RESEARCH FELLOW (UNIVERSITY RESEARCHER) OR POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCHER IN THE AREA OF TRUSTWORTHY AI ACROSS LINGUISTIC AND CULTURAL DIVERSITIES

The Faculty of Humanities and the Faculty of Science at the University of Helsinki invite applications for the position of RESEARCH FELLOW (UNIVERSITY RESEARCHER) OR POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCHER IN THE AREA OF TRUSTWORTHY AI ACROSS LINGUISTIC AND CULTURAL DIVERSITIES for a fixed term period 1 January 2027 – 31 December 2030.

The Faculty of Humanities and Faculty of Science invite applications for a joint (50%:50%) position as Research Fellow in trustworthy AI across linguistic and cultural diversities within the research action Diversity in Society and Life (DIVSOL). We seek an experienced scholar with expertise in developing artificial intelligence and a demonstrated interest in advancing research methods through interdisciplinary collaboration. We primarily seek to appoint at the Research Fellow level, but Postdoctoral Researcher candidates with strong research experience after doctoral degree will also be considered.

The appointed researcher is expected to contribute, from the perspective of AI methods development, to the interdisciplinary research across two or more thematic areas of DIVSOL (see https://www.helsinki.fi/en/diversity-society-and-life/research for more detailed description of the thematic areas). The position involves methodological development in the context of humanities, especially linguistic and cultural diversities across time and space, AI research in low-resource scenarios (e.g., focusing on minoritized and under-resourced communities), and developing methods for diminishing the digital divide in research and society by developing reliable and trustworthy AI.

The position contributes to advancing methodological innovation through the creative use of machine learning, AI, and other algorithmic techniques. In line with the interdisciplinary and reflexive ethos of DIVSOL, attention to the societal implications of AI is an important dimension of all research.

RESPONSIBILITIES

The appointed researcher is expected to pursue independent research on methodological innovation in developing and applying AI methods in humanities, typically in collaboration with existing research groups at the university. Relevant research groups include but are not limited to the following: Computational History, Cross-Lingual NLP, Finno-Ugrian Linguistics, Human Sciences – Computing Interaction, Probabilistic Machine Learning Lab, Scientist in the Loop – Automation of Scientific Discovery. Concrete examples of data sources include historical and born-digital records, databases, resources in minoritized languages, and location or mobility data, with a particular interest in combining different data sources. As the data may include sensitive information, attention to ethical and legal issues is required.

In addition to DIVSOL, the appointed researcher participates in the joint activity of the university-wide AI Research Lab that supports the use of AI in scientific research. It will involve roughly ten researchers, three of whom will jointly develop AI in scientific research in the context of DIVSOL. The Lab works in close collaboration with the broader machine learning and AI research community at the university, including software engineers and various support services.

The daily working activities of the appointed researcher will be split between the Faculty of Humanities and the Faculty of Science. The researcher will also contribute to teaching and administrative tasks (up to 5% of their working time annually). It is possible to complete the teaching and administrative tasks in English.

QUALIFICATIONS

An ideal applicant has:

• A doctoral degree in a suitable field. Research experience after completing the doctoral degree is necessary.
• Scientific competence in developing and applying artificial intelligence methods with proven publication record in scientific venues in the field, as well as practical programming skills. We expect publication record in top-tier venues in one or more areas relevant for the position: computational linguistics and NLP (ACL, COLING, EMNLP, CL, TACL, or similar), machine learning and AI (NeurIPS, ICML, ICLR, JMLR, or similar), and AI in humanities (Digital Scholarship in the Humanities, Journal of Cultural Analytics, or similar). Applicants with publications in a closely related field, but not exactly within the scope of the position, are asked to describe clearly why their background is suitable for the position.
• Applicants are expected to describe their research interests, to explain how these relate to the scope and topic of the position, and to specify how they envision collaboration with existing research groups at the University of Helsinki.
• A vision of the role of AI in the application domain and an outline of planned research relating specifically to the use of AI in scientific research, for instance development of AI methods for commonly recurring tasks in the field, human-AI collaboration in scientific research, or development of open-source tools for AI4Science.
• Teaching skills.
• For Research Fellows (University Researchers), the ideal applicant has (in addition to the above listed requirements):
  • A. Demonstration of additional scholarly activity, such as evidence of independent research activity, the ability to lead a research group, activities in Finnish or international research groups or networks, and experience in the acquisition of research funding.
  • B. Evidence of public engagement.

WHAT WE OFFER

University of Helsinki is an equal opportunity employer and offers an attractive and diverse workplace with a variety of development opportunities and benefits. The appointee’s gross annual salary will, in practice, for Postdoctoral Researcher range from €42,000 to €49,000 and for Research Fellow (University Researcher) range from €54,000 to €64,000, depending on their previous experience and qualifications. Standard Finnish pension benefits and occupational health care are provided for university employees. Further information can be obtained online. The employment contract will include a probationary period of six months.

Finland is a member of the European Union, has high quality free schooling (also in English) and generous family benefits and healthcare. Finland was recently ranked as the best country in the world for expat families, and Helsinki in the world’s top ten most livable cities. Finland and the Helsinki region feature leading research and innovation facilities, clean environment, affordable accommodation, and excellent international, national, and local transport connections. For more information about working at the University of Helsinki and living in Finland, please see the website.

The appointee is expected to reside in Finland while employed by the University of Helsinki. International staff are supported in relocating to Finland.

HOW TO APPLY

Please submit your application, together with the required attachments, through the University of Helsinki Recruitment System via the link "Apply now" (“Hae nyt”). Use your current email address to register to the Recruitment System. Only applicants who are currently employed by the University of Helsinki are requested to submit their application via the link “Employee login”. The closing date for applications is 31 May 2026.

The following documents in English are required and must be included in the application:

1. A curriculum vitae
2. List of publications
3. An accompanying 2–4-page document addressing the qualification points 1-5(6) above and specifying which position you apply to (Research Fellow or Postdoctoral Researcher).
4. The names, positions and contact details of two referees

Other attachments, such as letters of recommendation or other certificates, are not required at this point.

FURTHER INFORMATION

Further information about the positions and the research project may be obtained from Professor Kaius Sinnemäki at the Faculty of Humanities (DIVSOL director, kaius.sinnemaki@helsinki.fi), and from Professor Arto Klami at the Faculty of Science (Director of the AI Research Lab, arto.klami@helsinki.fi). Further information about the recruitment process can be obtained from recruitment@helsinki.fi (please indicate the position name in the title field of the message).