Part-time post doc job opportunity in a multidisciplinary research project at the department of architecture

Job Description

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 16 000 students and 5 200 employees, including 446 professors. Our campus is 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 Architecture at Aalto University is an internationally renowned education and research unit (within app. top 2% in the world of architecture). With Finland's esteemed architectural heritage, we search for new solutions to the challenges of sustainable development. To us, architecture is an art form that requires practical skills and individual artistic development, as well as knowledge on sustainability relevant to design and planning. We educate critical thinkers who accept their responsibility to research and design a socially, culturally, and ecologically sustainable built environment. The Department of Architecture offers degree programs in architecture, landscape architecture, and interior architecture. For more information, please see http://architecture.aalto.fi/en/.

We are now looking for a postdoctoral researcher.

We are seeking a researcher with a doctoral degree interior design, or a related field, with a professional background in interior design/interior textiles and/or colour design, to join an EU-funded research project on interior design and textiles at Aalto University's Department of Architecture. In this position, you will have the opportunity to contribute to transforming the interior textile industry by leveraging design to drive sustainable competitiveness.

This practice-led material innovation project addresses interior textiles, which amount to 30% of all textile production. Through addressing colouration practices throughout the interior textile value chain, we propose system-level changes across design, decision-making, business ecosystems, and policy in the interior textiles sector. The project will equip designers and industry decision-makers with a comprehensive set of guidelines for design, aesthetics, production, and business models.

Please note that the work is part-time, and therefore requires pre-existing residency in Finland and on-site presense throughout the project duration, even in remote mode: 40% workload (2 days per week) for the first 1,5 years (August 2026 - January 2028) and 10% workload (0,5 day per week) for the second 1,5 years (February 2028 - July 2029). The work should start on the 26th of August at the latest, if not agreed otherwise. The starting salary for an entry-level postdoc is approximately 4150??? per month (for 100% work).

Your role and goals

The role combines high-level analytical responsibility with collaborative engagement in design-led research processes, ensuring integration between academic rigour and practice-based innovation.

• analysing and benchmarking built interior design examples that successfully incorporate sustainable textile practices, especially regarding colouration practices
• synthesising findings from textile manufacturing heritage research to interior design
• documenting the aesthetic dimensions of sustainable transitions, as well as applying life cycle assessment, cradle-to-cradle thinking, and material circularity indicators to the project
• participating to create an approach for esthetic acceptance, emotional durability, and aesthetics of imperfection, shaping aesthetic paradigms and current values
• producing aesthetic and technical guidelines for interior designers, enabling them to make informed and more sustainable fabric selections
• participating creating a design-business-marketing transformation framework
• identifying and recommending industry standards and policies: contributing to integrated recommendations together with industry partners
• producing expert insight presentations to professional audiences
• disseminating the results and communicating the project especially with video-based knowledge resources, through relevant platforms and publications throughout the interior textile industry
• participating to develop the concept for a spatial demonstration of the findings of the project

Your network and team

The team at the Department of Architecture includes prof. Antti Ahlava and assistant prof. Katrin Greiling. The EU project consortium is led by Prof. Maarit Salolainen from the Department of Design. The further multidisciplinary team at Aalto University includes an assistant. prof. Lauri Saarinen (Aalto SCI), and Professor of Practice Antti Vassinen (AaltoBIZ). The Aalto-external consortium partners cover all relevant parts of the interior textile value chain, from fibre and yarn production to fabrics, as well as interior design, networking and policy-support organisations.

Your experience and ambitions

Qualified candidates for the postdoctoral position should hold a doctoral degree, have sufficient, proven/documented research and practice experience relevant to the fields and themes in the project. Adequate skills in qualitative and/or artistic research methods are required, and the ability to conduct multidisciplinary research is considered a merit. Excellent English language skills are required.

Selection process

The evaluation will be based on the assessment of the candidate's relevant past research, creative/artistic background, and achievements, as well as their potential to contribute to the proposed research. Applications will be reviewed by a team of researcher-practitioners, and shortlisted candidates will be invited for an interview.

What we offer

You will be part of a 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 through 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. We want to be an open community where equality and inclusion enable curiosity, innovation, collaboration, and wellbeing.
• Responsible and meaningful role with impact in our university's and school's success, and in the end, in the wellbeing and development of our society.

The primary workplace located at the Otaniemi Campus in Espoo, Finland. Life on the revitalised campus is vibrant, featuring stunning architecture, tranquil nature, and a variety of cafes, restaurants, and services, all complemented by excellent public transportation connections.

How to apply

Please upload your PDF application with the following documents to our recruitment site:

• CV
• motivation letter
• a brief overview of your research projects
• possible design/artistic portfolio

Please note: Aalto University's employees should apply for the position via our internal HR system Workday (Internal Jobs) by using their existing Workday user account (not via the external webpage for open positions). If you are a student or visitor at Aalto University, please apply with your personal email address (not aalto.fi) via Aalto University open positions.

The deadline for submitting your application is 21st of June 2026 at 23:59 (Eastern European time UTC +2).

Applications will be reviewed by a team of researcher-practitioners, and shortlisted candidates will be invited for interviews.

For more information about the role please contact Assistant Professor Katrin Greiling (Interior Architecture) +358 50 453 1453 / [email protected] or Professor Antti Ahlava (Emergent Design Methodologies) +358 50 324 1179 / [email protected].

For questions related to the application process, please contact HR Partner Enni Ailoranta, [email protected].