Doctoral Researcher (PhD Student), Inhalation Toxicology

The University of Eastern Finland is inviting applications for a Doctoral Researcher (PhD Student) position to join the Inhalation Toxicology Laboratory at the Department of Environmental and Biological Sciences on the Kuopio campus. The position will be filled for a fixed term as from 1 November 2026 (or as agreed).

Please find more information below and submit your application no later than 30 September 2026.

Role and salary

We are seeking a highly motivated candidate with solid laboratory skills to join the Inhalation Toxicology Laboratory Research group (INTOLA) (website) as a Doctoral Researcher (PhD Student) at the Department of Environmental and Biological Sciences, University of Eastern Finland. The appointed person will work in the Novel Frontiers in Inhalation Toxicology: The Human Respiratory Tract in Space Environments (NFITSE) project (website), which is an Academy Fellowship project funded by the Research Council of Finland.

The main duty of the Doctoral Researcher (PhD Student) is to pursue their doctoral studies by actively contributing to the project and completing the required courses outlined in the doctoral programme. In addition, the position provides opportunities to engage in research planning, scientific writing, grant applications, collaborative projects and supervision of Bachelor’s and Master’s students.

The Doctoral Researcher (PhD Student) will gain interdisciplinary expertise at the interface of inhalation toxicology, cell biology, and space health, while benefiting from collaboration opportunities with both national and international research partners.

The space sector has undergone remarkable expansion in recent years, with a substantial increase in the number of space launches and individuals exposed to the space environment. The new era of commercial spaceflights, space tourism, and upcoming lunar exploration missions has highlighted the need to better understand the health effects of space-specific environmental factors, particularly microgravity. Despite this growing interest, the impact of microgravity on respiratory biology and inhalation toxicology remains inadequately understood. This project aims to address this knowledge gap by investigating cellular endpoints, such as immune responses and epithelial barrier integrity, under simulated microgravity conditions using advanced human in vitro models.

In addition to generating new scientific knowledge, the project will establish space toxicology as a new research focus at the University of Eastern Finland and contribute to the development of an emerging field of environmental health research in Finland. The research will involve extensive cell culture work using multiple respiratory cell lines and advanced co-culture models, the operation of a microgravity simulation platform, and the assessment of a broad range of toxicological endpoints.

The position will be filled for a fixed term as from 1 November 2026 to 31 August 2030 (or starting date as agreed). The position will be filled for a fixed term due to the Doctoral Researcher’s (PhD Student’s) own doctoral dissertation work and studies. A trial period is applied to all new members of the staff.

The salary of the position is determined in accordance with the salary system for Finnish universities. The salary comprises two components: a job-related salary element and a personal salary element. For a Doctoral Researcher (PhD Student), the job-related salary element is based on levels 2–4 of the job requirement level chart for teaching and research staff depending on the stage of the applicant’s doctoral research and postgraduate studies. The personal salary element is 6–50% of the job-related salary element. At the beginning of the employment, the total salary will be approximately EUR 2,710–2,845 /month.

Our requirements and expectations

Requirements

• eligibility for postgraduate studies; i.e., holding a Master’s degree or equivalent related to biochemistry, cell biology, environmental exposure sciences, or a related field, awarded by a university or by a university of applied sciences, or having completed an applicable study programme abroad which in the awarding country gives eligibility for corresponding postgraduate education
• meeting the student admission criteria for the LUMETO doctoral programme (Doctoral Programme in Science, Forestry and Technology, website)
• a good command of written and spoken English

Students in the final stages of their Master’s degree may also apply, provided that they complete their degree and deliver a copy of their degree certificate to the faculty by 14 October 2026.

Applicants who do not yet have the right to pursue postgraduate studies at the University of Eastern Finland are not required to apply for a study right at the application stage. If the applicant is selected for the position and applies for a postgraduate study right, the selection will be conditional until the right to pursue postgraduate studies in the faculty’s doctoral programme has been granted. The application for a postgraduate study right is submitted through the Studyinfo (Opintopolku) service.

