Postdoctoral fellow in Sámi Research

Description of the working place

Várdduo – Centre for Sámi Research is a unit at Umeå University that coordinates and initiates research in and about Sápmi, with a focus on Sámi and other Indigenous cultures, societies, history, and languages. Várdduo is a meeting place for researchers and doctoral students from various disciplines whose research engages with Sámi or Indigenous-related topics. Currently, research is mainly conducted on history, land rights and land conflicts, natural resource exploitation, education, and health. Várdduo provides an inspiring research environment and serves as a valuable platform for creative exchanges of ideas that enrich research in various ways. Várdduo is a unique centre of expertise for Sámi research in Sweden, with research dissemination and collaboration forming a central part of its activities. The work is strongly characterized by collaboration with Indigenous communities, and an important guiding principle is that research results should be disseminated to these communities. Please visit the unit’s website for more information: https://www.umu.se/vardduo-centrum-for-samisk-forskning/

Várdduo is now recruiting a postdoctoral fellow in Sámi studies. The position is full-time for three years, starting on 1 January 2027 or by agreement.

Project description

The postdoctoral fellow will, together with the project leader, conduct research within the project Sesame – unlocking hidden history: The Sami in Swedish farming areas, funded by the European Research Council for the period 2026–2030. The project focuses on Sámi who were permanently settled outside traditional Sámi lands and who were wholly or partly engaged in peasant society. The aim of the project is to take a comprehensive approach to the Sámi population in agricultural regions before 1900, primarily in Sweden but also in Norway and Finland, and to examine connections between these countries. More information about the project can be found at: https://www.umu.se/forskning/projekt/sesame--bygdesamernas-dolda-historia-i-bondesamhallet/

Job description

The postdoctoral fellow will do research concerning Sámi living in farming areas in present-day Finland. This includes reviewing previously published literature and research, as well as locating, reading, and interpreting archival material in the form of handwritten documents from the 16th century onwards. Reading texts in both Finnish and Swedish will be part of the work. The postdoctoral fellow will also analyse the material to contribute to a better understanding of the history of Sámi living in farming areas in Finland and their connections to Sámi in other regions, both within Finland and in Sweden and Norway, as well as enabling comparisons of living conditions among rural Sámi in the three countries.

The postdoctoral fellow is expected to contribute to the development of Várdduo’s research environment by actively participating in seminars, meetings, and related activities. Teaching duties may occur later in the employment period, but will not exceed 20% of a full-time position.

Qualifications

To be appointed as a postdoctoral fellow, it is required to have completed a doctoral degree or a foreign degree deemed equivalent to a doctoral degree within a subject relevant to the planned research project, preferably history. This qualification requirement must be fulfilled no later than at the time of the employment decision.

To be appointed under the postdoctoral agreement, priority should be given to candidates who completed their doctoral degree, according to what is stipulated in the paragraph above, no later than three years prior to the application deadline. If there are special reasons, candidates who completed their doctoral degree prior to that may also be eligible. Special reasons include absence due to illness, parental leave, appointments of trust in trade union organizations, military service, or similar circumstances, as well as clinical practice or other forms of appointment/assignment relevant to the subject area.

A precondition is that the applicant has not previously been employed as a postdoctoral fellow at Umeå University for more than a year within the same or equivalent discipline.

Excellent proficiency in both Swedish and Finnish is required. The postdoctoral fellow must also have experience reading historical manuscripts in both Kurrent (German) and Latin script, as well as experience from searching in Finnish archives. The ability to work independently and strong collaborative skills to achieve the project’s objectives are also required.

Desirable qualifications

Documented knowledge of Finnish history before 1900, as well as Sámi history and culture, is considered an asset.

Application

The application must include:

• A brief description of previous research experience (maximum 2 pages), clearly demonstrating its relevance to the planned project
• CV
• Certified copies of degree certificates and other relevant documentation
• List of publications
• Contact information for two referees

The application must be written in Swedish and submitted via the Varbi e-recruitment system no later than 15 June 2026.

Additional information

The position is a fixed-term, full-time appointment for three years, starting on 1 January 2027 or by agreement. Physical presence in Várdduo’s research environment in Umeå, to an extent determined in consultation with the project leader and the director, is required. Periods of archival research in Finland may be necessary.

Further information about the position can be obtained from researcher and project leader Gudrun Norstedt (090-786 71 91, gudrun.norstedt@umu.se), Director Christina Storm Mienna (090-786 51 71, christina.storm.mienna@umu.se), and HR specialist Roxana Wikström (roxana.wikstrom@umu.se).

Welcome with your application!