Three Postdoctoral Researchers in the FRONT research programme

at  Oulun Yliopisto

The University of Oulu is a multidisciplinary, international research university, with about 3,600 employees who produce new knowledge based on high-standards research and provide research based education to build a more sustainable, smarter, and more humane world. The University of Oulu community has about 17,000 people in total. Our northern scientific community operates globally and creates conditions for the emergence of innovations.
We are now looking for

(1) INDIGENOUS RESILIENCE IN POLYCRISIS ERA

We are looking for a scholar to join a research project dedicated to exploring the resilience of Indigenous Sámi culture, with a particular focus on the experiences and perspectives of younger generations. The study is framed within the context of polycrisis—a concept that refers to the interconnected and mutually reinforcing nature of global-local crises, such as climate change, biodiversity loss, and geopolitical conflicts. These overlapping challenges compound one another, leading to complex and unpredictable processes as well as new path dependencies that heighten uncertainty and drive material changes. The project investigates how Sámi communities and individuals, both within and beyond Sápmi, particularly youth, navigate and sustain cultural resilience amid these shifting material, political and social dynamics. In addition to working within the interdisciplinary FRONT programme, you will be based at the Giellagas Institute, which offers a dynamic academic environment devoted to the study and revitalization of Sámi languages, culture, and society. Suitable academic backgrounds for this position include, but are not limited to, Sámi studies, sociology, political science, and history. The research will involve both qualitative and basic-level quantitative methods, and we value candidates who are open to interdisciplinary collaboration and innovative research approaches.

(2) SOCIO-ECOLOGICAL RESILIENCE FROM A PSYCHOLOGICAL AND/OR AN EDUCATIONAL PERSPECTIVE

We are looking for a scholar to work in a project about how young people (foremost late adolescents and young adults) relate to climate change. The focus will be on identifying resilience factors - at a personal, social-psychological (friends, family), ecological (nature contact), and institutional level (school) - that can turn difficult emotions concerning climate change (like anxiety) into constructive forces for learning and an active citizenship (pro-environmental behaviour, collective and political engagement), while maintaining mental wellbeing, and/or could help young people to deal constructively with conflicts when trying try to live in a more sustainable way (hope as agency work). You will work together with the socio-ecological research team in planning and collecting survey data, analysing data with advanced statistics, and writing and publishing scientific articles in international journals. Participation in other sub-studies may also be the case, also qualitative studies. Strong skills in statistics and experience of working with survey studies are a requirement as well as an openness to other scientific disciplines and multidisciplinary approaches. Experience of other methodological approaches, for example, qualitative approaches, diary studies, intervention studies, experiments, participatory research, is a merit.

(3) GEOSPATIAL RESEARCH METHODS

We are looking for a scholar conversant in resilience research on areas that can be related e.g. to climate and disaster risk management, natural resources management, sustainable development (and SDGs) governance, local and regional planning and development, and sustainability transformations. You are expected to develop and apply geospatial and other research methods on how to assess resilience in different spatial and temporal scales. You should have strong skills in GIS and geospatial methods as well as an openness to other research methods. We value social science or interdisciplinary research background.

As a postdoctoral researcher you will

• Collaborate in service to FRONT programme, faculty, and university
• Participate in the development and activities of the Resilience Academy of Oulu (RAO)
• Engage in writing and submitting applications for research funding
• Take part in teaching activities, subject to faculty and research unit needs and the successful candidate’s own teaching/research capabilities and interests.

Please refer the Job description for details