Research Assistant/Project Employee

Aalto University is an interdisciplinary community of bold thinkers where science and art meet technology and business. Aalto’s core strategy follows three cross-cutting themes: sustainable solutions, entrepreneurial mindset and radical creativity. Aalto University has six schools with nearly 12 000 students and more than 400 professors. Our campuses are located in Espoo and Helsinki, Finland.  

The Aalto School of Arts, Design and Architecture (ARTS) is a Nordic leader in higher education for design, fashion, games, media, architecture, film, art education and fine art. We produce world-class research e.g. in design, digital media and visual culture, art education, urban planning and architecture. Our graduates innovate in and beyond their fields, drawing on over a century of tradition of our institution, a humane and forward-looking approach, and the latest technologies.

The Department of Design is a community of creative and responsible researchers and design experts. We educate front-line design professionals and visionaries for established, changing and emerging fields of design. (https://www.aalto.fi/en/department-of-design). 

Research Assistant / Project Employee – Digidecarbon project

Your role and goals

The role is in providing research assistance and editorial support as part of finalization of Research Council Finland consortium project “Digitally mediated decarbon Communities”. The project investigates energy communities as part of energy transitions in Finland and the potentials that digital mediation holds in strengthening and scaling up diverse energy communities. The project has entered its final stretches, ending in 31st July 2025, and during these months several articles and a book will be finalized and its digital sites are further curated.

The project is lead by professor Sampsa Hyysalo at the Department of Design, Aalto University and the appointee will work closely as part of a high-quality research team consisting of a professor, two post-doctoral researchers and doctoral students, and an affiliated network of several professors and academy fellows.  

This post is particularly suited for someone who is interested in building a career in design research and writing, and it may, or may not, include thesis work related to the project. The post is just as fitting for someone who wishes to assist a high-quality research team for a fixed period of time. In both capacities, the appointee will have an opportunity to take part in the wider research community of the Department of Design and, more specifically, in its INUSE research group.

The research assistant /project researcher post can commence from 1st December to 31st July and be carried either full time or part time between 20%-80%.

Your Experience

Ideally you will have:  

• Demonstrable skills in research assistance related tasks such as editing texts, improving figures, curating content and form in web pages, checking article citations and referencing, acquiring permissions and so on.
• A Bachelor’s or Master’s degree or equivalent in design or in the Humanities or Social Sciences relating to design.
• Capacity to work both in English and Finnish

The successful applicant is expected to take on the following responsibilities:

• Undertaking directed research tasks within specified timeframes
• Carefully organising and presenting written and visual material in accordance with the publication format
• Supporting and interacting with project researchers in pro-active ways
• Providing content and editorial viewpoints in dialogue with the authors
• Summarising research findings into shareable and publishable texts

What we offer

We offer the opportunity of working in a dynamic world-class community of creative professionals and researchers, with a remit to continuously explore the frontiers of design research and practice, and sustainability management research.

The salary is determined according to the applicant's experience and qualifications. Activities are mainly located in the Otaniemi campus of Aalto University in Espoo, part of the capital region of Finland.

Aalto University provides its employees with occupational health care services and excellent learning and development opportunities. Finland is a healthy and safe living environment, offering many excellent state-subsidized services including affordable day care and free schools and universities, which are consistently ranked among the best in the world. 

More information about living and working in Finland:

Get to know Finland and Aalto | Aalto University

Aalto University follows EU rules and regulations on HR policies. Based on the regulation (EC) No 883/2004 on the coordination of social security systems, full-time employment at Aalto University is inconsistent with residence abroad. Employment duties need to be performed in Finland. The specific responsibilities and salary are determined based on the applicant’s qualifications and level of position.

Ready to apply?

To apply, please submit the following application materials through our recruitment system Workday no later than Monday 25 Novembrer, 2024, at 23:59 EET (UTC+2).

Aalto University’s employees should apply for the position by using their existing Workday user account (internal jobs).

The application material must be in English and must include the following documents in separate PDF-files (‘lastname_firstname.pdf’): 

• Short one page cover letter outlining your motivations for applying for the position and indicating your appropriate experience and skills
• Curriculum Vitae — The CV may include the sections that are presented in the template recommended by The Finnish Advisory Board on Research Integrity

Enquiries about the contents and requirements of the work package should be addressed by email to Professor Sampsa Hyysalo, sampsa.hyysalo(at)aalto.fi

In case of recruitment questions, please contact HR Partner katju.helminen(at)aalto.fi or hr-design(at)aalto.fi

More about Aalto University:

Aalto.fi
youtube.com/user/aaltouniversity
linkedin.com/school/aalto-university/
www.facebook.com/aaltouniversity
instagram.com/aaltouniversity
twitter.com/aaltouniversity