Aalto Design Factory is an interdisciplinary hub for collaborative product development education, research and practice, bringing together diverse stakeholders. We explore novel formats and insights on practices in development collaboration and interdisciplinary education for innovation through teaching, research, and development projects. Located in Espoo, Finland, the Design Factory is part of Aalto University and the Design Factory Global Network.

Postdoctoral Researcher in Product Design and Innovation (Fixed Term)

We are seeking a Postdoctoral Researcher (100%) fixed-term position to join our academic operations until June 2026, starting from January 2025 or as soon as possible. In this role, you will join a multidisciplinary research project with Finnish industry, examining idea acceptance and advancement in the context of developing sustainable energy solutions. Like all academic positions at the Design Factory, the role also includes joining the teaching team of select master’s level courses in development, as well as advising bachelor and master’s level students.

What We Offer

The Postdoctoral Researcher will play a key role in advancing research activities within the team. As part of a collaborative research and teaching team, your responsibilities will include:

• Designing and implementing suitable research methodologies in consultation with the project team.
• Conducting qualitative research, including stakeholder interviews, surveys, and data analysis related to research activities within the team.
• Supervising and mentoring students working on related projects.
• Contributing to project publications and journal articles.
• Actively engaging in teaching activities, including lectures, seminars, and advising students.
• Collaborating with project stakeholders

The Design Factory offers a diverse community of experts from different disciplines, ranging from engineers, designers and social scientists to educational and organizational scholars. Many employees come from multidisciplinary and multi-career backgrounds, combining capabilities in several different fields. Our unit has approximately 30 employees from around the world, and our working language is English.

As an employer, Aalto University offers excellent learning and professional development opportunities, along with a range of employee benefits, including occupational health care services, diverse exercise programs, and access to staff development initiatives. The salary for postdoctoral researchers in Aalto University School of Engineering (under which the Design Factory operates) is approximately 4000 euros per month before taxes.

Your Experience and Ambitions

• A completed doctorate in a relevant field (e.g., management, design, engineering, or another relevant field) and experience in publishing in international peer-reviewed journals
• Excellent skills in qualitative research, with experience in interdisciplinary research preferred.
• Proven ability to work collaboratively within a team
• Fluency in Finnish and English, as the data collection in this project entails interviewing and analyzing data in Finnish, and the working and publishing language is English. Skills in Swedish (the second national language along with Finnish) is considered a merit.
• An interest in product development, sustainability and innovations, with research, teaching or industry experience in these areas preferred
• An interest in teaching and development activities, with demonstrated experience considered a merit

Recruitment Process

Please submit a one-page motivation letter, your CV (including any research, teaching and/or industry experience) and your publication list via Workday by November 25th, 2024 at 23:59 Finnish time (UTC +2).

We are following a two-phase recruitment process in this position. Applications will be screened as they come in, with select candidates being invited to record answers to a video interview. Based on the video interviews, the final shortlisted candidates will be invited to an onsite or online interview on December 2nd or 3rd.

Please note: Aalto University’s employees and visitors should apply for the position via our internal HR system Workday (Internal Jobs) by using their existing Workday user account (not via the external webpage for open positions). Aalto University’s students and visitors should apply as external candidates with personal (not aalto) email.

Aalto University reserves the right to leave the position open, extend the application period, reopen the application process, and consider candidates who have not submitted applications during the application period.

For more Information

For further inquiries about the position, please contact Dr Vikki Eriksson at [email protected]. For questions related to the recruitment system, please contact [email protected]

We look forward to receiving your application!

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About Aalto University

Aalto University is where science and art meet technology and business. We shape a sustainable future by making research breakthroughs in and across our disciplines, sparking the game changers of tomorrow and creating novel solutions to major global challenges. Our community is made up of over 13,000 students, 400 professors and more than 4,000 other faculty and staff working on our dynamic campus in Espoo, Greater Helsinki, Finland.

Diversity is part of who we are. We actively work for a caring and inclusive working culture where everyone can feel safe and welcome. Our environment is multicultural, widely English-speaking and its easy to settle in, wherever you come from. 48% of our academic faculty comes from outside of Finland.

At Aalto, high-quality research, art, education and entrepreneurship are promoted hand in hand. Disciplinary excellence is combined with multidisciplinary activities, engaging both students and the local innovation ecosystem. Our main campus has developed into an open collaboration hub that encourages encounters between students, researchers, industry, startups and other partners. Aalto University was founded in 2010 as three leading Finnish universities, Helsinki University of Technology, the Helsinki School of Economics and the University of Art and Design Helsinki, were merged to strengthen Finland’s innovative capability.

Want to know more about us and your future colleagues? You can watch these videos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5k_og_6zUJQ and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dUfEGVM-ZP8&feature=youtu.be. Read more about working at Aalto: https://www.aalto.fi/en/careers-at-aalto

Take a virtual campus tour here: https://virtualtour.aalto.fi/

About Finland

Finland is a great place for living with or without family – it is a safe, politically stable and well-organized Nordic society. Finland is consistently ranked high in quality of life and was just listed again as the happiest country in the world: https://worldhappiness.report/news/its-a-three-peat-finland-keeps-top-spot-as-happiest-country-in-world/. For more information about living in Finland: https://www.aalto.fi/services/about-finland

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