Doctoral Researcher, Multimodal Cancer Imaging

The University of Eastern Finland is inviting applications for a Doctoral Researcher position at the A.I. Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences on the Kuopio Campus. The position focuses on multimodal cancer imaging and will be filled for a fixed term of 3 years from 1 September 2026 onwards (or as agreed). Please find more information below and submit your application by 6 August 2026.

Role and Salary

The cross-disciplinary consortium project “Cancer immunotherapy utilizing multifunctional vector technology, PET imaging and metabolic MRI“, funded by the Research Council of Finland, focuses on the development of a novel preclinical cancer immunotherapy against triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), and on the development of advanced PET and MRI techniques (in particular deuterium and carbon based metabolic MRI and state-of-the art diffusion MRI) for the detection of therapy related cell death in preclinical animal models. The candidate will work in the multimodal imaging arm of the project and will develop methods that will be then applied to cancer therapy models in collaboration with our partner developing immunotherapy approaches on the same campus. During the project, you will become familiar with laboratory animal handling, preclinical multimodal imaging (MRI and PET, including method development), data analysis and scientific communication. The primary task of the Doctoral Researcher is to carry out their doctoral research in accordance with the approved research plan. The goal is to complete the doctoral degree as a full-time student within a maximum of four years.

We require that the candidate to be appointed as a Doctoral Researcher is qualified to pursue postgraduate studies, i.e., the selected candidate must be eligible, apply and be accepted to the Faculty's Doctoral Programme as soon as possible from the start of the employment (in the beginning of employment the title will be “Project Researcher” and will change to “Doctoral Researcher” upon acceptance to the Faculty's Doctoral Programme).

Your main responsibilities will include:

• conducting research in accordance with the aims of the project
• designing and performing multimodal imaging experiments in preclinical animal models
• collaborating with other scientists within the consortium
• reporting and creating high-quality scientific publications.

As our new Doctoral Researcher, you will work in the Faculty of Health Sciences of the University of Eastern Finland on the Kuopio campus. The position will be filled for a fixed term of 3 years as from 1 September 2026 (or as agreed). The position will be filled for a fixed term due to it pertaining to the Doctoral Researcher candidate’s own doctoral degree. If the title will be a Project Researher in the beginning of the contract, the position will be filled for a fixed term due to it pertaining to the specific project tasks. A trial period is applied to all new members of staff.

The salary of the position is determined in accordance with the salary system for Finnish universities. The salary comprises two components: a job-related salary element and a personal salary element. In this position, the job-related salary element is EUR 2,331,67/month, based on level 2 of the job requirement level chart for teaching and research staff. The personal salary element can be a minimum of 6 % and a maximum of 50 % of the above-mentioned sum. Depending on the personal salary element, the salary will be approximately EUR 2,700–2,845 /month at the beginning of the employment relationship.

Our requirements

We are looking for motivated candidates who have a background in, e.g., biomedicine or pharmacy and are also interested in technical aspects, such as programming and data analysis. Alternatively, the candidate may have a background in engineering or physics, but has a strong interest in biology/medicine. The Doctoral Researcher will work in a collaborative, international, and interdisciplinary research environment with opportunities for international collaboration, mobility and conference attendance.

Requirements

• Does not have a doctoral degree at the time of the call deadline.
• Is eligible for postgraduate studies; holds a Master´s degree in a relevant discipline such as biomedicine, pharmacy, biology, physics or a similar field; or has completed an applicable study programme abroad which in the awarding country gives eligibility for corresponding postgraduate education. Students in the final stages of their Master’s degree may also apply provided that they deliver a copy of their degree certificate to the faculty by 31 August 2026.
• Has willingness to work with preclinical animal models. The necessary accreditations for performing animal procedures will be organized during the project where needed.
• Has excellent/good skills in spoken, read and written English.

Advantages

• Has good communication skills to facilitate collaboration within the consortium.
• Can work independently to formulate and solve research problems.
• Has strong motivation for science and learning new things.
• Knowledge of MRI/MRS and/or PET is an asset but not required.
• Previous experience in cancer biology or animal work is an asset but not required.
• Experience in programming, e.g. knowledge of Python, MATLAB or similar, is an asset but not required.

Your benefits

You will have access to the university’s staff benefits, including

• extensive occupational health care
• a broad selection of staff training
• staff discount on lunch in our campus restaurants, as well as on a range of other services and
• affordable sports services.

Please read more in the Work at UEF section on our website.

You will have an opportunity to work in an interesting, meaningful and diverse role as part of our international, creative, participatory and inclusive academic community.

Enjoy your life in Finland! Known for its cleanliness, welfare know-how, modern technology and superb education system, Finland is an exotic and safe country to work in. Please visit the Life in Finland section on our website to learn more.

How to apply?

Submit your application by using our electronic application form no later than 6 August 2026 by 24:00 (midnight) Finnish time (UTC+3).

Please note that you must include the following appendices in your application

• A motivation letter (max 1 page)
• A CV (Template for CV, website) including a list of publications (Instructions, Research Council of Finland website), if applicable
• Copies of your academic degree certificates / diplomas and copies of certificates / diplomas relating to your language proficiency, if not indicated in the academic degree certificates/diplomas
• Contact information for 1–2 referees
• Any other documents with which you wish to demonstrate your merits for the position.

If your diploma is not in English, Finnish or Swedish, an official English translation must be provided. All translations must be issued either by the awarding educational institution or an authorized translator. Each page of the official translation must bear the translator’s stamp and/or signature. Official translations must be accurate translations of the original documents. Translations made by the applicants themselves are not accepted.

Questions?

For further information on the position, please contact Mikko Kettunen, [email protected].

Technical support for the Varbi system is available: [email protected] (not the week 29), v[email protected] (not the weeks 29 and 30) and throughout the summer: [email protected].
 

The Faculty of Health Sciences operates at the Kuopio Campus of the University of Eastern Finland. The Faculty offers education in medicine, dentistry, nutrition and pharmacy, as well as in some other central fields of the health care sector. The Faculty is research-intensive, and its internationally recognised research activities are closely linked to the strategic research areas of the University. There are approximately 3 090 degree students and about 580 PhD students in the Faculty. The faculty has 800 staff members.

The University of Eastern Finland (UEF) is the most multidisciplinary university in Finland. Our university employs approximately 3,200 employees, and our community includes approximately 17,000 degree students and 16,000 adult education students. Our campuses are located in Joensuu and Kuopio. We represent the world’s cutting edge of research in many fields and produce research-based knowledge, which is made openly available to benefit everyone. Learn more about our university at www.uef.fi/en. Read also about UEF as a working community and employer and the career stories of our employees.

1. Mikko Kettunen, [email protected]