Call for six full-time research student positions

7.10.2009 6:00
The Arctic Graduate School (ARKTIS), coordinated by the Arctic Centre at the University of Lapland, opens a call for six full-time research student positions.

Three positions will be filled for a four-year period between 1.1.2010 to 31.12.2013. Two positions will be filled for a two-year period starting 1.1.2010 to 31.12.2011 and one position for the period starting 1.1.2011 to 31.12.2011. These positions can be filled also for shorter periods. The Directory Board of the graduate school will evaluate the progress of each research student’s thesis work and continuation of funding at the middle of each financing period.

Research student positions are intended for graduate students with a higher-university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) who plan to conduct their doctoral degree at a partner university of the graduate school; either at the University of Lapland, University of Oulu, University of Helsinki, University of Joensuu or at some other Finnish university. The employer is the Arctic Centre, Rovaniemi, Finland.

The research theme of the multidisciplinary Arctic Graduate School is ’Social and Environmental Impacts of Modernization and Global Change in the Arctic’. The disciplines of the school are: international relations, political science, environmental politics, economy and law, cultural studies, environmental sociology, pedagogics, biology and geography.  The working language of the school is English. Three research students will be recruited for the period 2010-11 according to the theme of the school for some of the following focus  areas: (1) international politics and social issues, (2) environmental and minority law, (3) cultural studies, and (4) global change and environmental questions.

Three students will be recruited for the period 2010-2013 according to the theme ’Resource, political and environmental economics in promoting the sustainable social development in the Barents region’. For this theme, the research students will be particularly recruited to the following focus areas: (1) Sustainable development scenarios and the use of scientific knowledge in decision-making processes; (2) Sustainable livelihoods and global economy; (3) International political economy of the Barents region.

The criteria for the selections of students are: how well the research fits with the thematic focus areas, quality of the research plan, realistic time-table to ensure graduation, success in previous studies, motivation to participate in the activities of ARKTIS, future potential, how well the school can support the applicant in her/his doctoral studies and multidisciplinary nature of the research. The students who will be selected to the school will conduct their doctoral thesis full-time and actively participate in the education, supervision and other activities of the school. The Directory Board of the school will provide each student with a supervisor who represents the graduate school, upon joint discussions with students. The salary will be based on the university-wide salary system and belong to the teaching and research staff’s demand level 1-2 (1643,42 - 1754,73 euros/month). In addition, there will be a personal salary component which is a maximum of 46,3% from the job specific salary component.

The application documents should include:

1) A free-form application letter (maximum one-page)
2) A curriculum vitae and a publication list
3) A research plan for doctoral thesis including a time schedule (maximum 5 pages) and a
summary (one-page)
4) An educational plan for a doctoral degree including a time schedule
5) A list of the grants/scholarships previously granted to postgraduate studies

The applicant should inform in the application letter (document no. 1) which of the research student positions in the order of the priority she/he is applying for and for what time period. In addition, the applicant should clearly inform her/his priority of the thematic focus areas of the school in the application as well as to which university she/he will conduct her/his doctoral studies. The applicants who have already registered to a university should inform when and where they have started their doctoral studies as well as their supervisor (if nominated). The applicant shall present her/his Master’s degree certificates if she/he will be selected to the school. The written applications in English language should be addressed to the Directory Board of ARKTIS and sent by e-mail to: kirjaamo@ulapland.fi or by mail to: University of Lapland (Kirjaamo: Yliopistonkatu 8, tel. +358-(0)40-4844483 or +358(0)40-4844484, PO Box 122, 96101 Rovaniemi, Finland, The e-mail applications must be sent as a single pdf file, including all the required documents in a numeric order. The file shall be named: "SURNAME FORENAME Arktis application".

The deadline for applications is 6 November 2009, 13:00.

Further information is provided by Coordinator, Senior Scientist Päivi Soppela, tel. +358-(0)400-138 805, paivi.soppela (at) ulapland.fi and Director Paula Kankaanpää, tel. +358-(0)40-777 7825, paula.kankaanpaa (at) ulapland.fi.

Further information about the graduate school: www.arcticcentre.org/arktis

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