The University of Helsinki Doctoral School is inviting applications for funding to complete a doctoral thesis. The funding will be allocated to full-time doctoral researchers for a period of three months, with a contract of employment in one of the University of Helsinki Academic units.
The positions are meant for finalising the thesis work, allowing the individuals selected to submit their doctoral theses for preliminary examination at the end of the employment. In the spring 2026 call, 21 applicants out of about 150 applicants were selected for places to finish their dissertation. In this call, the goal is to fill 15-20 3-month dissertation completion positions.
The call be open from 28 September to 8 October 2026. The application form is open during the application period.
Successful applicants must meet the following criteria:
- Be a doctoral researcher in a doctoral programme of the University of Helsinki Doctoral School.
- Be registered as attending at the time of application and throughout the prospective employment.
- The applicant’s Thessa account is up to date: the required annual reports and conclusions have been submitted and thesis committee meetings held by the end of the application period
- Be sufficiently advanced in their studies so that completion of the doctoral thesis for preliminary examination is feasible by the end of the three-month employment period, in the opinion of both the applicant and the supervisor.
- The applicant has not received a grant or other funding to finalise their doctoral thesis.
- The applicant has not previously received a doctoral researcher position funded by the University of Helsinki for a total of four years.
- At least 75% of the doctoral thesis work must be completed by the end of the application period, and it must be possible to complete the studies required for the degree before submitting the thesis for preliminary examination.
Priority will be given to applicants who have progressed with their doctoral thesis alongside their work without specific funding for their doctoral research.
Information submitted in applications will be verified, where applicable, in Thessa. Please ensure that the information in Thessa of the supervisor/s and follow up group members is up to date, the thesis committee meetings have been appropriately held and annual reports are up to date before the application period ends.
The position is full-time. The working period can start no earlier than January 1, 2027 and no later than June 1, 2027. The work is carried out in Finland and the position can be started while living in Finland or only after arriving in Finland.
Attachment to the application system
Attach to the “CV” section of the application system a PDF file of no more than two pages, which must include:
- A brief description of the doctoral dissertation research topic (maximum 100 words)
- an overview of the current status of the work
- a detailed work plan
- a timeline for submitting the thesis for pre-examination
- a report on the funding you have received for your doctoral research, including grants and employment contracts, as well as their duration.
Save the attachment as a PDF file named: LastName_FirstName_Date.
IMPORTANT:
- Although the attachment section in the application system is titled “CV”, do not attach a CV in this section. Instead, attach the document specified in the above instructions.
- Leave the section “Please describe what motivates you about this job opportunity. Alternatively, you can include a separate application letter as an attachment.” completely empty (do not write any text or attach a file).
- Applications will not be considered if the attachment exceeds two pages.
- The required attachment may be written in Finnish, Swedish, or English.
- Applications must be submitted during the application period from 30 March to 15 April 2026.
Applicants who hold the right to pursue doctoral studies in the Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences may indicate on the application form that their application may be transferred to the Faculty for evaluation if funding is not awarded through the Doctoral School. The Faculty has funding available to support doctoral researchers for the same purpose.
Primary supervisor statement:
A statement from the main supervisor of the doctoral dissertation is a mandatory part of the application. The statement must explain how the supervisor(s) will support the finalization of the dissertation so that it will be ready for preliminary examination by the end of the requested three-month funding period.
Please note! The application system or the doctoral school will not send a request to the primary supervisor for submitting a statement.
It is the applicant’s responsibility to:
- contact their primary supervisor
- inform the supervisor of the need for the statement and the submission deadline
- provide the supervisor the link to the electronic form.
The primary supervisor’s statement must be submitted via the e-form by 9.10.2026 at 12:00. Statements received after the deadline will not be considered.
Each supervisor may recommend only one doctoral researcher for the position.
The statement may be written in Finnish, Swedish, or English.
The supervisor must attach the statement to the e-form as a PDF file named (DoctoralResearcher's)LastName_FirstName_Date.
Assessment
An assessment group appointed by the University of Helsinki Doctoral School assesses the applications and submits a proposal on the persons to be recruited to the faculties.
All applicants will be informed of the decisions by the end of November.
At the end of the employment relationship, the doctoral researcher and the supervisor will notify the doctoral school of the date of submission for preliminary examination and the planned public examination date, as well as submit a brief description of the work carried out during the employment. The doctoral school will contact the doctoral researcher separately about this.
For more information, contact unihelp@helsinki.fi. Please note that although the application closes at midnight (Helsinki time), we recommend submitting your application earlier. Questions regarding the call and the application form will not be answered after 15:30 the day the call closes.
Link to the application system is open during the call.
Internal applicants (please apply via this link if you have a helsinki.fi username, and valid employment contract, or a grant researcher's contract): https://tinyurl.com/4u3zw93s
External applicants: https://tinyurl.com/4z5mz28m
Instructions for using the University's recruitment system: https://www.helsinki.fi/en/about-us/careers/open-positions/instructions-our-recruitment-system