Professor, Preventive Medicine

The University of Oulu is a multidisciplinary, international research university, with about 3,600 employees who produce new knowledge based on high-standards research and provide research based education to build a more sustainable, smarter, and more humane world. The University of Oulu community has about 17,000 people in total. Our northern scientific community operates globally and creates conditions for the emergence of innovations.  

We are now looking for a

Professor, Preventive Medicine

for a part-time (30%) position for five years, starting in 2026, to join us in the Research Unit of Population Health, Faculty of Medicine.

The Faculty of Medicine is a multidisciplinary faculty consisting of five research units: Population Health, Clinical Medicine, Health Sciences and Technology, Translational Medicine, and Biomedicine and Internal Medicine.

The Research Unit of Population Health is a multidisciplinary unit that conducts research across the fields of population health, general practice, occupational health, geriatrics, and global health. Due to the extensive research field, the unit's activities cover a wide variety of topics, including disease prevention, environmental medicine, health care system architecture, clinical epidemiology, and computational medicine.

The Professor of Preventive Medicine is a new position, facilitated by donation funds. The position requires a new level of cooperation and pooling of resources in concerted efforts with different resources and study groups to achieve new approaches to knowledge and prevention. This requires collaboration in research, education, and innovation at all levels and with most of the research units of the Faculty of Medicine (fundamental, translational, clinical, and technical), as well as the Health Care System Providers of Northern Finland and Oulu University Hospital.

About the job

• The professor will be a dynamic individual who provides vision, leadership, and mentoring in the field of Preventive Medicine.
• The professor is responsible for undergraduate and postgraduate training, especially the implementation of entrustable professional activities in postgraduate training as part of clinicians' daily work.
• Qualifications of the successful candidate include a doctoral degree, high-quality scientific competence, experience in supervising scientific research, ability to provide high-quality education based on research, supervision of doctoral theses, and evidence of international collaboration in their field of research and training.
• When assessing the applicant’s merits, considerations include scientific publications and other research achievements, teaching experience, pedagogical training, and other teaching merits. Additionally, the applicant’s activity in the scientific community, practical experience within the field, success in acquiring domestic and international research funding, scientific work abroad, and other international activities will be taken into account.
• The teaching language at the University of Oulu, Faculty of Medicine is Finnish and good knowledge of Finnish is required. Language of teaching and clinical work should be Finnish.
• Local work in contrast to remote work is required, so that the professor should be mostly present at the University of Oulu

What we offer?

• Work that matters and a workplace that promotes flexibility and work-life balance. Read more about working with us.
• The support of an experienced and enthusiastic team where you can share your expertise and grow as an expert.
• Wellness benefit ePassi covering sport, culture and well-being. Read more about other staff benefits.
• We have an HR Excellence in Research -quality label which is a recognition awarded by the European Commission for the development of researchers’ working conditions and careers.
• If you are moving from abroad, we offer comprehensive relocation packages to support your smooth relocation to Oulu.
• Finland is one of the most livable countries in the world, with a high quality of life, safety, excellent education system, and competitive economy. Read more about living in Oulu

Who are you?

To succeed and enjoy the position, we expect you to have:

• A doctoral degree in a relevant field
• High-quality scientific competence
• Experience in supervising scientific research
• The ability to provide high-quality education based on research and supervise doctoral theses
• Evidence of international collaboration in the field of Preventive Medicine and training
• The ability to act as an academic leader
• Practical familiarity with the field of preventive medicine
• The teaching language at the University of Oulu, Faculty of Medicine is Finnish, and good knowledge of Finnish is required. 
• Fluent written and spoken English

We also appreciate:

• Specialist degree in a relevant field
• When assessing the applicant’s merits, issues taken into consideration include scientific publications and other research achievements, teaching experience, pedagogical training and other teaching merits.
• Things considered to the applicant's advantage are active research in related medical disciplines, networking both nationally and internationally, and experience in administration.
• The applicant’s activity in the scientific community, practicality within the field concerned, and success in acquiring domestic and international research funding.

Salary

The position is part-time (30%) for five years, starting in 2026. The salary will be based on the levels 8 – 10 of the demand level chart for teaching and research personnel of the salary system of Finnish Universities. In addition, a salary component based on personal work performance will be paid (a maximum of 50 % of the job-specific component). A trial period of 6 months is applied for the position.

How to apply?

Interested? If yes, please apply by June 10^th, 2025 (23:59 Finnish local time) through our recruitment system.

The application should be written in English and include the following:

1. Cover letter
2. CV following the guidelines of the Finnish Advisory Board on Research Integrity (Tutkimuseettinen neuvottelukunta).
3. List of publication following the guidelines of the Academy of Finland
4. Brief account of research merits
5. Teaching portfolio or a comparable document including merits of relevance to the position

• Teaching philosophy, teaching strategies and methods
• Teacher’s self-reflection on his/her teaching style, a personal background idea of teaching; how are these reflected in teaching?
• A description of oneself as a teacher and an implementer of educational work
• Practical experience in teaching and efforts to improve teaching
• Description of educational material (curricula, handouts, assignments, workbooks)
• Professional development as a teacher
• Evaluation of teaching (student evaluations, peer evaluations, awards and assessed test lectures)
• Plans for future directions of teaching in the discipline concerned

6. Details regarding acquisition of research funds
7. Research action plan in English with a special emphasis on how the plan benefits the above-mentioned focus areas of the faculty and university (max 3 pages).
8. Contact details of 2–4 persons available for recommendation.

The eligible applicants fitting best in the profile expected for the position will be invited to an on-site or remote interview. All applicants will be notified during the selection process.

We welcome applicants from all backgrounds, such as people of different ages, genders, and lingual, cultural, or minority groups.

The selection process follows the University of Oulu recruitment guidelines. The process is carried out by a recruitment committee. The candidates that are considered most suitable by the recruitment committee will also undergo an expert evaluation assessing the following merits:

• Scientific activities and their reflection in the publication record, scientific presentations, and other recognitions, e.g. awards and patents
• Teaching activities and their evaluation (teaching portfolio; including student’s evaluation)
• Supervision of diploma and doctoral students
• Acquisition of competitive research funds
• International scientific activities and contacts
• Services for the academic community
• Academic and societal relevance and potential of activities

Contact Information

For further information regarding filling of this post:
Juha Auvinen, Professor, Research Unit of Population Health

email: juha.auvinen(at)oulu.fi

For further information regarding the recruitment process:
Tiina Pääkkönen, HR Manager, Faculty of Medicine

email: tiina.paakkonen(at)oulu.fi