Doctoral Researcher Positions in the Doctoral Programme on Inequalities, Interventions and New Welfare State (DPInvest) University of Turku in Finland

Doctoral Researcher positions are available in the Doctoral Programme on Inequalities, Interventions and New Welfare State (DPInvest) at the University of Turku, Finland. The positions are fixed-term and funded by the University of Turku Graduate School (UTUGS).

DPInvest is a cross-disciplinary, international PhD programme focused on educating specialists in the social and behavioural sciences. The programme connects sociology and psychology in the Faculty of Social Sciences with child psychiatry in the Faculty of Medicine. It is part of the INVEST Research Flagship Centre, an internationally leading research environment studying inequality and wellbeing across the early life-course and beyond.

The programme’s research themes cover socioeconomic and intergenerational inequalities, demographic change and family dynamics, education, skills and learning, child and adolescent psychosocial well-being and mental health, and public health and health equity. The overall aim is to support a more sustainable welfare state through evidence-based interventions and investments.

Appointments begin on 1 January 2027 or by agreement during 2027. The fixed-term employment can last up to four years, but not beyond 31 December 2030. The role is full-time doctoral research and doctoral studies, with only limited teaching and other duties. The place of work is Turku, Finland.

Eligibility is strongly tied to doctoral study rights at the University of Turku in DPInvest. Applicants must either already hold an active right to pursue a doctoral degree in the programme or apply for that right in the same call via Studyinfo. Applicants should be planning to pursue or already pursuing their first doctoral degree and must not have previously received four years of full-time doctoral funding from the University of Turku. The programme also expects compulsory advanced methodological training, especially in quantitative methods, plus seminars, workshops, mobility studies, and campus participation.

Selection is based on the quality and feasibility of the research plan, its fit with the programme profile, prior academic performance where relevant, and the applicant’s doctoral progress and funding needs. Research plans may be checked with Turnitin OriginalityCheck, and any AI assistance used in preparing the research plan must be disclosed.

Funding is provided through UTUGS, and the salary is approximately €2,400 to €3,300 per month depending on experience and doctoral progress. Applicants must submit a CV, research plan, motivation letter, degree certificate and transcript, supervisor statement or supervision commitment, and any other relevant documents. If study rights have not yet been granted, a separate Studyinfo application for doctoral study rights is required.

The application opens on 25 August 2026 and closes on 8 September 2026 at 23:59 local time in Finland.