Application instructions

Non-funded positions

Applicants for non-funded positions should begin the application process by asking further instructions from the UCIT coordinator (ucit-coordinator [at] sis.uta.fi).

Funded positions

Doctoral Program in User-Centered Information Technology (UCIT) opens a call for 8 funded positions for the period of 1.4.2012 - 31.12.2013. The deadline for the applications is the 29th of February 2012.

UCIT is a national network for doctoral training in the area of human-computer and human-technology interaction. Accepted doctoral students must be by the time when they start their funding period officially accepted as postgraduate students in one of the member departments, schools or units that belong to the UCIT member network. They must also have an adjunct Professor (i.e. docent) or a Professor level supervisor from the member network. The applicants can check the membership status either from "About us", their supervisors, or by contacting the coordinator of UCIT.

The maximum length of the positions is 21 months. If the applicant cannot accept the position beginning on 1.4.2012, it is possible to start it at latest on 1.5.2012. A delay in starting the position will shorten the position by the length of the delay of starting the position.

Applicants that can show the ability to finish their PhDs by the end of 2013 can be given a priority in this call. However, also promising applicants who are in the early phase of their doctoral plan are equally competitive, provided that they have a realistic funding plan for completing their doctoral work.

Instructions for applying can be found at "Applying to UCIT". Applications that fail to follow the instructions (e.g. the research plan is too long) or are otherwise incomplete will not be handled. Further inquiries can be addressed to the coordinator of UCIT. Email: ucit-coordinator [at] sis.uta.fi.

The application

The applications are submitted in three copies (two hard copies and an electronic one). They are addressed to the Board of UCIT and contain (in Finnish, Swedish or English) the following items:

  1. The application form properly filled in. The forms are available in MS Word and PDF formats, in English (docx PDF) and in Finnish (docx, PDF). Finnish students are encouraged to use the Finnish version of the form.
  2. Curriculum Vitae, including a list of publications.
  3. A research plan. The research plan should be at most 6 pages long (font size 12 points, 2.5 cm margins all around). It should explain
    • the background, objectives, significance, originality, and methods of the proposed research,
    • the relevance to user-centered research and development of information technology,
    • the research question(s) stated clearly and related to the chosen research methods and overall objectives of the research.
    • the present stage of the research, and
    • plan for the realisation of the proposed research.
    See additional guidelines from this slide set, "About Research Plan".
  4. A listing of courses taken after obtaining a Master's degree.
  5. A letter of introduction in which the applicant states:
    • his/her research interests,
    • which unit or research group the applicant is interested in,
    • the reasons for pursuing graduate studies at UCIT,
    • career objectives in the field of user-centered information technology, and
    • a financing plan, indicating whether funding from UCIT is desired.
  6. Two reference letters. One of the reference letters must be from the intended primary supervisor of the applicant's intended dissertation work in UCIT. The primary supervisor must have either the adjunct professor (i.e., docent), or professor level qualification. The reference letter must include a brief description of the intended research environment of the applicant and description of the supervisor's doctoral training activities including:
    a) the number of dissertations supervised to completion during the 5 last years and
    b) the number of doctoral dissertations currently supervised.
    The format and content of the second reference letter is not regulated.

The documents in items 1-6 above must also be sent as one zip-file by email to the coordinator of UCIT (ucit-coordinator [at] sis.uta.fi). Both the paper copies and the email must be submitted by the deadline given above. In addition, the following documents must be submitted (but a single copy of these is sufficient):

  1. Officially confirmed copies of all relevant diplomas (with an officially confirmed English translation, if the original is not in Finnish, Swedish or English).
  2. For foreign applicants who do not speak English as their mother tongue, an official certificate of TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) or other proof of language proficiency.

The applications are submitted to the Registry, FIN-33014 University of Tampere, Finland.

Applications submitted only by electronic mail (or fax) are not accepted, although additional information can be supplied in this way. The coordinator of UCIT is happy to answer questions by e-mail (ucit-coordinator [at] sis.uta.fi).

Based on the applications, the Board of UCIT can invite promising applicants to give a presentation and a short interview. Applications will not be returned.