and training for postdoc researchers

Researcher transferable skills courses

Doctoral researchers have priority in transferable skills courses. If places remain, you as a postdoc researcher can also participate. You can register for courses in Peppi.
Course open to postdoc researchers:

• UE00DT32 From science to decision-making, 1 ECTS

For other courses, you can enquire about participation possibilities from the course teacher.
Learn more about general researcher transferable skills courses in Kamu.

Doctoral supervision training

Doctoral supervision training is provided as staff training. You can participate if you are working in an employment relationship or on a resource agreement. Register for staff training via the UEF training calendar (opens in a new tab, login with UEF credentials).

Networks and peer support

Postdoc researchers’ Teams group

Join the postdoc researchers’ Teams group (opens in a new tab, login with UEF credentials). The group provides an informal meeting place and up-to-date information. The group does not have a designated owner – it can be used by anyone who has information relevant to postdocs, such as events, tips, and support services.
You are encouraged to participate actively and take initiative in promoting peer networking, collaboration, and other joint activities.

Research seminars

Research seminars in many disciplines and research fields at the Philosophical Faculty are also open to postdoc researchers. Contact the convener of the research seminar in your field if you wish to participate.