Professor of Psychiatry

The University of Oulu is a multidisciplinary, international research university, with about 4000 employees who produce new knowledge based on high-standards research and provide research based education to build a more sustainable, smarter, and more humane world. The University of Oulu community has about 19,000 people in total. Our northern scientific community operates globally and creates conditions for the emergence of innovations. The University of Oulu is ranked in the top 3% of the world’s universities.

We are now looking for a

Professor of Psychiatry

to join us in the Research Unit of Clinical Medicine at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Oulu, and the Wellbeing Services County of Lapland (Lapha). 

About the job

The position of a professor is the highest academic role at the university. Professors conduct, lead, and develop scientific research or artistic work, provide research-based education, engage with society, and participate in international cooperation within their field.

According to the agreement between the University of Oulu and the Wellbeing Services County of Lapland, the duties of the Professor of Psychiatry are as follows:

• To plan, implement and develop regional specialist training for physicians specializing in psychiatry.
• To serve, in an adjunct chief physician role, as a clinical trainer for specialist trainees within the psychiatric service area of the Wellbeing Services County of Lapland.
• To participate in the basic medical education provided by the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Oulu.
• To conduct and supervise scientific research in the field of psychiatry. The research will particularly focus on evaluating and developing new operating models in mental health services (e.g., remote services).
• To plan and develop mental health and substance use services that account for regional conditions, in collaboration with the administration of the Wellbeing Services County of Lapland and other service providers.
• To act as a physician recruiter and enhance the national visibility of the psychiatric service area of the Lapland Wellbeing Services County
• The position may include a secondary position at Lapland Central Hospital, which will be agreed upon separately.

What we offer

• The support of an experienced and enthusiastic team, with whom you can share your expertise and grow as an expert.
• Wellness benefit ePassi covering sport, culture, and well-being. Read more about other staff benefits.
• Work that matters and a workplace that promotes flexibility and work-life balance. Read more about working with us.
• We have an HR Excellence in Research -quality label, which is a recognition awarded by the European Commission for the development of researchers’ working conditions and careers. 

Who are you?

In order to succeed and enjoy the position, we require from you: 

• Doctoral degree in Medicine, and clinical specialty in Psychiatry
• Scientific competence of a high standard 
• Experience in the management of scientific research 
• Proof of international cooperation within their field of research 
• Strong motivation and ability to provide high-quality, research-based teaching
• Ability to contribute to the Faculty’s multidisciplinary teaching and research profile
• Ability to act as an Academic Leader
• Fluency in English and good command in Finnish, the teaching language is Finnish

We also appreciate

• Pedagogical training and active contribution to educational development 

Salary

The position is fixed-term for five years as of 1.1.2027, or as agreed. 

The position will be assigned to the Wellbeing services county of Lapland (Lapha).

The salary will be based on the levels 8-9 of the demand level chart for teaching and research staff of Finnish universities. In addition, a salary component based on personal work performance will be paid (a maximum of 50 % of the job-specific component). The starting gross salary will be approx. 5900-6700 € per month (before taxes).  A trial period of 6 months is applied to the position.

How to apply?

Interested? If yes, please apply by 20.9.2026 (23:59 Finnish local time) through our recruitment system.

The application should be written in English and include the following:

1. Cover letter with contact details of 2–4 persons available for recommendation.
2. CV following the guidelines of the Finnish Advisory Board on Research Integrity
3. List of publications following the guidelines of the Research Council of Finland
4. Brief account of research merits 
5. Teaching portfolio (maximum five pages) containing:
   1. Teaching philosophy, teaching strategies, and methods 
   2. A description of oneself as a teacher and an implementer of educational work 
   3. Practical experience in teaching and efforts to improve teaching, digital teaching skills and giving feedback, possible participation in continuous learning provision, and international educational collaboration 
   4. Production and use of learning materials, including open educational resources 
   5. Maintaining and developing one’s own teaching and supervision competence; description of one’s pedagogical training; the significance of research in maintaining and developing one's teaching and supervision competence 
   6. Feedback received on teaching (student evaluations, peer evaluations, awards, and assessed test lectures) 
   7. Vision for the development of one’s teaching 
6. Details regarding the acquisition of research funds 
7. A brief research and action plan 

The selection process follows the University of Oulu recruitment guidelines and is carried out by a recruitment committee. The candidates are subjected to publication analyses based on their publication lists. The candidates who are considered most suitable by the recruitment committee will undergo an expert evaluation assessing the following merits:

• Scientific excellence: Research outputs, such as publications, research data, methods, scientific quality, openness, scientific renewal, and impact
• Research activities, such as acquisition of competitive research funds, presentations, workshops and seminars, trans- or multidisciplinary, awards, honours
• International scientific activities and collaboration
• Teaching, supervision of undergraduate students and doctoral researchers, mentoring activities, and pedagogical studies
• Societal relevance, impact, and potential of scientific activities, such as patents and inventions, stakeholder activities, expert work, science popularisation, promotion of the SDGs, and citizen science
• Services for the academic community, such as peer review, editorial work, academic expert, and administrative tasks
• Leadership and interaction skills 

The person selected for the position of Professor must achieve a rating of “excellent” or “outstanding”, both in the overall grade and in the category “scientific excellence”. Top candidates will also be invited to an on-site or remote interview and asked to give a teaching demonstration as part of the assessment of teaching skills. In the evaluation of teaching skills, the person selected for the position of professor must achieve at least the grade “very good” (4/5). All applicants will be notified during the selection process.

We welcome applicants from all backgrounds, including people of different ages, genders, languages, cultures, and minority communities.

Contact Information

If you have any further questions, please contact 

Kaisa Tasanen-Määttä, professor, Research Unit of Clinical Medicine

email: kaisa.tasanen-maatta(at)oulu.fi

If you have any questions concerning the recruitment process, please contact:

Tiina Pääkkönen, Human Resources Manager, Faculty of Medicine

e- mail: tiina.paakkonen(at)oulu.fi

Type of employment: Permanent position
Contract type: Full time
Number of positions: 1
Full-time equivalent: 100%
City: Oulu
County: Pohjois-Pohjanmaa
Country: Finland
Reference number: 2026/281
Published: 2026-08-20
Last application date: 2026-09-20