The following will be considered an advantage

• experience in basic laboratory tasks
• experience in aerosol measurement and/or cell culture
• good communication and presentation capabilities
• the ability to plan and execute novel research with assistance
• readiness to travel and work abroad
• the ability to work in international and multidisciplinary research teams
• experience in data analysis

Your benefits 

You will have access to the university’s staff benefits, including

• opportunity for flexible multi-location work
• excellent opportunities for professional development and continuous learning
• extensive occupational health care
• broad selection of staff training
• staff discount on lunch in our campus restaurants, as well as on a range of other services
• affordable sports services

Please read more in the Work at UEF section on our website.

You will have an opportunity to work in a meaningful role as part of our international, creative, participatory and inclusive academic community.

Enjoy your life in Finland! Known for its cleanliness, welfare know-how, modern technology and superb education system, Finland is an exotic and safe country to work in. Please visit the Life in Finland section on our website to learn more.

How to apply?

Submit your application by using our electronic application form no later than 30 September 2026 by 24:00 (midnight) Finnish time (UTC+3).

Please note that you must include the following appendices in your application

• a CV (Template for CV, TENK website)
• a list of publications (Instructions, Research Council of Finland website)
• copies of your academic degree certificates / diplomas and copies of certificates / diplomas relating to your language proficiency, if not indicated in the academic degree certificates/diplomas
• a transcript of records
• a motivation letter (max. 1 page) in which you describe your interest in the position and research project, your background, as well as your career aspirations and your motivation for engaging in doctoral-level research
• other documents you wish to include to demonstrate your merits for the position (max. 3 pages)

If your degree certificate is not in English, Finnish, or Swedish, 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.

Questions?

For further information on the position, please contact Postdoctoral Researcher Henri Hakkarainen, email: [email protected], tel. +358 29 445 4662.

For further information on the application procedure, please contact HR Specialist Iiris Korhonen, e-mail: [email protected], tel.: +358 29 445 8161 or HR Specialist Noora Hämäläinen, e-mail: [email protected], tel.: +358 29 445 8302.

Haemme väitöskirjatutkijaa Itä-Suomen yliopistolle. Tehtävä sijoittuu luonnontieteiden, metsätieteiden ja tekniikan tiedekuntaan ympäristö- ja biotieteiden laitokselle Kuopion kampukselle. Tehtävä alkaa 1.11.2026 (tai sopimuksen mukaan) ja se täytetään 31.8.2030 saakka. Tehtävässä tehtäväkohtainen palkanosa on vaativuustasoluokittelussa tasoilla 2–4. Lisäksi maksetaan henkilökohtaiseen suoriutumiseen perustuvaa palkanosaa, joka on 6–50 % tehtäväkohtaisesta palkanosasta. Tehtävässä edellytetään hyvää englannin kielen taitoa.​

Lue tarkemmat tiedot tehtävästä ja hakuohjeet yllä olevasta englanninkielisestä ilmoituksesta. Jätäthän hakemuksesi englanniksi. Hakuaika tehtävään päättyy 30.9.2026.

The Faculty of Science, Forestry and Technology operates on the Kuopio and Joensuu campuses of the University of Eastern Finland. The mission of the faculty is to carry out internationally recognised scientific research and to offer research-education in the fields of natural sciences, forestry and technology. The faculty invests in all of the strategic research areas of the university. The faculty’s environments for research and learning are international, modern and multidisciplinary. The faculty has approximately 2,650 Bachelor’s and Master’s degree students and some 440 postgraduate students. The number of staff amounts to 650.

The University of Eastern Finland (UEF) is the most multidisciplinary university in Finland. Our university employs approximately 3,200 employees, and our community includes approximately 17,000 degree students and 16,000 adult education students. Our campuses are located in Joensuu and Kuopio. We represent the world’s cutting edge of research in many fields and produce research-based knowledge, which is made openly available to benefit everyone. Learn more about our university at www.uef.fi/en. Read also about UEF as a working community and employer and the career stories of our employees.

1. Henri Hakkarainen, [email protected]