Postdoctoral researcher in complexity-aligned innovation and institutional design

Aalto University is where science and art meet technology and business. We shape a sustainable future by making research breakthroughs in and across our disciplines, sparking the game changers of tomorrow and creating novel solutions to major global challenges. Our community is made up of 120 nationalities, 14 000 students, 400 professors and close to 5000 other faculty and staff working on our dynamic campus in Espoo, Greater Helsinki, Finland. Diversity is part of who we are, and we actively work to ensure our community’s diversity and inclusiveness. This is why we warmly encourage qualified candidates from all backgrounds to join our community.

The Department of Design is s a community of creative and responsible researchers and design experts. We educate front-line design professionals and visionaries for established, changing and emerging fields of design. (https://www.aalto.fi/en/department-of-design). NODUS Sustainable Design Research Group is globally recognized for transdisciplinary design research to achieve sustainable futures. The research group is currently active in transition design, value-sensitive design, behavioural design and more-than-human/multispecies design in the contexts of sustainability transitions governance and urban transformations. (https://nodus.aalto.fi)

We are now looking for a

Postdoctoral researcher in complexity-aligned innovation and institutional design

Are you a researcher excited by complexity/systems theory and collective intelligence, and eager to do empirical work on how innovation systems can be reimagined for an age of systemic disruption?

This position offers a unique opportunity for an ambitious researcher to help develop and implement research on complexity-aligned innovation governance — investigating how innovation systems can move beyond a single growth logic toward the capacity to sense different strategic contexts and respond with appropriate institutional postures. The work mobilises complexity and systems, innovation studies, collective intelligence and participatory, action-research methods, in close engagement with Finnish and international innovation-ecosystem actors. The position is part of the Business Finland–funded project on Tech-Enabled Institutional Innovation.

The contract is 12–15 months depending on starting time. The salary range for this position follows Aalto guidelines and will be in the range of 4160 – 4300 €/month depending on the expertise of the candidate. The position requires residency in Finland for the duration of the contract.

Your role and goals

You will contribute to both the conceptual and empirical development of the project. On the empirical side, you will undertake qualitative research in real-life innovation settings — conducting in-depth interviews with innovation-ecosystem actors and designing and facilitating co-creative workshops — grounded in an action-research approach in which the research process itself helps to co-create new innovation practices. On the conceptual side, you will contribute to literature reviews and to building the project’s theoretical foundations. You will engage with societal stakeholders across research, policy, business, and civic domains. In addition to undertaking research, leading and co-authoring high-quality academic publications, you will help develop research-based outputs that build bridges between academic knowledge, policy making, and practice.

Your experience and ambitions

The successful candidate will have:

• A doctoral degree in innovation studies, complexity science, science and technology studies, sustainability science, systemic design, or a field relevant to the position. Rather than the disciplinary situatedness, the relevance of past research experience and vision for this role is more important
• A strong grounding in complexity theory and a demonstrated interest in applying it to empirical research in innovation, organisational, or governance contexts is an advantage
• Knowledge of innovation management, innovation policy, collective intelligence or transition/transformation studies (or closely related fields);
• Experience in inter/transdisciplinary research;
• Experience in producing high quality academic outputs — including both conceptual and empirical papers — and communicating research results across a range of different stakeholders;
• Experience in collaborative and participatory research with stakeholders;
• Experience in workshop facilitation and stakeholder engagement; experience in workshop or process design is considered an advantage;
• Excellent academic writing and publication skills;
• Excellent skills in English are required. Working proficiency in Finnish or Swedish is considered as an advantage;
• Experience in grant application preparation is considered as an advantage.

Join us!
Please submit your application through our recruitment system by August 10th. In your application, please share the following materials with us:

•  An up-to-date academic CV including a list of publications
• A motivation letter describing how you meet the criteria for the role and your ambition for the role;
• 2 academic publications (in pdf format) in which the applicant has a lead role in at least one and a significant role in the other.
• Names and contact details of two referees (to be contacted if you are shortlisted and had a successful interview)

Please note: Aalto University’s employees should apply for the position via our internal system Workday -> Internal Jobs by using their existing Workday user account. 

For more information about the role, please contact Professor of Practice Sara Lindeman by calling +358 504485040 on August 3rd between 10:00-12:00 EEST (11:00-13:00 CET).  For questions related to the application process, please contact katju.helminen(at)aalto.fi (back to work on July 27th)

Please note that possible interview will be scheduled from 24.8 onwards. We would like to see our new colleague starting as soon as possible.

What we offer

·       Meaningful and inspiring environment. We are proud of our purpose to shape a sustainable future. We spark the game changers of tomorrow, and renew society with research-based knowledge, creativity and an entrepreneurial mindset.

·       Culture that inspires and includes everyone. All our work is guided by the values of the university: responsibility, courage, and collaboration.  It’s the people that create Aalto, now and in the future. We want to be an open community where equality and inclusion enable curiosity, innovation, collaboration and wellbeing.

·       Responsible and meaningful role contributing into our academic and societal impact, and in the end, in the wellbeing and development of our society.

• Societal impact with wide stakeholder interaction and policy influence

·       Great possibilities for competence development and learning to support your career development.

Our vast array of professional development opportunities means you will grow and learn, having the chance to participate actively in staff trainings and development projects based on your interests and needs. We value work-life balance and well-being in all aspects of life. We work in a hybrid model, with the primary workplace located at the Otaniemi Campus in Espoo. Life on the campus is vibrant, featuring stunning architecture, tranquil nature, and a variety of cafes, restaurants, and services, all complemented by excellent public transportation connections.

Read more about working at Aalto: https://www.aalto.fi/en/careers-at-aalto

Check out our new virtual campus experience: https://virtualtour.aalto.fi/

About Finland

Finland is a great place for living with or without family – it is a safe, politically stable and well-organized Nordic society. Finland is consistently ranked high in quality of life and was listed again as the happiest country in the world: World Happiness Report 2025

For more information about living in Finland: Aalto Careers for International Staff .

More about Aalto University:

Aalto.fi
youtube.com/user/aaltouniversity
linkedin.com/school/aalto-university/
www.facebook.com/aaltouniversity
instagram.com/aaltouniversity

To view information about Workday Accessibility, please click here.

Please see more of our Open Positions here.