Postdoctoral Researcher in languages and conversation analysis, Faculty of Humanities

We are now looking for

a Postdoctoral Researcher

to join us in the Research unit for Languages and Literature (English unit) at the Faculty of Humanities.

The position is located in the research project AIDA: Action and Intersubjectivity in the Digital Age, which is funded by the Research Council of Finland. In addition to this, you will work as a member in the broader COACT research community and the English unit.

About the job

You will work in the project AIDA: Action and Intersubjectivity in the Digital Age. AIDA uses Conversation Analysis to study the sequential and temporal organisation of real-time and multimodal interaction in videoconferencing systems (e.g., Zoom, Teams) and immersive virtual reality environments (VR). It also studies human interactions with artificial intelligence systems (e.g., voice user interfaces, robots, chatbots). These and other emerging digital environments feature dimensions that have a fundamental impact on how people build common ground in real-time digital interactions.

As a member of the AIDA team, you will be responsible for doing research that answers the following general question: How is talk and social action organized in digital settings and interactions? Additionally, your research will address at least one of the following questions: How do the complex sequentialities and temporalities of real-time digital interactions feature in the constitution of intersubjective social action? How do the distributed environments and their complex multimodal features in digital interactions feature in the constitution of intersubjective social action? How are interactions that involve artificial agents (human-AI or AI-AI) organised? How do interactional practices in digital interactions change over time and how may change index learning, adaptation or development? You research focuses specifically on action formation, action ascription, turn-taking, and sequence organisation.

All in all, your contribution will be central in the project’s very ambitious aim to make a fundamental and transformative theoretical and conceptual contribution to the understanding of intersubjective and digital social action. Finally, you also take part in teaching and supervision (max. 5% of working time).

What we offer

• AIDA offers you the possibility to work as a member in an enthusiastic, experienced, and ambitious team with a broad international network. In the team, you will be able to share your expertise and grow as an expert.
• Wellness benefit ePassi covering sport, culture, and well-being. Read more about other staff benefits here.
• Work that matters and a workplace that promotes flexibility and work-life balance. Read more about working with us.
• Finland is one of the most livable countries in the world, with a high quality of life, safety, an excellent education system, and a competitive economy. Read more about living in Oulu.

Who are you?

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

• a doctoral degree with a thesis that studies talk, language use and interaction in natural situations; the doctoral degree must have been completed by the closing date for applications and it must have been attained less than 10 years ago before the beginning of the work contract;
• experience in conversation analysis and video-based methods;
• an excellent command of written and spoken English;
• ability to do independent scientific work as well as suitability to act as a researcher in a project;
• experience in producing international referee publications; and
• an emerging international scientific network.

We also appreciate:

• access to existing video recordings that you can study in the project (interactions in virtual reality or remote meetings or interactions that involve humans and artificial intelligence).

Salary

The position is fixed term for 20 months as of 1 January 2026 or as soon as possible thereafter.

The salary will be based on the levels 5-6 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. 3700-4300 € per month (before taxes).

A trial period of 6 months is applied to the position.

How to apply?

Interested? If yes, please apply by 17 November 2025 (23:59 Finnish local time) through our recruitment system.

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

1. CV, following the guidelines of the Finnish Advisory Board on Research Integrity
2. Cover letter, including a brief statement (max. 1 page) of the applicant's motivation to work in the AIDA project
3. List of publications, following the guidelines of the Research Council of Finland
4. Certificates/Diplomas
5. Contact information of two persons available for recommendation
6. Brief account of research activities and their connection to the applied position (max. 800 words). Applicants are asked to: (1) give an outline of how their past and on-going research (themes, questions, methodology and findings) connects to and supports the AIDA project's aims and focus; (2) provide a brief plan of their possible research focus in AIDA. The plan should include research questions, a description of how the work connects to and complements existing research in Conversation Analysis and methods for collecting suitable video data to answer the questions.

The eligible applicants fitting best in the profile expected for the position will be invited to an on-site or remote interview. All applicants will be notified during the selection process.

We welcome applicants from all backgrounds, such as people of different ages, different genders, and members of different linguistic, cultural, or minority groups.

Contact Information

If you have any further questions, please contact:

Professor Pentti Haddington
Research Unit for Languages and Literature / English
Tel. 050 341 0347
E-mail: pentti.haddington@oulu.fi