Two Doctoral/Project Researcher Positions for Product-Service Systems Design

The Turku Design Studio of the University of Turku is recruiting two Doctoral Researchers/Project Researchers for new “Dining Flow” project funded by Business Finland. The objective of the Dining Flow project is to enhance experiences of diners and service providers and to reduce food waste in Self Service Restaurants (SSR) by offering smart service systems to support decision making activities of SSR stakeholders based on structured representations of activities and experiences of diners and service providers in conjunction with data obtained from SSR stakeholders and various SSR artifacts including building environment.

Researcher for Position 1 will conduct research primarily in the work package for Kitchen Area Process and Experiences with involvement on Dining Area Process and Experiences. This position will start as early as May 5, 2023. Researcher for Position 2 will conduct research primarily in the work package for Design and Development of a Smart Service System for SSR. Position 2 will be open starting August 1, 2023.

Collaboration with researchers in the Department of Computing and Functional Foods Forum will be significantly involved. Other research efforts at the Turku Design Studio includes Product-Service System Design for Smart Shipbuilding as well as diverse Sustainable Experience Design.

Requirements:

The candidates are required to have either design or engineering or related field background. We are looking for Doctoral Researchers/Project Researchers with experiences in Service Design or Product-Service Systems Design with research interest in Smart Product-Service Systems and Design Informatics. Exposures and interests in Design for Affordance would also be helpful.

The qualification requirements of the position are stated in the University of Turku rules of Procedure. Persons selected for the post of Doctoral Researcher/Project Researcher are required to have a higher university degree. In addition, when acquiring his or her degree or otherwise, a doctoral researcher is required to have demonstrated the ability and motivation to undertake postgraduate studies and the capacity to complete a doctoral degree in accordance with the research plan. Master degree must be completed before the end of the application period.

If the selected person does not have a study right for a doctoral programme when they are selected, their title will firstly be project researcher and they must apply for a doctoral programme during the next possible application period (Fall 2023). Read more about University of Turku’s Graduate school UTUGS and its programmes here: https://www.utu.fi/en/research/utugs. Thus, please check the student information and application criteria. In particular, please pay attention to mandatory skill level in English. Fluent oral and written communication skills in English are required in the positions.

The salaries are determined in accordance with the University salary system for teaching and research personnel. For a doctoral researcher / project researcher, the salary will be commensurate with qualifications and experiences based on the University salary system and will in the beginning of the employment be approximately 2300-2400 €/month.

There is a trial period of six (6) months.

Applications for Position 1 for Experience Design for Self-Service Restaurants must be submitted by Tuesday, May 2, 2023 (23.59) and applications for Position 2 for Smart Service System Design for Self-Service Restaurants must be submitted by Wednesday 31st of May 2023 (23.59) using the electronic application form of the University of Turku at the following address: https://www.utu.fi/en/university/come-work-with-us/open-vacancies  Applications should include a CV, a publication list, degree diplomas, and a motivation letter. In your application, you can tell more detail about your design research interests and plans as well as suitability for the research project.

For further information, contact Professor Yong Se Kim (yongse.kim@utu.fi). For questions related to the application process, contact HR Specialist Sarian Kotka (sarian.kotka@utu.fi).