University of HelsinkiFellowship

Helsinki PhD Fellowship in Humanitarian Anthropology

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Archived

Opportunity type

Fellowship

Funding

Fully Funded

Location

Global

Deadline

Archived

About this opportunity

The Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Helsinki is hiring a doctoral researcher for four years from 20 November 2026. This is a salaried PhD position, not a scholarship. You would join the project New Humanitarian Infrastructures at the End of Aid, led by Dr Stefan Millar and funded by the Research Council of Finland, doing ethnographic fieldwork on how humanitarian systems are being remade after the withdrawal of USAID in 2025. The empirical focus is Kenya, though you can propose another site.

What you get: ➤ Annual gross salary of roughly EUR 32,000 to EUR 42,000 depending on qualifications and experience ➤ Four years of funded employment from 20 November 2026 ➤ Standard Finnish pension benefits and occupational health care ➤ Relocation help from the university's International Services team ➤ A place on a funded international research project with partner organisations

What you'll do: ➤ Conduct independent ethnographic research in a humanitarian context in Kenya, or another site you justify ➤ Complete a PhD monograph or an article-based PhD from the material you produce ➤ Collaborate with partner organisations and help organise project events ➤ Contribute to project communications ➤ Teach for up to 5 percent of annual working time

Who can apply

No age limit stated
Open to applicants of any nationality, but you must live in Finland while employed
A master's degree in social and cultural anthropology or a related field, held by the start of employment
You must secure the right to pursue a doctoral degree at the University of Helsinki by the start date, or within the six-month probation
Proven ability and motivation to pursue doctoral study
Applicants of refugee or East African background are strongly encouraged, and relevant language skills such as Swahili, Arabic or Somali are valued
No application fees

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Good to know

+A salaried post with Finnish pension and healthcare, not an unfunded PhD place
+The deadline carries an exact time and timezone, and the interview window is already published
+The project explicitly encourages applicants of refugee and East African background
+The named principal investigator, Dr Stefan Millar, is listed on the University of Helsinki staff directory

Worth checking yourself

!You need a completed master's degree by the start of employment, so this is not open to undergraduates
!You must live in Finland for the duration of the employment
!You also need the right to pursue a doctoral degree at the university, either before you start or within a six-month probation
!A research plan of up to two pages is required with the application, which takes real time to prepare before 24 July

What we could not confirm

?Nothing material. The job posting is complete and specific

Sources checked

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LOT finds and checks opportunities from public sources. Always confirm details on the organiser’s own page before applying.

About this opportunity

Who can apply

No age limit stated
Open to applicants of any nationality, but you must live in Finland while employed
A master's degree in social and cultural anthropology or a related field, held by the start of employment
You must secure the right to pursue a doctoral degree at the University of Helsinki by the start date, or within the six-month probation
Proven ability and motivation to pursue doctoral study
Applicants of refugee or East African background are strongly encouraged, and relevant language skills such as Swahili, Arabic or Somali are valued
No application fees