Postdoctoral Researcher in Economics

The Department of Economics and Management, Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry, University of Helsinki, invites applications for a Postdoctoral position. The position is fixed term for two years with a six-month trial period and ideally starts around January 2027.

The position is part of a new research project “Intergenerational Transitions in the Nordics (NEXT)” funded by Peter Wallenberg Foundation. The project is led by Professor Lucia Naldi at Jönköping University and Professor Pia Nilsson at the University of Helsinki. The research focuses on how institutional conditions, particularly inheritance and gift taxation, shape intergenerational farm succession and the subsequent development of farm businesses in Sweden and Finland. The postdoctoral researcher will be based at the University of Helsinki, Department of Economics and Management and the Agricultural Economics research group.

The project studies how inheritance and gift taxation affect intergenerational ownership transitions and the consequences of these transitions for farm viability, investment, land-use continuity, and technological development. Sweden and Finland provide a highly relevant comparative setting: Sweden abolished inheritance and gift taxes in 2005, while Finland retains these taxes with relief mechanisms. The project uses this institutional contrast to examine the effects of transfer taxes on the timing of ownership transitions, the likelihood of within-family succession, and post succession outcomes. The research is based on harmonized longitudinal administrative register data from Sweden and Finland.

The postdoctoral researcher will contribute to the construction of the Sweden–Finland empirical framework and conduct econometric analyses of intergenerational ownership transitions. The work will include identifying and dating ownership transitions, classifying transfer modes, distinguishing within-family from non-family transfers, and linking succession events to economic outcomes. The successful candidate will contribute to the design and implementation of empirical research and prepare peer-reviewed journal articles aimed at publication in highly ranked international journals.

The postdoctoral researcher will be based at the University of Helsinki and will be an active member of the Agricultural Economics group in the Department of Economics and Management. The position involves close collaboration with the project team at Jönköping International Business School and participation in joint research activities, including workshops and collaborative research. The successful candidate will benefit from a dynamic research environment and collaboration across agricultural economics, family business, ownership and governance, entrepreneurship, and applied microeconomics, with opportunities for both individual and collaborative research, acquisition of external research funds, and supervision of MSc and PhD students.

We seek candidates who will have completed a PhD in economics, agricultural economics, or a closely related field, by the start of the position, preferably around January 2027. We are searching for a candidate with strong training in econometrics and longitudinal empirical methods. Experience working with administrative register data and/or large-scale linked individual-, owner-, property-, or firm-level data is a requirement for this research project. Experience with applied microeconomics, causal inference, event-study methods, or related longitudinal approaches will be considered an advantage.

The work requires independent thinking, strong analytical and problem-solving skills, and the ability to work effectively as part of an international research team. The postdoctoral researcher is expected to contribute actively to the development of the project’s empirical framework and research outputs, while also developing their own research agenda and leading publications. Excellent written and spoken English skills are required. Knowledge of Swedish/Finnish is not a requirement but an advantage. The successful candidate is highly motivated to be present at the Viikki campus and will take an active role in the activities organized by the department and the research group. The position comes with some teaching responsibilities including teaching parts of an intermediate level course in production economics and parts of a Master level course in Production and Cost Theory. The overall share of teaching is about 10–15%.

What we offer

The successful candidate will join an active and internationally oriented research environment within the Agricultural Economics group at the Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry. The research group conducts high-quality research in agricultural and natural resource economics and applied microeconomics, with opportunities for collaboration with researchers at Jönköping International Business School and the Center for Family Entrepreneurship and Ownership (CeFEO). The project brings together complementary expertise in agricultural economics, family business, ownership transitions, entrepreneurship, and governance.

The position offers opportunities for developing an independent research agenda, publishing in leading international journals, and building international networks through collaboration with project partners in Finland and Sweden. The postdoctoral researcher will work with high-quality administrative register data in secure research environments and contribute to comparative longitudinal research on intergenerational ownership transitions in agriculture. The position also offers opportunities to contribute to the development of new research projects and external funding applications.

Terms of employment

The salary of the postdoctoral researcher will be based on level 5 of the requirement level chart for teaching and research personnel at the University of Helsinki. In addition, the appointee will be paid a salary component based on personal performance. The starting salary is typically around 3 600–3 800 euros per month depending on the appointee’s qualifications and experience.

The appointee is expected to reside in Finland while employed by the University of Helsinki. The workplace of the position is at the Viikki campus in Helsinki.

How to apply

Please submit your application as a single pdf file in English using the University of Helsinki Recruitment System via the “Apply now” button.

The application should include

• A motivation letter (max. 2 pages) describing the candidate’s research background, methodological skills and research interests relevant for the position.

• A curriculum vitae including a list of publications.

• Contact details of two references.

Applicants who have a helsinki.fi username and a valid employment contract, grant researcher’s contract or visiting researcher’s contract at the University of Helsinki are requested to submit their application using the Employee login.

The deadline for applications is 12.11.2026 at 23:59 (EET).

For further information about the position, please contact

Professor Pia Nilsson, University of Helsinki, pia.nilsson@helsinki.fi or Lucia Naldi lucia.naldi@ju.se

For questions related to the recruitment system, please contact HR Services via recruitment@helsinki.fi

More information about the research environment

The Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry is located on the Viikki campus. The mission of the faculty is to promote the sustainable use of renewable natural resources through scientific research and research-based teaching. We focus on agricultural and forest sciences, food and nutrition, microbiology, as well as on economics and management. We cover the full natural resource chain from farm to fork, the entire field of forest sciences from soil chemistry to marketing, as well as the environmental effects of related activities. Graduates from the Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry are versatile experts in agriculture and food and forest sectors. www.helsinki.fi/en/faculty-of-agriculture-and-forestry

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