Two Doctoral Researchers (PhD Students), in Critical Border Studies

The Faculty of Social Sciences and Business Studies, Karelian Institute

The Karelian Institute of the Faculty of Social Sciences and Business Studies invites applications for two Doctoral Researcher (PhD Student) positions in Critical Border Studies on the Joensuu Campus. The positions will begin on 1 October 2026. Read more below and submit your application no later than 30 June 2026.

These three-year positions are intended for scholars who seek to develop their expertise in critical border studies (broadly defined), while demonstrating the potential to advance the field both thematically and in terms of methodology and theory.

Positions

The Doctoral Researchers will join a research team focusing on critical border studies, which is funded by the Research Council of Finland through the PROFI 9 allocation. The positions are especially suitable for persons holding a Master's or a Licentiate degree in history, cultural studies, geography, sociology, public or social policy, political science, international relations or some other applicable field. The Doctoral Researchers will be part of a dynamic and interdisciplinary community exploring contemporary transformations of borders and boundaries. The PROFI 9 research team encourages innovative thematic, theoretical and methodological approaches, especially those examining processes of border-making and border-transcending.

The main duty of the Doctoral Researchers isto conduct independent research in accordance with an approved research proposal.

to contribute to project teams led by a professor specialised in critical border studies and other members of the Karelian Institute.

The positions are based at the Karelian Institute, but they support the UEF's Cultural Encounters, Mobilities and Borders (BOMOCULT) Research Community that brings together scholars from various disciplines to explore questions of mobility, identity, and geopolitical change through critical and interdisciplinary perspectives. The Research C