How to apply

Timeline

Call opens: June 11, 2026
Info Q&A: June 24, at 1 pm (EEST)
Application deadline: August 10, 2026
Evaluation and selection period: August – November 2026
Results announced: December 2026
Appointments: January – March 2027

Who can apply?

Applicants must meet the following conditions at the time of the call deadline:

1) must have a master’s degree (or equivalent) in a field relevant to the position applied for.

2) must not already hold a doctoral degree. Applicants who have successfully defended their doctoral thesis but have not yet been formally awarded the doctoral degree are also ineligible.

3) must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in Finland for more than 12 months in the 36 months immediately preceding the call deadline (August 10).

At the time of signing the employment contract, recruited researchers must be enrolled in a doctoral programme at the University of Eastern Finland leading to the award of a doctoral degree, and must meet the requirements of that doctoral programme. Admission to the doctoral programme requires a research plan, which the selected candidates will prepare in collaboration with their supervisors shortly after being accepted to DP-FOBI. The doctoral programme related to each PhD research theme is named in the corresponding theme description.

Application process

The application process is as follows:

Check the eligibility criteria and application requirements, and read all instructions carefully.
Familiarize yourself with the research areas, themes, and supervisors.
Choose a research theme.
Prepare all required application documents.
Complete the electronic application form and submit your application. You can find the link to the application form in the theme description page.

Read more below about the application requirements, selection process, and evaluation criteria.

Application requirements

All application materials must be submitted in English via the UEF electronic recruitment system.

A complete application includes:

1) Completed electronic application form

2) Certified copy of the master’s degree (or equivalent) diploma (or equivalent proof if diploma is pending) in relevant field (defined in the theme description) and a transcript of records showing courses and grades

3) Curriculum vitae (CV)

4) Electronic copy of master’s thesis (or equivalent)

5) Two-page summary of the master’s thesis (or equivalent) in English

6) Ethics Self-Assessment form

7) Motivational letter, preferably one page and no more than three pages

8) Proof of English proficiency if not evident from academic credentials (as required in the theme description)

An additional application condition is that the provided templates must be used. Applications not adhering to the format or language requirements will not be considered.

If the degree certificate is not in English, you must provide official English translations of your degree certificate documents. All translations must be issued by the awarding educational institution or an authorized translator. Each page of the official translation must bear the translator’s stamp and/or signature. Official translations must be accurate translations of the original documents. Translations made by the applicants themselves will not be accepted.

Application templates

Selection process

The five-stage of the selection process includes: eligibility and ethics check, external review, interviews, final selection decision, and appointment.

1. Eligibility and ethics check (August, 2026)

The eligibility check is conducted by the Programme Manager (PM) to verify compliance with the predefined eligibility criteria. Ethics check is performed by the Ethics Committee to assess ethical considerations based on the Ethics self-assessment form. If necessary, the UEF Ethics Board may be consulted. Applications that fail to meet eligibility or ethical standards, or lack required documentation, will not proceed.

2. External review of written applications (September – October, 2026)

Review panel is composed of three independent, unbiased external experts per application. Evaluation materials will be sent securely by the PM, including application documents, evaluation guide and criteria, and pre-designed scoring forms.

The reviewers will evaluate candidates’ 1) qualifications and merits (based on diplomas, CV) and 2) motivation and research fit (based on motivational letter). The reviewers will have one month to complete evaluations.

If scores differ by 5+ points (out of 10), the PM will organise an online consensus meeting. Final scores will be calculated as the average of the reviewer scores. Applicants must meet minimum scores in each category to proceed. Applicants who passed the external review will be ranked based on the average scores. Up to three times the number of available positions will be invited to interviews. In cases of tied scores, all candidates with the same score will be invited. Rejected candidates will receive feedback from PM based on the criteria and scores, as well as appeal instructions.

