Assistant or Associate Professor of Education, especially physical education and well-being (tenure track)

Organisation/Company

University of Turku

Research Field

Educational sciences » Education
Educational sciences » Other
Sociology » Other

Researcher Profile

Established Researcher (R3)

Application Deadline

20 Apr 2026 - 13:00 (UTC)

Country

Finland

Type of Contract

Temporary

Job Status

Full-time

Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme?

Not funded by a EU programme

Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure?

No

The Faculty of Education at the University of Turku invites applications for a position of Assistant or Associate Professor of Education, especially physical education and well-being (tenure track).

The position will be filled on the basis of the applicant's previous merits as a fixed-term assistant professor (phase I) for 3-5 years or associate professor (phase II) for 2-4 years.

The position is located at the Department of Teacher Education. The Department of Teacher Education educates a wide range of qualified and diversely skilled teachers and conducts internationally recognised critical research that creates a scientific basis for the department's teaching. The Department of Teacher Education administrates the Centre for Research on Learning and Instruction (CERLI).

The Department of Teacher Education operates in two locations, training teachers in both Turku and Rauma. The position of assistant or associate professor is located at the Department of Teacher Education in Rauma. It may also include tasks in Turku.

More information about the department and about the research centre is provided at:

Department of Teacher Education | University of Turku

Centre for Research on Learning and Instruction (CERLI) | University of Turku

Job description

The assistant/associate professor is responsible for promoting high-quality and multidisciplinary research in the field of child and adolescent well-being. The focus areas of the research are particularly related to physical education pedagogy, health behaviour and peer interaction. The aim is to increase understanding of how these factors affect the learning, agency and overall well-being of children and young people, and to strengthen the research and development of physical education pedagogy in teacher education and physical education teacher education.

Physical education teacher education focuses on the physical activity, holistic well-being and learning of children and young people. The development of pedagogical expertise and competence and responding to culturally diverse competence requirements are essential in the education of physical education teachers. Physical education pedagogy studies the teaching of physical activity and the factors behind an active lifestyle. Research in physical education also focuses on promoting physical activity, holistic development and well-being, as well as a physically active lifestyle, especially in childhood and adolescence.

The duties include an active role in the planning, funding and management of national and international research activities. In addition, the assistant/associate professor supervises doctoral dissertations and master's theses and participates in the development of undergraduate and postgraduate degree education. The duties also include expert tasks in their own field as well as administrative tasks.

Apply between 20 March 2026 and 20 April 2026 16:00 (Europe/Helsinki)

Who we are looking for

A person selected for the post of assistant or associate professor must possess an appropriate doctoral degree, ability to conduct independent scientific work and experience in management of scientific research. In addition, the person must have evidence of international co-operation in their field of study, and the ability to provide high-quality teaching based on research and to supervise theses and dissertations.

The position is mainly meant for researchers who are pass the postdoc phase. When selecting a person for the I phase (assistant professor), especially academic potential and motivation for an academic career are taken into consideration. When selected for II phase (associate professor), the associate professor should already have significant scientific merits and clear potential for the tenure of a professor. When assessing the merits of the applicant, special emphasis will be put on academic potential and quality. Closer instructions on assessment criteria are given in the Rector’s decision on the Tenure Track career path system.

Successful performance of the task requires strong mastery of quantitative methods. Expertise in demanding statistical modelling and experience in processing, analysing and reporting results on extensive register and monitoring data are considered an advantage.

The person selected for the position is also required to have extensive knowledge and teaching experience in the field of physical education pedagogy and didactics. This includes a comprehensive understanding of the key phenomena of physical education and taking into account the importance of well-being. Experience in working as a physical education teacher educator and supervising teaching practices and developing teacher education is considered an advantage.

The person selected for the post is required to have good spoken and written skills in English and good spoken and written skills in Finnish or commitment to learning Finnish language.

We value collegiality and promote equality, diversity, and inclusivity. We encourage all qualified applicants with different backgrounds to apply for our open positions.

Benefits

We offer you responsible and interesting tasks and the opportunity to develop your professional skills in a versatile operating environment. You get a professional and inspiring team to support your work. We take care of your well-being at work and the functionality of your everyday life, e.g. with the help of flexible working hours and our well-being services.

Please read more about University of Turku as an employee from our Come work with us!  pages.

The European Commission has awarded the University of Turku the right to use the HR Excellence in Research logo . The logo is a token of the University's commitment to continuous development of the position and working conditions of researchers according to the guidelines set forth in the European Charter for Researchers. 

The university offers good support and orientation for international hires. Please learn more about the Finnish culture and relocation to Finland:

• City of Turku
• Welcome visitor
• International House of Turku
• Working culture: infoFinland.fi
• This is Finland
• Careers in Southwest Finland
• Finland - a superpower of education and innovations | University of Turku (utu.fi)

The University of Turku is among the top of the world’s universities in most rankings and among the best universities in the world in certain fields. Our high-quality basic research, a multidisciplinary research profile and close cooperation in research infrastructures creates the basis for international top research. Read more about University of Turku in international university rankings.

Salary and trial period

The salary is determined by the collective agreement system of Finnish universities for teaching and research personnel. The salary shall be determined when drawing up the employment contract.

The position is subject to a six-month trial period.

How to apply

Please submit your application through our online recruitment system. The closing date for applications is 20.4.2026 at 16.00 (Europe/Helsinki).

More information about the University of Turku's Tenure track -system, the position of assistant/associate professor and how to apply (e.g. the appendices to the application) and the recruitment process, is provided at:

Further information

For more information about the position, please contact Dean Marjaana Veermans, marjaana.veermans@utu.fi , puh. +358 50 337 9176.

For more information about the recruitment process, please contact Head of Faculty Administration Ulla Kiviaho, ulla.kiviaho@utu.fi , puh. +358 50 339 8126.

Department of teacher education

In the Department of Teacher Education the basis of teaching and learning are scientific and critical thinking, innovativeness, ethic responsibility and sense of community.

The Faculty of Education is a respected community engaged in research and education and a strong influencer in the education and training sector. The Faculty consists of the Department of Education in Turku, the Department of Teacher Education in Turku and in Rauma, and teacher training schools in both locations.

The University of Turku is an inspiring and international academic community of 25,000 students and staff in Southwest Finland. We build a sustainable future with multidisciplinary research, education, and collaboration. With us, your work will have a significant impact and relevance in the changing world.

See our open vacancies

Information for the applicant

The application form cannot be saved as a draft. However, after submitting you can return to edit your application via the link you receive by email. The application can be edited until the application deadline.

You have 6 hours to complete your application before the timeout.

Instructions for submitting a job application

Website

https://academicpositions.com/ad/university-of-turku/2026/assistant-or-associat…

Research Field

Educational sciences

Years of Research Experience

4 - 10

Research Field

Educational sciences

Years of Research Experience

4 - 10

Research Field

Sociology

Years of Research Experience

4 - 10

Website for additional job details

https://academicpositions.com

Number of offers available

1

Company/Institute

University of Turku

Country

Finland

City

Turku

Postal Code

20014

Street

Seminaarinkatu 1, 26100 Rauma

Geofield

City

Turku

Website

http://www.utu.fi/en/

Postal Code

FI-20014

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