Doctoral Researcher (Ethical and sustainable technologies, services and organizational practices (in gamification)), 2 positions

Tampere University and Tampere University of Applied Sciences create a unique environment for multidisciplinary, inspirational and high-impact research and education. Our universities community as its competitive edges in technology, health and society https://www.tuni.fi/en

Are you interested in the ethical ramifications of where novel information technologies are taking us? Do you often wonder whether technological break-throughs might be taking us towards dystopian scenarios familiar from sci-fi such as the Black Mirror? Are you curious about how our lives might be changing through humanity being increasingly mediated by the metaverse? Do ever question whether increased datafication, metricization and gamification will be detrimental to our creativity and well-being? If you find these questions fascinating, please consider applying for the doctoral researcher position to seek answers to them. APPLY HERE.

We are looking for highly motivated researchers, interested in understanding the ethical design and sustainable implementation of gamification, gaming technologies and systems into business, management, service, and marketing at the individual and organizational level. The positions are associated with the Academy of Finland PROFI 6 funded profiling area “Games as a platform to tackle grand challenges”.  And the accepted candidates will work in the Unit of Information and Knowledge Management at the Faculty of Management and Business, and in close collaboration with the members of the Gamification Group.

Job description

The candidate is expected to contribute to the following project under the supervision of Dr. Nannan Xi “GAMETH | Gamified services towards sustainable ends with ethical means” .

Work is mainly composed of research activities including research planning, data gathering, data analysis, article preparation, dissemination, and publishing. Moreover, the candidate is expected to participate in project work and funding acquisition. The teaching load is between 0-10% which can be negotiated. Candidates will be expected to enroll in an applicable doctoral program at Tampere University. The candidate may start the enrollment to a doctoral program after the candidate has been recruited, and therefore, the candidate does not need to hold a doctoral program position before applying.

Requirements

The below requirements are the qualities we envision to be suitable for the tasks defined in this project. However, we encourage all candidates from any disciplinary background who see themselves contributing to the project to apply.

• Minimum qualifications:
  • Applicable Master’s degree
• Research interests or expertise in some of the following:
  • Ethics, Sustainable consumption, Consumer literacy, Social responsibility, Consumer experience, Trust, Cultural dimensions, Cultural differences
  • Technoethics, Dark side of technology, Gamification, Game, Immersive technology, Virtual media, Metaverse, Augmented reality, Virtual reality
• Applicants are expected to possess some of the following abilities:
  • Qualitative research experience: designing and conducting qualitative research (such as interviews, workshops and focus groups), familiarity with qualitative data analysis; AND/OR
  • Experiment-based research experience: designing and conducting laboratory or field experiments, conducting psychophysiological measurement and quantitative data analysis; AND/OR
  • Development & programming: e.g., developing VR, AR or 3D gaming  environments, Implementing multimodal interfaces and psychophysiological measurements in VR
• Advantageous qualities:
  • Good scientific writing, presentation and communication skills in English (Finnish language skills are not required)
  • Impeccable academic article writing/preparation productivity
  • Drive for rigorous and impactful research
  • Drive for a career in research

In addition, successful candidates need to apply for and be granted a study right for a doctoral degree in the doctoral programme of the discipline. Please visit the admissions webpage https://www.tuni.fi/en/study-with-us/programmes/doctoral-programmes for more information on eligibility requirements.

We offer

The position will be filled for a fixed-term period until 28 February 2025, but it may continue after the given date. Work will begin on June 1, 2022, or as agreed. A trial period of six (6) months applies to all our new employees. The salary for this position consists of salary from university and project grant.

The salary will be based on both the job requirements and the employee’s personal performance in accordance with the salary system of Finnish universities. According to the criteria applied to teaching and research staff, the position of a Doctoral Researcher is placed on level 2—4 of the job requirements scale. A typical starting salary for Doctoral Researchers is approximately 2400-2500 EUR/month.

We offer a wide range of staff benefits, such as occupational health care, flexible working hours, excellent sports facilities on campus and several restaurants and cafés on campus with staff discounts. Please read more about working at Tampere University.

We are inviting you to be a part of a vibrant, active and truly international research community. We value interdisciplinarity, as it allows you to expand your research network and exposes you to new perspectives and ideas to solve complex research problems and pursue novel research findings. We are strongly committed to the highest level of scientific research and the provision of high-quality doctoral education.

How to apply

Please submit your application through our online recruitment system. The closing date for applications is 31st March 2022 (23:59 EET /UTC +2). Please write your application and all the accompanying documentation in English and attach them in PDF format.

Please attach only the following documents to your application:

• CV
• List of publications
• A motivation letter that briefly outlines: Your tentatively intended research related to the ethical design and implementation of gaming technologies and systems in business and service, motivation to apply, your background and skills related to positions, earliest starting date, and any other miscellaneous remarks that the candidate wishes to make
• Research plan describing how you are going to research the relevant topic (max 4 pages)
• Pdf copy of your MSc and BSc degree certificates, including transcripts of all university records and their English translations (Finnish and Swedish certificates are also accepted)
• Certificate of language proficiency

For further information, please contact:

For more information about the positions, please contact: tenure track -assistant professor Nannan Xi (nannan.xi(at)tuni.fi, + 358 505205991) and Professor Juho Hamari (juho.hamari(at)tuni.fi)

With questions about the application process, please contact HR specialist Inkeri Koskela, inkeri.koskela@tuni.fi

***

About the Information and Knowledge Management Unit

The Information and Knowledge Management Unit at Tampere University employs 7 professors and over 40 professionals working on research and teaching in the field. With the digital transformation reshaping our society, information and knowledge management serves as a bridge between, for example, the fields of IT, the built environment, signal processing, business, administration and health sciences. We have several multidisciplinary projects underway that address the current challenges facing our society, illustrating the ongoing shift towards increasingly multidisciplinary studies.

Information and knowledge management is a discipline that studies and develops tools, processes, techniques and practices for gathering, analysing, refining and using knowledge throughout an organisation. This holistic approach is needed when resolving practical challenges in both the private and public sectors. Our research is internationally recognised in the fields of Information Systems (IS) and Knowledge management (KM) and we maintain close ties with the international scientific community. We are committed to research that delivers practical benefits and to generating new knowledge, solutions and expertise that support informed decision-making across society.

About Gamification Group

Gamification Group (GG) at Faculty of Information Technology and Communication Sciences, Tampere University (headed by Prof. Hamari) is internationally revered for seminal academic and societal contributions in the areas of novel technologies such as motivational information systems (e.g. gamification, game-based learning, quantified-self, persuasive technologies), internet commerce (e.g. crowdsourcing, crowdfunding, sharing economies, game economies), new media (e.g. esports, streaming, immersive journalism) as well as human-computer interaction (VR / AR, wearables, transhumanism, user interfaces). However, GG is especially recognized as the birthing ground for the general umbrella field of gamification research where GG is one of the most prolific research groups internationally in its pursuit to wield gameful approaches towards the flourishing of the planet, people and prosperity.