Associate Professor, AI Technologies and Industrial Applications

The University of Eastern Finland is inviting applications for the post of Associate Professor (Tenure Track) of AI technologies and industrial applications at the Department of Technical Physics of the Faculty of Science, Forestry and Technology on the Kuopio campus. The position will be filled from 1 February 2027 (or as agreed).

Please find more information below and submit your application no later than 11 November 2026.

Role and salary

At the Department of Technical Physics (website), research and education are organized around four main focus areas: medical physics and engineering, aerosol physics, computational science and engineering, and materials engineering). The department hosts several research groups and is involved in research conducted in two Research Council of Finland’s Centre of Excellence Programmes and three Research Council of Finland’s Flagship Programmes. The degree programme in Technical Physics was launched in autumn 2023, and the department will launch a new Degree Programme in Pharmaceutical Engineering together with the School of Pharmacy in 2027. The Department of Technical Physics is ambitious and growing unit.

The research and teaching field of the Associate Professor is AI technologies and industrial applications. The person to be appointed to the post is required to have expertise and demonstrated achievements in, e.g., AI solutions related to the planning of industrial equipment, processes and services and user-oriented applications, and in their optimisation. The key research and teaching themes of the role will also be developed by utilising the views and needs of companies operating in the region.

The duties of the Associate Professor include the acquisition of external research funding, the launching and management of research projects, high-quality publishing activities, and teaching and supervision duties related to the field. The Associate Professor will also be responsible for international research cooperation and networking in the field of research. The post also includes societal expert and interaction activities.

The post of Associate Professor will be filled for a four-year term as of 1 February 2027 (or as agreed). The post is filled for a fixed term due to it being a Tenure Track position. A probationary period is applied to all new members of the UEF staff.

The criteria, objectives and results to be achieved during the term, which are required for progression to the next level of the tenure track (Professor), shall be agreed in detail with the person appointed as Associate Professor at the time of signing the employment contract. Fulfilment of the agreed criteria is a prerequisite for promotion to the permanent professorship through the tenure track.

External expert evaluation will be used in this recruitment. Expert statements are part of the overall evaluation process for the position. Interviews related to the filling of the position will be arranged separately.

The salary of the post is based on the salary system of Finnish universities. The salary is based on level 7 (EUR 4,525 /month) of the job requirement level chart of the salary system for the teaching and research staff of Finnish universities. In addition to the job-related salary element, the salary is supplemented with a personal salary element, which can be a maximum of 50% of the job-related salary element. At the beginning of the employment, the total salary will be approximately EUR 5,255 – 5,520 / month.

Our requirements and expectations

We require you to

• hold a suitable doctoral degree
• have good teaching skills
• have good skills in spoken and written English. The language of instruction in the position may be English
• demonstrated research expertise in the research area of the position.

Fulfil the qualification requirements of a Professor by the end of the Tenure Track term. The evaluation will be launched no later than six months before the end of the term, unless otherwise has been agreed upon with the party concerned.

Teaching skills are evaluated based on the documents submitted by the applicant. The evaluation of teaching skills focuses on your teaching and supervision experience, as well as on your views related to the planning and implementation of teaching, as presented in your teaching portfolio (see the required attachments of the application).

The following will be considered an advantage

• experience in industry collaboration
• a track record in industrial AI research and/or applications
• a proven track record of successfully securing research and project funding
• experience in conducting industry-driven research in the field.

Your benefits

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

• the opportunity for flexible multi-location work
• excellent opportunities for professional development and continuous learning
• extensive occupational health care
• a 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 an interesting, meaningful and diverse 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 11 November 2026 by 23:59 (midnight) Finnish time (UTC+2).

The following documents must be enclosed with the application:

• CV (Template for CV, TENK web page)
• a portfolio of teaching merits (Instructions, a portfolio of teaching merits PDF)
• a list of publications (Instructions, Research Council of Finland Web page)
• a separate list of the publications (10, numbered and indexed) and other works with which the applicant wishes to demonstrate their qualification and merits for the post
• the publications and other works referred to in the above list with which the applicant wishes to demonstrate their qualification and merits for the post
• a short, written description (2–4 pages) of the merits and activities relevant to the post, including the applicant’s views on how to develop research and teaching in the field
• copies of academic degree certificates / diplomas (highest degree).

The application with appendices should be submitted in English (excluding any publications published in Finnish) in case the applicants’ qualification and merits are assessed by international experts. The applicant must ensure that the contact details specified in the application remain up-to-date throughout the recruitment process. 

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, please contact Head of Department, Professor Petro Julkunen, e-mail: petro.julkunen@uef.fi, tel. +358 29 445 3213 or Deputy Head of Department, Professor Arto Koistinen, e-mail: arto.koistinen@uef.fi, tel. +358 29 445 3662.

For further information on the application procedure, please contact HR Specialist Noora Hämäläinen, e mail: noora.hamalainen@uef.fi, tel. +358 29 445 8302 or HR Specialist Iiris Korhonen, e-mail: iiris. korhonen@uef.fi, tel. +358 29 445 8161 or Executive Head of Administration Tanja Karvonen, e-mail. tanja.karvonen@uef.fi, tel. +358 29 445 8238.