The Faculty of Humanities at the University of Helsinki invites applications for the position of
POST-DOCTORAL RESEARCHER IN LANGUAGE TECHNOLOGY OR DIGITAL HUMANITIES
for a fixed-term period of 28 months, starting in January 2027.
This position is based at the Multimodality Research Group in the Department of Languages and funded by an ERC Consolidator Grant awarded to Professor Tuomo Hiippala. The project develops novel methods and corpora for studying multimodality, or how humans communicate using combinations of multiple modes of expression. These methods and corpora are used to develop empirically founded theories of multimodal communication in the domain of everyday cultural artefacts. The data studied in the project includes, for example, school textbooks, news broadcasts, diagrams and instruction manuals.
RESPONSIBILITIES
The post-doctoral researcher will contribute towards meeting the goals of the research project by participating in building several large multimodal corpora that target diverse page-based and audiovisual media, which are described using multiple layers of cross-referenced annotations. The appointee is expected to develop approaches that use computer vision, large language models and other computational methods to annotate the research data, and to evaluate and complement the resulting annotations using human-in-the-loop approaches. In addition to conducting research, the post-doctoral researcher is expected to report the results in lead- and co-authored publications submitted to suitable venues.
QUALIFICATIONS
The appointee must hold a doctoral degree in language technology, digital humanities or a related field, and demonstrate a keen interest in the study of multimodal communication. Previous experience of applying computational methods to large volumes of multimodal data is essential. The appointee must have solid skills in programming and working with libraries for using machine learning models. Experience in building annotated datasets or corpora is considered an advantage: the same applies to managing large volumes of data and high-performance computing. The appointee must be able to work independently and as a part of a multidisciplinary research group consisting of researchers with diverse backgrounds, which span the humanities, computer science and engineering. Strong teamwork skills and an excellent command of written and spoken English are also required.
The appointee is expected to reside in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area while employed by the University of Helsinki.
WHAT WE OFFER
The University of Helsinki is Finland’s oldest and largest academic institution, an international scholarly community of 40,000 students and researchers. In international university rankings, the University of Helsinki is usually within the top 100 universities in the world. The University of Helsinki is seeking solutions to global challenges and engendering new thinking for the benefit of humanity.
The University of Helsinki’s Faculty of Humanities is Finland’s oldest and largest unit of teaching and research in the arts in terms of the organisation and selection of its disciplines. The faculty is also a significant international community of research, education and culture. The Faculty of Humanities studies and teaches languages and literature spoken in Europe and the rest of the world, in total almost 40 languages. It also develops general theories of linguistics, translation and literary studies.
The successful candidate will become a part of vibrant research community at the Faculty of Humanities. The four-year position offers an excellent opportunity to conduct pioneering research on the multimodality of human communication in a multidisciplinary environment. The project provides generous funding for conference travel and networking. The project also offers access to state-of-the-art computing resources provided free-of-charge by the CSC – the IT Center for Science.
The starting salary for the position ranges from 4005 to 4140 euro per month, depending on experience and qualifications. The appointee is also expected to contribute to teaching, which is limited to 10% of annual working time. Standard Finnish pension benefits and occupational health care are provided for university employees. The employment contract will include a probationary period of six months.
The University of Helsinki provides its staff with occupational health and fitness services, professional development opportunities, as well as a first-class research and teaching environment and the conditions necessary for international cooperation. Read more about staff benefits on our website.
HOW TO APPLY
Please submit your application, together with the required documents, through the University of Helsinki Recruitment System via the link “Apply now” (“Hae nyt”). Applicants who are currently employed by the University of Helsinki are requested to submit their application via the SAP Fiori portal at https://msap.sap.helsinki.fi. The closing date for applications is November 20, 2026 (23:59).
The applicants are requested to provide the following documents written in English with their application:
- A statement on your motivation for applying for the position, how you could contribute to the project, and a description of your core skills (max. 750 words),
- A curriculum vitae with contact information for two references,
- A list of publications with key publications relevant to the position highlighted.
FURTHER INFORMATION
For further information about the position and the research project, please contact Professor Tuomo Hiippala ([contact details available in the full listing]).
