Postdoctoral Researcher

The positions belong to a research project “the Epistemic Significance of Concepts” led by Academy Professor Maria Lasonen. The project is funded by the Research Council of Finland. The project will work alongside another project on concepts funded by the European Research Council, but its aims are complementary to those of the ERC project.

Conceptual resources are crucial from an epistemic perspective. Having the right concepts allows asking the right questions, formulating new hypotheses, and providing good explanations. New concepts are often needed for developing theories that systematize data and make accurate predictions. Good concepts are projectable, providing a sound basis for inductive reasoning. They enable communicating one’s own experiences and recognizing various forms of injustice. In short, concepts enable acquiring knowledge and understanding – whether about the subatomic world, moral reality, or our own social experiences – that is otherwise out of reach. And on the flipside: inapt concepts can result in widespread ignorance. This project aims to ask epistemological questions about concepts in an empirically informed way.

These questions include but are not restricted to the following:

• What are concepts, and what do they allow us to do? What is their epistemic role?
• How do cognitive scientists and psychologists think about concepts?
• What are recognitional abilities, and how do they relate to concepts?
• How are concepts and linguistic meaning related? Can work on lexical competence shed light on conceptual competence?
• What makes for an epistemically good concept or distinction? Do epistemically good concepts track metaphysically privileged categories? How should considerations of cognitive limitations and architecture inform our account of epistemically good concepts?
• Could we offer a unified theory of epistemically good concepts that bridges the gap between scientific concepts designating natural kinds and non-scientific concepts with similar epistemic benefits (supporting inductive inference, figuring in good explanations and generalisations, etc.)?
• Does AI use concepts and if so, how can we tell which concepts it deploys? How can we impact which concepts AI deploys?
• Can we make rational or reasonable decisions about which new concepts to adopt?
• What are some robust case studies of new, epistemically good concepts from both the natural and social sciences?
• How do social practices shape the thinking of individuals by impacting which concepts they deploy and what information is associated with these concepts? How can we understand such social influences in a way that fits with an externalist and referentialist view of language and the mind?
• What sort of account can we provide of the role of concepts in inference without relying on inferentialism?
• What can we learn about the distorting view of concepts from the Marxist and feminist traditions and the philosophy of race?
• How do concepts compete with other concepts?
• How do concepts relate to unawareness and ignorance?
• What is the role of concepts in understanding?
• What is the role of concepts in moral epistemology? Do thick concepts play a special role in moral knowledge and understanding? To what extent does the role of thick concepts in moral epistemology rely on a view about the semantics of thick terms?

Since the PI of the project is an epistemologist, the postdoctoral researchers being hired will bring in complementary expertise from outside epistemology.

Responsibilities and assessment of qualifications

The postdoctoral researchers will be responsible for

• Authoring peer-reviewed journal articles answering core questions investigated by the project.
• Being open to collaborating with the other projects members, for instance by writing joint publications.
• Organizing and participating in international conferences, workshops, and seminars.
• Preparing competitive grant applications.
• Providing research-based teaching in Finnish, Swedish, or English (app. 5-10 % of annual working time).
• Seeking opportunities for societal engagement.
• Attending a regular project seminar in person.

Applications will be assessed according to the following criteria:

• Applicants should hold a doctoral degree in philosophy or complete a doctoral degree by the beginning of the work contract. Given the salary bracket of the position, the candidates should not have more than three years of previous postdoctoral experience. In exceptional cases, we will consider applicants with doctoral degrees in other areas (e.g. cognitive science, psychology, or linguistics), provided they have adequate expertise in philosophy, as well as candidates with more than 3 years of postdoctoral experience.
• We welcome proposals from researchers with research projects that intersect with a range of the project’s research questions. A pre-existing interest and (depending on the career stage of the applicant) publication record on topics within the general theme of the research project is a prerequisite.
• We are specifically looking for expertise that lies in the intersection of psychology, cognitive science, linguistics (pragmatics, sociolinguistics, psycholinguistics) and philosophy bearing on concepts and word meaning. The aim is to hire at least one researcher with deep knowledge of discussions of concepts and categorization in psychology and cognitive science.
• Candidates must be able to write and publish high-quality peer-reviewed articles both independently and collaboratively.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills in English are required.
• Applicants should possess sufficient teaching skills to successfully teach undergraduate and master programme courses in philosophy.

The positions have a six-month trial period.

What we offer

The salary for the positions will be based on level 5 of the job requirement scheme for teaching and research personnel in the salary system of Finnish universities. In addition, the appointee will be paid a salary component based on personal performance. The starting salary will be approximately 4000–4400 €/month before taxes depending on the appointee’s qualifications and experience.

The position will come with a travel budget of 2000 euros per year, to be used for conference travel related to the project.

In Finnish universities, the teaching and research staff (app. 65% of total staff) have a special system regarding the free time equivalent to holiday. They belong to the 1,612 annual working hour system, in which the annual amount of paid holiday is app. 5-6 weeks per year.

The University of Helsinki offers comprehensive services to its employees, including occupational health care and health insurance, sports facilities, language courses, and opportunities for professional development.

The appointee is expected to reside in Finland while employed by the University of Helsinki. The University provides support for internationally recruited employees with their transition to work and life in Finland. More information here.

The research project is based at Theoretical Philosophy at the Faculty of Humanities. The office is located at the University of Helsinki City Centre Campus. Theoretical Philosophy is well-known for its internationally acknowledged research in epistemology, logic, metaphysics, philosophy of mind, philosophy of language, philosophy of science, and history of philosophy. In addition to international collaborations, researchers at Theoretical Philosophy collaborate with philosophy researchers from other faculties and disciplines at the University of Helsinki such as Practical Philosophy, Philosophy (Swedish language), Faculty of Theology, and Helsinki Collegium of Advanced Studies.

How to apply

The application must be accompanied by the following documents in PDF format:

• CV including a list of publications (max. 4 pages, including contact details of two referees)
• Cover letter (max. 1 page) outlining your motivation for applying, relevant expertise, and how you would contribute to the research aims and collaborative activities of the project.
• Writing sample of max. 10 000 words.
• Research plan (max. 3 pages) consisting of
  • a description of how your previous research experience and current work align with the overarching aims of the project
  • a research idea outlining why the project’s themes or approach interest you and how you position your own research within this context
  • a preliminary publication plan.

Other attachments, including letters of recommendation or certificates, are not required at this point. We expect that you will send us a self-written application that reflects your own voice and thoughts. Applications generated by artificial intelligence do not meet our expectations.

Applications must be submitted through the University of Helsinki electronic recruitment system by clicking on the link below. Current employees of the University of Helsinki must submit their applications through SAP Fiori’s Suffeli recruitment portal.

The deadline for applications is 30th of November. There may be video interviews during January or February 2027, and decisions will be made by March 2027.

Additional information

Further information about the two positions can be obtained from the project PI, Academy Professor Maria Lasonen (maria.lasonen@helsinki.fi).

If you need support with the recruitment portal, contact recruitment(at)helsinki.fi. Please mention the name of the applied position in the email heading.

A diverse and equitable study and work culture is important to us. That is why we do our best to promote an inclusive university community. We encourage all qualified applicants from diverse backgrounds to apply for these two positions.

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