Doctoral Researcher in Industrial Sales Tampere University in Finland

Tampere University is offering a Doctoral Researcher (PhD student) position in Industrial Sales within the Industrial Engineering and Management Unit, connected to the Center of Industrial Sales Excellence and the Faculty of Management and Business. The project sits at the intersection of B2B industrial sales, environmental sustainability, and digitalization, with a focus on how sales organizations and industrial firms can respond to climate change, circular economy transitions, decarbonization, and evolving environmental regulation.

The doctoral researcher will join a research environment that emphasizes close collaboration with industrial companies and international academic networking. The position is especially relevant for candidates interested in how industrial firms commercialize sustainable, circular, and low-carbon offerings, how they communicate and demonstrate economic and environmental value, how sustainability changes customer needs and buying behavior, and how digital technologies such as AI, data analytics, digital platforms, digital product passports, and IoT-based solutions can enable new sales approaches and capabilities.

The specific dissertation topic will be developed together with the supervisory team. The role involves conducting high-quality research, publishing in international peer-reviewed journals, presenting at conferences, completing the doctoral degree, and contributing up to 10% of working time to teaching, research project planning, and undergraduate supervision.

Supervision: Associate Professor Pia Hautamäki and Professor Leena Aarikka-Stenroos.

Eligibility highlights: a relevant master’s degree or equivalent qualification for doctoral studies, strong interest in industrial B2B sales and sales management, interest in sustainability-focused research, strong communication and analytical writing skills in English, and an ability to collaborate with Finnish companies and stakeholders. Experience with qualitative methods, industrial B2B companies, sustainability, sales, or digital technologies is an advantage.

Funding and employment: the position is initially funded for two years, with the intention to extend for an additional two years through external research project funding; the target completion time for doctoral studies is four years. The typical starting salary is approximately 2700 EUR/month under the Finnish University Salary System.

Application deadline: 2026-09-20 23:59 Finnish local time. Applicants must submit the application via Tampere University’s online recruitment system and include a motivation letter, CV, research proposal, master’s degree certificate, transcript of records, and an academic writing sample. The position is based in Tampere, Finland.