Vacant job

Description of the Unit

Várdduo – Centre for Sámi Research is a unit at Umeå University that coordinates and initiates research on and about Sápmi, focusing on Sámi and other indigenous cultures, societies, history, and languages. Várdduo is a meeting place for researchers and doctoral students from various disciplines whose research has Sámi or indigenous-related connections. Currently, research is primarily conducted on history, land rights and land conflicts, natural resource exploitation, education, and health. Várdduo provides an inspiring research environment and serves as a valuable platform for creative exchanges that enrich research in various ways. Várdduo is a unique competence centre for Sámi research in Sweden, with research dissemination and collaboration as central parts of its operations. The work is highly characterized by collaboration with indigenous communities, and a key starting point is that research results should benefit indigenous communities. Please visit the unit's website for more information: https://www.umu.se/vardduo-centrum-for-samisk-forskning/ (https://www.umu.se/vardduo-centrum-for-samisk-forskning/).

Várdduo is now seeking a postdoctoral researcher in Sámi research. The position is for three years full-time, with a start date of 2027-01-01 or as agreed.

Project Description

The postdoctoral researcher will, together with the project leader, conduct research within the project Sesame – The Hidden History of Settled Sámi in the Agrarian Society, funded by the European Research Council during the period 2026–2030. "Settled Sámi" refers to Sámi people who have been permanently settled outside the Lapland areas and reindeer grazing mountains and who have worked entirely or partially within the agrarian society. The goal of the project is to gain a holistic understanding of the Sámi population in agricultural rural areas before 1900, primarily in Sweden but also in Norway and Finland, as well as to examine connections between the different countries. Read more about the project at: https://www.umu.se/forskning/projekt/sesame--bygdesamernas-dolda-historia-i-bondesamhallet/ (https://www.umu.se/forskning/projekt/sesame--bygdesamernas-dolda-historia-i-bondesamhallet/).

Responsibilities

The postdoctoral researcher will work on research regarding settled Sámi within present-day Finland. This involves reviewing previously published literature and research, as well as locating, reading, and interpreting archival material in the form of handwritten documents from the 16th century onwards. Reading texts in both Finnish and Swedish will be part of the work. The postdoctoral researcher will also analyze the studied material to contribute to a better understanding of the history of settled Sámi in Finland and their connections to Sámi in other areas, both within Finland and in Sweden and Norway, thereby enabling comparisons of the living conditions of settled Sámi in the three countries.

The postdoctoral researcher will contribute to the development of Várdduo's research environment by actively participating in seminars as well as work-related meetings and activities. Teaching may occur later in the employment, but no more than 20% of full-time equivalent.

Qualifications

To be employed as a postdoctoral researcher, a doctoral degree or a foreign degree assessed as equivalent to a doctoral degree in a subject relevant to the planned research project, preferably history, is required. This eligibility requirement must be met at the latest by the time the employment decision is made.

To be employed under the postdoctoral agreement, preference is given to candidates who have obtained the degree mentioned in the previous paragraph no more than three years prior to the last application date. In case of special reasons, candidates who obtained their doctoral degree earlier may also be considered. Special reasons include leave due to illness, parental leave, trust positions within trade unions, service in the total defence, or other similar circumstances, as well as clinical service or service/assignments relevant to the subject area.

A prerequisite for being employed as a postdoctoral researcher is that the person has not previously been employed as a postdoctoral researcher for more than one year in the same or closely related subject area at Umeå University.

Excellent knowledge of both Swedish and Finnish is a requirement for the position. The postdoctoral researcher must also have experience reading historical manuscripts in both neo-Gothic (German) and Latin scripts, as well as experience searching in Finnish archives. The ability to work independently and good collaborative skills to achieve the project's objectives are also requirements for the position.

Desirable Qualifications

Documented knowledge of Finnish history before 1900, as well as Sámi history and culture, is meritorious.

Application

The application should include:

• A brief description of previous research experience (max 2 pages) clearly demonstrating relevance to the planned project
• CV
• Notarized copies of degree certificates and other relevant documentation
• Publication list
• Contact information for two reference persons

The application must be written in Swedish. The application should be submitted via the e-recruitment system Varbi by 2026-06-15 at the latest.

Other Information

The position is a fixed-term full-time employment for three years, with a start date of 2027-01-01 or as agreed. Physical presence at the Várdduo research environment in Umeå to an extent determined in consultation with the project leader and director is required. Periodically, it may be necessary to conduct archival studies in Finland.

Further information about the position can be obtained from researcher and project leader Gudrun Norstedt (090-786 71 91, [email protected]), director Christina Storm Mienna (090-786 51 71, [email protected]), and HR specialist Roxana Wikström ([email protected]).

We look forward to receiving your application!