Postdoctoral Researcher in Legal History

• The University of Helsinki's MePhiS Centre of Excellence is hiring a Postdoctoral Researcher in Legal History for a three‑year fixed‑term position starting in January 2027 (or earlier/later as agreed).
• The researcher will pursue legal history research on medieval or early modern responses to suffering, author peer‑reviewed publications, collaborate within the team, and perform teaching and administrative duties (about 5–10% of working time).
• Applicants must hold a doctoral degree in a relevant humanities or social science field, have expertise in medieval or early modern legal history, excellent English communication skills, and a capacity for independent scholarly work and teaching.
• The annual gross salary is €43,000–€50,000 (level 5 plus personal component), and applicants must submit a CV, list of publications, a one‑page motivation letter and a max. 3‑page research proposal by 30 September 2026.

The Centre of Excellence in Meliorist Philosophy of Suffering (MePhiS), funded by the Research Council of Finland at the University of Helsinki and Tampere University, invites application for a Postdoctoral Researcher position in Legal History. The position is open within MePhiS’s research team History of Ethics and Law of Responding to Suffering hosted by the Faculty of Theology at the University of Helsinki City Centre Campus. The position is fix-term for three years starting in January 2027 or earlier/later as agreed.

MePhiS engages in philosophical and interdisciplinary scholarship that places the concept of suffering at the centre of philosophical reflection and offers conceptual and argumentative tools for a deeper understanding of human engagement with affliction, starting from the meliorist (Lat. melior, better) idea that the world can and should be made better through active human efforts. According to meliorism, a positive outcome is neither guaranteed (optimism) nor impossible (pessimism).

The team History of Ethics and Law of Responding to Suffering (WP3) explores how life-threatening phenomena in history (e.g., wars, famine, and natural catastrophes) have challenged ethical and legal norms and demanded not only to take seriously human and non-human suffering but to act and struggle – if necessary, at the border of law or breaking the law – to survive. We ask how crisis situations were anticipated or addressed in medieval/early modern legislation and politics. The team further explores how these historical responses to extremes can reflect on meliorist stance to suffering.

The Postdoctoral Researcher will be responsible for

• pursuing the research aims described above in the context of legal history;
• authoring scholarly publications independently and collaboratively on these topics;
• collaborating with other members of the MePhiS, including through joint publications and other research activities; and
• contributing to teaching and administrative duties, amounting to approximately 5-10 % of the working time.

Requirements for the position and assessment of qualifications

We are looking for a candidate with expertise in legal history, specializing in medieval or early modern period, and interested in advancing the research aims described above. Applicants must hold a doctoral degree in a relevant field within the humanities or social sciences and have the ability to conduct independent scholarly work as well as the teaching skills necessary for the position. Other academic activities of MePhiS are expected. A pre-existing interest in the general theme of the CoE is an advantage. The working language of MePhiS is English, and excellent written and oral communication skills in English are required.

When assessing applicants’ qualifications, attention will be paid to international academic activities, including high-quality peer-reviewed publications. Applicants should be prepared to provide proof of their qualifications upon request. Please do not submit AI-generated proposals.

What we offer

The position is fix-term for three years starting in January 2027 or earlier/later as agreed. A six-month trial period applies to new employees at University of Helsinki.

The salary for the position 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 annual gross salary is €43,000 - €50,000.

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 on average per year.

The appointee is expected to reside in Finland while employed by the University of Helsinki. The university is an internationally renowned research university offering a wide range of staff benefits, including occupational health care and health insurance, flexible working hours, excellent campus sports facilities, and opportunities for professional development.

The University provides support for internationally recruited employees with their transition to work and life in Finland. More information here.

The Faculty of Theology is well-known for its internationally acknowledged research in the fields represented by MePhiS, and there are close ties with the Faculty of Law, the Faculty of Humanities, the Faculty of Social Science, and the Faculty of Education, as well as other units on the City Centre Campus.

The Faculty of Theology and the University of Helsinki welcomes applicants from a variety of genders, linguistic and cultural backgrounds, and minorities. 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 our positions.

Click this link to read about accessibility and inclusivity at our University.
 

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How to apply

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

• CV (max. 3 pages, including contact details of two referees)
• A list of publications  
• A letter of motivation (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.
• A research proposal (max. 3 pages) consisting of
• a description of how your previous research experience and current work align with the overarching aims of the team of History of Ethics and Law of Responding to Suffering;
• 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.

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 closing date for applications is 30 September 2026 (at 23:56/UTC+3). The online interviews to shortlisted candidates will be announced later.

For further information about the position please contact the project PI, Senior University Lecturer Virpi Mäkinen, virpi.makinen(at)helsinki.fi. 

For questions regarding the application process, please contact recruitment(at)helsinki.fi (please indicate in the heading which position you are inquiring about).  

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