Doctoral Researcher in Law – University of Turku

Doctoral Researcher in Law – University of Turku

• Institution: University of Turku

• Academic Unit / Department: Faculty of Law

• Appointment Type: Full-Time, Fixed-Term

• Academic Rank / Level: Doctoral Researcher / Project Researcher

• Salary / Remuneration: €2,500–€2,700 per month; entry-level Doctoral Researcher salary is typically about €2,600 per month

• Location: Turku, Finland

• Application Deadline: September 15, 2026, at 16:00 (Europe/Helsinki)

📋 Overview of Role

The Faculty of Law at the University of Turku invites applications for a Doctoral Researcher in Law within the Research Council of Finland-funded project “Regimes of Permission and Posthuman Harm: Corporate Exploitation in Finnish Forests (Corporate Forest).” The successful candidate will undertake PhD research examining state-corporate harms in the context of Finnish forests, using interdisciplinary and empirical approaches.

The position runs from January 1, 2027 to August 31, 2030. The doctoral researcher will work closely with Principal Investigator Hanna Maria Malik and a second supervisor, and the dissertation will be written in English.

🎯 Key Responsibilities & Teaching Scope

• Conduct doctoral research within the Corporate Forest research project.

• Co-design and use empirical research methods, including focus group interviews, archival research and expert interviews.

• Document diverse dimensions of corporate harms in the context of Finnish forests.

• Situate examples of corporate harms within broader legal, economic and political contexts.

• Examine the development of context-dependent “regimes of permission” in Finnish forest governance.

• Attend doctoral courses and conduct research leading to a PhD dissertation.

• Undertake up to approximately 80 hours of teaching per academic year.

• Complete additional faculty-assigned duties where required.

• Work closely with the PI Hanna Maria Malik, Docent of Comparative and Socio-Legal Studies.

• Develop a research proposal aligned with the Corporate Forest project.

• Reside in Finland for the duration of the employment contract.

🎓 Qualifications & Candidate Profile

• Required Education: Master’s degree in law, criminology, political or social sciences, or legal geography. Other degrees may also be considered.

• Research Interests: Socio-legal studies, empirical legal research, criminology, social harm studies, legislative studies, environmental law, forest law, forest governance, corporate and state-corporate crimes, violence of the law, posthumanism, rights of nature, earth jurisprudence or new materialism.

• Language Requirements: Excellent spoken and written Finnish and English.

• Demonstrated interest in interdisciplinary research and willingness to learn new methods and theoretical perspectives.

• Desirable Experience: Qualitative empirical research, content or narrative analysis, multicultural and group cooperation, additional language skills and project management.

• The selected candidate must apply for doctoral study rights through the Doctoral Programme in Law during the Autumn 2026 or, at the latest, Spring 2027 application period.

• Until doctoral study rights are obtained, the selected candidate will initially hold the title Project Researcher.

💼 Remuneration & Benefits

• Salary: €2,500–€2,700 per month.

• The task-specific salary is determined under the university salary system for teaching and research personnel.

• Job requirement level: 2–4.

• Personal performance component: 6–50% of the task-specific salary.

• Entry-level Doctoral Researchers typically receive approximately €2,600 per month at the beginning of employment.

• Six-month trial period.

• Flexible working hours and employee well-being services.

• Professional and supportive research environment.

• Support and orientation for international hires.

• University of Turku holds the HR Excellence in Research quality label.

📄 Application Checklist & Required Documents

1. Cover Letter – Maximum two pages, in English.

2. Curriculum Vitae (CV) – Maximum two pages, without a photograph, in English.

3. List of Publications – Prepared according to Research Council of Finland guidelines.

4. Extended Abstract of Doctoral Research Proposal – Maximum 400 words, in English.

5. Academic Writing Sample – For example, the candidate’s master’s thesis.

6. Copies of Degree Certificates – Required where degrees were not completed at the University of Turku.

7. Other Supporting Documents – Documents demonstrating the applicant’s competence and qualifications.

📬 Application Process

• 🔗 Application Link: University of Turku online recruitment system

• 📧 Position Enquiries: Hanna Maria Malik, Academy Research Fellow — hanna.malik@utu.fi

• 📧 Application Process Enquiries: Janika Ulenius, HR Specialist — jajoul@utu.fi

• 📅 Application Period: July 15, 2026 – September 15, 2026

• ⏰ Deadline: September 15, 2026, at 16:00 (Europe/Helsinki)

• 🎤 Interviews: End of October 2026

• 📍 Employment Period: January 1, 2027 – August 31, 2030

• Application Method: Applications must be submitted through the University of Turku online recruitment system.

🌐 Official Website / Domain: utu.fi