Doctoral Researcher in Literary Studies or History

The Faculty of Social Sciences at Tampere University invites applications for 1-2 Doctoral Researchers in literary studies or history. The duration of employment is determined by the progress of the doctoral studies and thesis work and is limited up to a maximum of four years, starting in January 2027 or as agreed. The positions are open within Academy Professor Sari Kivistö’s project, The Verses of Learning: Epideixis and the Cultural Stories of Nature at Early Modern Universities (VERSITAS), funded by the Research Council of Finland (2026-2031). The project examines the relationships between poetry, rhetoric, and nature in the early modern period, as well as their roots and continuities in earlier and later centuries. Myths and cultural narratives were an important part of early modern natural history and shaped experiences of nature. The project argues that understanding nature from a cultural perspective requires attention to the literary forms, genres, and rhetorical strategies through which it was represented. Through the study of scientific writing and occasional literature from the early modern period and adjacent centuries, we investigate how literary and stylistic devices shape relationships between humans and nature. Based in the Faculty of Social Sciences at Tampere University, the project offers a supportive and inspiring working environment, as well as excellent opportunities for researchers to advance their skills and careers.