Doctoral researcher / Project researcher in psychology University of Turku in Finland

The University of Turku’s Department of Biodiversity Sciences is recruiting a doctoral researcher / project researcher in psychology for the ERC-funded NATURETIME project, hosted in the Biodiversity and Sustainability Solutions (BISONS) Lab. The position is a fixed-term, full-time appointment for 48 months, starting no earlier than 1 January 2027 and no later than 1 April 2027, with the place of work in Turku, Finland.

The project explores how nature experiences reshape human sense of time and how time perception, in turn, influences behaviour toward nature. The research combines virtual-reality laboratory experiments, citizen science data, behavioural experiments, and big data analytics to study links between landscape features, time perception, well-being, and pro-environmental behaviour. The project aims to generate actionable knowledge relevant to city design, sustainable futures, biodiversity conservation, and human well-being.

The successful candidate will work closely with the PI, other researchers in the BISONS Lab, and international collaborators. The role includes planning and running VR laboratory experiments, participant recruitment, data collection, research documentation, statistical analysis, interpretation of results, and preparing manuscripts for publication. Research ethics, research data management, and reproducible research practices are part of the work. Some support for teaching and supervision activities may also be included.

The ideal background is psychology, especially time psychology or environmental psychology, though other related fields may be considered. Applicants should have a master’s degree or equivalent, strong quantitative data analysis skills, and a solid understanding of experimental research design and/or experience with human participants. Good spoken and written English and Finnish are required, and the University of Turku expects the candidate either to already have a doctoral study right or to apply for one in Autumn 2026. Experience with VR, subjective time perception, subjective well-being measures, eye-tracking or ECG data, programming in R or Python, open science, and communication of research to academic or public audiences are all advantageous.

The position is funded through the ERC project and offers an approximate monthly salary of 2,500–2,800 euros, according to qualifications and experience under the Finnish university collective agreement system. The application deadline is 31 August 2026 at 16:00 (Europe/Helsinki). Applicants should apply via the online recruitment system and include a motivation letter, CV, research statement, degree certificates, and any other relevant documents.