3. Interviews (November, 2026)

Interviews will be conducted online. Interview panel includes an HR expert, an intersectoral expert, and two independent scientific experts. The Impact Manager will provide mandatory training to the interviewers on unbiased evaluation.

The interviewers evaluate applicants’ 1) understanding of the research area and topic, 2) motivation, commitment, learning goals, and career plans and 3) English language proficiency.

The interview includes a short presentation on the Master’s thesis, followed by a structured discussion on research ideas and motivation. Based on pre-designed forms, final scores are averaged across panel members. Candidates must meet minimum scores in each category to be ranked.

4. Final selection (December, 2026)

The DP-FOBI Steering Committee will finalize the ranking, considering interview scores, balance across research areas, and gender balance (in line with Finnish law).

In case of tied total scores, the research presentation score will be the deciding factor, If still tied, both candidates will be included in the final ranking. In cases of tied scores, the Steering Committee will consider: 1) gender balance within the programme and research areas, 2) scientific balance across themes, and 3) resource availability within hosting research groups. In accordance with Finnish law (Act on Equality between Women and Men 609/1986, especially section 9 on temporary, planned special measures to promote effective gender equality), if candidates are equally qualified, preference may be given to the underrepresented gender in the relevant research area.

5. Appointment (Flexibly January – March, 2027)

The PM will notify selected candidates and provide instructions for signing employment contracts. Remaining interviewed candidates will be placed on a reserve list. If any positions are declined, the next candidate on the list will be offered the position. Once all positions are filled, remaining candidates will be informed.

Appeals and redress

The candidates will receive feedback at each stage. Appeals must be submitted with five working days of notification. The Appeals Committee, that consists of two external experts and two internal UEF experts, will address complaints within the following five working days. If procedural errors are identified, the PM will organize a re-evaluation of the affected application.

Evaluation criteria

The evaluation process is structured in accordance with best practices established through the regular Doctoral Candidate recruitment procedures at UEF and is aligned with the principles of the Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment (CoARA).

External review

The external review of application documents will be based on the following criteria:

Candidates merits (weight 50%)
- academic qualifications (course grades and the grade of the master’s thesis)
- suitability of the master’s degree to the chosen DP-FOBI research theme
- research experience in the chosen research area topic
- international experience
- interdisciplinary and intersectoral experience
Motivational letter (weight 50%)
- commitment and motivation to pursue PhD studies
- understanding of the chosen research topic
- understanding of the research methods used in the chosen research topic
- understanding of the interdisciplinary and intersectoral aspects in doctoral training
- prospects of completing PhD studies in the given timeframe

The scoring system is as follows: candidate’s merits, maximum of 5 points, and motivational letter, maximum of 5 points. Total maximum score is 10 points. Reviewers are encouraged to use the full scoring scale including decimal values, and to give short verbal feedback.

To qualify for the interview stage, applicants must achieve: 1) A minimum total score of 7 points, 2) At least 50% of the maximum score in each individual section (merits, and motivational letter). In cases where there is a significant divergence in individual scores, the PM will convene a consensus meeting. The PM will calculate the average scores of the three reviewers for each applicant. Based on the ranking, three times the number of positions will be invited to interviews.

Interview

The interview evaluation criteria include master’s thesis summary presentation, motivation and English language proficiency.

Research presentation (weight 50 %)
- presenting master’s thesis summary in the given timeframe
- articulation of research purpose and aims for the chosen research topic
- mastering theory, methods, and ethics for the chosen research topic
Motivation (weight 30 %)
- motivation for PhD studies and for the chosen topic
- articulation of learning goals for PhD studies
- relevance of career goals for future
Language proficiency (weight 20 %)
- English language proficiency

Each of these categories is scored on a scale 0-5, and the candidates must achieve a minimum of 3.5 points (out of maximum of 5) in each category to be included in the final ranking list. Decimal scoring is permitted, and short verbal feedback encouraged. The PM will calculate the average scores of the for reviewers for each applicant.