Doctoral Researcher (PhD Student) position

The Faculty of Social Sciences and Business Studies, Business School

We are inviting applications for a Doctoral Researcher (PhD Student) position at the UEF Business School, located on the Kuopio campus of the University of Eastern Finland. The position will begin in January 2027. Read more below and submit your application no later than 15 October 2026.

Position and salary

We are looking for a highly motivated, analytical, communicative and skilled Doctoral Researcher (PhD Student) to join the Management of Transformation in Market 4.0 project, which isfunded by the Research Council of Finland.

The spread of ecosystems built around digital platforms is restructuring the business landscape and service market. In the future market, also referred to as Market 4.0, ecosystems are predicted to be in a dominant position, and various forms of cooperation and joint operation will be a prerequisite for the success of individual organizations. In such a setting, any firm may compete with larger and well-established ones by joining forces through various forms of collaboration and data sharing. However, operating as part of ecosystems will also bind organizations and influence their capacity to change. Subsequently, implementing changes requires alignment at a corresponding level within ecosystems, which governs the management of organizational change. However, alignment is not easy, because ecosystems do not operate under centralized, hierarchical control.

The Management of Transformation in Market 4.0 project addresses research gaps around the above-described themes. The focus of the academic research planned under the project is expected to build on different management, marketing and/or IB theories, discussing the dynamics of change both between and within platforms and ecosystems. Many of the project's empirical cases have been planned to focus on the retailing sector. However, the empirical setting may also differ.

We welcome candidates with a background and int