Postdoctoral Research Fellow (Gamification, Games & Play, Extended Reality)

at  Tampereen yliopisto

POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCH FELLOW (GAMIFICATION, GAMES & PLAY, EXTENDED REALITY), 3–5 POSITIONS / TUTKIJATOHTORI (PELILLISTÄMINEN, PELIT, LAAJENNETTU TODELLISUUS), 3–5 TEHTÄVÄÄ

Tampere University and Tampere University of Applied Sciences create a unique environment for multidisciplinary, inspirational and high-impact research and education. Our universities community has its competitive edges in technology, health and society. www.tuni.fi/en.
We are looking for highly motivated Postdoctoral Research Fellow’s (3–5 positions) across the research groups of Gamification Group, GGIS, Gameful Futures Lab which are part of the Research Centre of Gameful Realities led by Professor of Gamification Juho Hamari. The positions are associated with the Forest-Human-Machine Interplay (UNITE) Flagship’s work package on Gameful Forest Interaction for Meaningful Experiences and Practices as well as other projects broadly related to gameful technologies and sustainability at the Faculty of Information Technology and Communication Sciences (ITC).

JOB DESCRIPTION

The main areas of research within this project are explained below and we are looking for Postdoctoral Research Fellow candidates who can conduct research in one or more of these areas:
In the Engage path, we focus on the development of gameful technologies to promote situated interaction between humans and nature.
In the Know path, we aim to increase the accessibility of data, information and research related to nature by means of gameful, game-based education and interactive visualisation.
In the Empathise path, we produce immersive experiences to reduce the psychological distance to environmental issues, as well as create methods positioning forest ecosystems as respected design stakeholders.
In the Care path, we study gameful ways of caring for nature and defining its’ position in human well-being.
In the Evolve path, we utilise cutting-edge technologies such as advanced robotics and AI technologies to understand the future of human-nature-machine interaction.
We are looking for candidates for more specifically defined themes, 1) GamiLIDAR, 2) Consumer Experience in VR and 3) Gamified Sustainable Decision Making and and also in a 4) open profile position where the candidate can define the scope more freely.

2) POSITION: CONSUMER EXPERIENCE AND DECISION-MAKING IN VR (METAMARKETING)

Focus: Investigate consumer behavior and decision-making in VR, exploring its impact on sustainability, circular economy, and ethical business practices within the metaverse.
Responsibilities: Lead research on VR in consumer applications, perform quantitative or qualitative studies (including psychophysiological data collection), and contribute to business innovation for sustainability.
Seeked Qualities: Expertise in virtual/immersive technologies, consumer behavior, or psychology. Experience with VR interfaces, quantitative experiments, or qualitative studies is advantageous.
Contact: Assoc. Prof. Nannan Xi | nannan.xi@tuni.fi | Prof. Juho Hamari | juho.hamari@tuni.fi.

REQUIREMENTS

• Applicable degree: i.e. PhD degree in relevant fields
• Useful dimensions of candidate’s background including but not limited to:
• Computer science / Human-computer interaction / Information systems
• Design (e.g., industrial product design, interaction design, graphic design, game design, communication design)
• Economics (i.e. business, marketing, finance)
• Forestry sciences / geoinformatics
• Educational sciences (especially public understanding of science)
• Applied psychology
• Tourism / leisure
• Media / communication studies

Advantageous methodological skills

• Aptitude for quantitative and/or qualitative empirical research (especially field/lab experiment)
• Understanding and experience in design driven methodologies (speculative and critical design, research through design, participatory design, co-design)
• Aptitude for psychophysiological and psychometric measurement
• Ability to independently develop gamified or VR environments (software)
• Ability to develop working hardware prototypes e.g., wearable, drone systems, robotics (hardware)

Advantageous qualities

• Impeccable academic article writing/preparation productivity
• Drive for rigorous and impactful research
• Drive for a career in research
• Knowledge and experience in funding acquisition.
• Knowledge and experience in supervising/mentoring graduate and undergraduate students
• Interest in ecology, nature, forests, nature-related activities.

The requirements above are the qualities we envision to be suitable across projects. However, we encourage all candidates with a PhD degree from any disciplinary background who see themselves contributing to the project to apply.

Please refer the Job description for details