Aalto University is where science and art meet technology and business. We shape a sustainable future by making research breakthroughs in and across our disciplines, sparking the game changers of tomorrow and creating novel solutions to major global challenges. Our community is made up of 120 nationalities, 14 000 students, 400 professors and close to 5000 other faculty and staff working on our dynamic campus in Espoo, Greater Helsinki, Finland. Diversity is part of who we are, and we actively work to ensure our community’s diversity and inclusiveness. This is why we warmly encourage qualified candidates from all backgrounds to join our community.
The Department of Design is is a community of creative and responsible researchers and design experts. We educate front-line design professionals and visionaries for established, changing and emerging fields of design. (https://www.aalto.fi/en/department-of-design).
NODUS Sustainable Design Research Group is globally recognized for transdisciplinary design research to achieve sustainable futures. The research group is currently active in transition design, value-sensitive design, behavioural design and more-than-human/multispecies design in the contexts of sustainability transitions governance and urban transformations. (https://nodus.aalto.fi)
We are now looking for a
Postdoctoral researcher in design for transformative urban futures
Are you a researcher with a passion for design research and urban sustainability transformations? We are looking for you!
This position offers a unique opportunity for an ambitious researcher to co-develop and implement a project to generate knowledge and impact towards sustainable urban futures. We expect such project will mobilize theories, tools and methods of participatory design and futures studies and can be done in partnership with City of Helsinki. The initial contract is two years with a possibility for one additional year of extension. The starting time is negotiable but at the latest January 2026. The salary range for this position follows Aalto guidelines and will be in the range of is 3900 - 4300 €/month depending on the expertise and CV of the candidate.
Your role and goals
You will facilitate collaborative development and implementation of a research project under the broad theme of this call. You will undertake qualitative research in real-life settings grounded in a research-through-design approach. You will engage with societal stakeholders relevant to envisioning of and enacting towards transformative urban futures that are sustainable, resilient and just. In addition to undertaking research, leading and co-authoring academic publications, the postdoctoral researcher will also develop research outputs or interm research-based artefacts that build bridges between academic knowledge, policy making and citizen action. They will also contribute into teaching in the interdisciplinary Creative Sustainability master’s program, and preparation of research funding applications in the NODUS Sustainable Design Research Group.
Your network and team
You will be working as a member of the NODUS Sustainable Design Research Group in the Department of Design, Aalto University, Finland. You will be supervised by Prof. İdil Gaziulusoy and supported by a team of leading design research experts in the Department of Design.
Your experience and ambitions
The successful candidate will have: - A doctoral degree in systemic design, futures studies, urban studies, sustainability science or a field relevant to the position. Rather than the disciplinary situatedness, the relevance of the past research experience and vision for this role is important;
- Experience in inter/transdisciplinary research;
- Experience in producing high quality academic outputs and communicating research results across a range of different stakeholders;
- Experience in collaborative and participatory research with stakeholders;
- Experience in workshop facilitation and stakeholder engagement;
- Expertise in a topic or topics relevant to the broad theme of the call;
- Excellent skills in English is required. Working proficiency in Finnish is considered as an advantage;
- Experience in grant application preparation is considered as an advantage.
Join us!
Please submit your application through our recruitment system
by June 3rd. In your application, please share the following materials in separate pdf-files with us:
- An up-to-date academic CV including a list of publications;
- A motivation letter describing how you meet the criteria for the role and your ambition for the role;
- A portfolio of maximum 10 pages demonstrating up to three earlier projects relevant to the call (in case of collaborative projects please explicitly define your role and responsibilities in achieving the outputs);
- A preliminary research proposal of maximum six pages responding to the theme of the call: Design for Transformative Urban Futures. The following topics are of current interest but we are open to consider other relevant topical foci: multispecies urban futures; imagination infrastructures; engaging citizens for climate change mitigation and adaptation; including voices of migrants in urban futures
- Names and contact details of two referees (to be contacted if you are shortlisted and had a successful interview)
Please note: Aalto University’s employees should apply for the position via our internal system Workday -> Internal Jobs by using their existing Workday user account.
For more information about the role, please contact Prof. İdil Gaziulusoy by calling +358 505671137 on May 26th between 10:00-12:00 EEST (11:00-13:00 CET).
For questions related to the application process, please contact HR Partner katju.helminen(at)aalto.fi.
What we offer- Meaningful and inspiring environment. We are proud of our purpose to shape a sustainable future. We spark the game changers of tomorrow, and renew society with research-based knowledge, creativity and an entrepreneurial mindset.
- Culture that inspires and includes everyone. All our work is guided by the values of the university: responsibility, courage, and collaboration. It’s the people that create Aalto, now and in the future. We want to be an open community where equality and inclusion enable curiosity, innovation, collaboration and wellbeing.
- Responsible and meaningful role contributing into our academic and societal impact, and in the end, in the wellbeing and development of our society.
- Great possibilities for competence development and learning to support your career development.
Our vast array of professional development opportunities means you will grow and learn, having the chance to participate actively in staff trainings and development projects based on your interests and needs. We value work-life balance and well-being in all aspects of life. We work in a hybrid model, with the primary workplace located at the Otaniemi Campus in Espoo. Life on the campus is vibrant, featuring stunning architecture, tranquil nature, and a variety of cafes, restaurants, and services, all complemented by excellent public transportation connections.
Read more about working at Aalto:
https://www.aalto.fi/en/careers-at-aalto
Check out our new virtual campus experience:
https://virtualtour.aalto.fi/
About Finland
Finland is a great place for living with or without family - it is a safe, politically stable and well-organized Nordic society. Finland is consistently ranked high in quality of life and was listed again as the happiest country in the world:
World Happiness Report 2025
For more information about living in Finland:
Aalto Careers for International Staff .
