The Department of Design at Aalto University, Finland, is seeking two
Postdoctoral Researchers for the following three year position:
The consortium Material Democracy, funded by the Strategic Research Council
of the Academy of Finland, is seeking two postdoctoral researchers.
MaterialDemocracy explores the future of democracy amid major societal changes
related to climate change, urbanization, the green transition, and species
loss. These complex challenges have widespread consequences, creating unequal
public participation and inclusion opportunities, disconnecting the public
from decision-making, and impacting their lives and communities. To address
this gap, MaterialDemocracy creates an innovative material approach to
democratic participation. The project studies how citizens can better shape
Finland's long-term infrastructure, energy, and environmental policies, the
role of everyday actions and energy solutions in reducing social polarisation.
We will establish the Material Democracy Hub (MD Hub). This hub will serve as
a resource to build knowledge and strengthen capacity for promoting democratic
reforms through stakeholder collaboration. It will also facilitate experiments
and evaluations to enhance public involvement in shaping our democratic
future.
Professor Sampsa Hyysalo from the Aalto leads the consortium, which includes a
total of five partners and has a duration of 3+3 years. The Aalto sub-project
investigates three sub-themes: a) how participatory practices can be developed
in the preparation of long-term transformational policies b) how citizens'
material participation and peer support can create new spaces for engagement
and how these can be supported c) mapping, comparing, and developing
participatory practices in the democracy incubator.
The postdoctoral researcher will conduct research in one or more of these
sub-themes both independently and as part of a larger research team of 5-20
people.
The likely outputs of each hired persons work are 46 co-authored articles,
participation in societal interaction activities and producing outputs of
analyses for digital media platform. The team is committed to mentoring and
supporting the new researcher throughout all stages of the research.
Your Experience and ambitions:
Candidates are required to have a doctoral degree in a relevant field such as
design, science and technology studies, social sciences, behavioral sciences,
information systems or business studies. Proficiency in both Finnish and
English is necessary for the position.
The position can be filled with somewhat varying competence mix in the
following areas:
Proficiency in academic literatures on participation, participatory design,
and participatory democracy
Experience in researching or developing democratic practices or democratic
innovations
Competence in or an ability to learn about climate work, citizens' energy
solutions, energy transitions, and digital peer support
Experience in conducting and analyzing qualitative thematic interviews
Experience in developing digital platforms and refining and analyzing case
studies on digital platforms
Good collaboration skills to work as a member of a multidisciplinary
close-knit team and consortium formed by several universities
Ability to independently manage part-projects and to write at an international
scientific level
What we offer:
We offer the innovative working community of Aalto University and meaningful
and varied work as part of a high-level research team and consortium. The work
includes the possibility of participating in interesting staff training at
Aalto University.
The salary for the postdoctoral researcher is 39004400 depending on merits.
Interested?
Please submit your application via the Workday system by February 15, 2025
(midnight Finnish time, GMT+2).
Attach to your application in English:
Curriculum vitae
A short one page description of your expertise and interest in the position
If you are already an employee of Aalto, please apply directly through your
internal Workday profile.
Further information
For further information on the position, please contact Professor Sampsa
Hyysalo at sampsa.hyysalo(at)aalto.fi. For questions related
to the recruitment process, please contact HR Partner Katju Helminen at
katju.helminen(at)aalto.fi
https://www.aalto.fi/en/open-positions/postdoctoral-researcher-material-democ
racy
https://www.aalto.fi/fi/avoimet-tyopaikat/tutkijatohtori-demokratian-materiaa
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