ELLIS Institute Finland opens second call for Principal Investigators – three positions at the University of Oulu
In collaboration with universities across Finland, the ELLIS Institute Finland is recruiting Principal Investigators (PIs) to lead research teams in AI, machine learning (ML) and related fields. This is a unique opportunity for researchers at all career stages to do work with global impact, in a research environment that is one of the best in the world today for AI and ML. Established in 2025, ELLIS Institute Finland is the second institute of ELLIS, the pan-European AI network of excellence.
Finland has cutting-edge computing resources, including the LUMI supercomputer, strong governmental and industrial support for AI and technology, and possibilities to work with companies and across the academia-industry interface. The AI ecosystem is already thriving, thanks to the close-knit cooperation of universities, a long track record of pioneering machine learning research, most recently at the Finnish Center for Artificial Intelligence, and strong ties to the European Laboratory for Learning and Intelligent Systems (ELLIS) network. The selected PIs will become Fellows or Scholars of the ELLIS Society, a distinction of high-caliber scientists advancing the fields of AI and ML.
“ELLIS Institute Finland is a new cornerstone for European AI excellence. It brings together leading scientists and research groups, but equally importantly, it builds bridges between academia, industry and society,” says Samuel Kaski, director of ELLIS Institute Finland and professor at Aalto University. “Finland is becoming the place to be for trailblazing AI research, with the ELLIS research excellence ethos built in from the start.”
This year the ELLIS institute has grown rapidly: ten leading scholars and rising stars from around the world have been recruited as PIs, industrial research collaborations are taking shape, and a two-day launch event and scientific seminar were held in November 2025. Now the institute is further expanding with a second round of principal investigator recruitments. PIs at the ELLIS Institute will enjoy great academic freedom and will have access to considerable funding for personnel, equipment, and running costs. The positions are faculty roles on the tenure track at participating Finnish universities.
“We are looking forward to welcoming new colleagues who want to build on the existing strengths of the community, for instance in probabilistic modelling and collaborative AI that combines user modelling and ML, AI for science, or establishing a new strength,” says professor Kaski.
Principal Investigator positions at the University of Oulu
At the University of Oulu, the following three ELLIS Principal Investigator positions are open: Assistant Professor in Artificial Intelligence and Assistant/Associate/Full Professor in Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence at the Faculty of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering (ITEE) and Assistant/Associate/Full Professor in Health AI at the Faculty of Medicine, Research Unit of Health Sciences and Technology.
"Oulu's strengths in the field of AI lie in the areas of computer vision, edge computing, wireless networks, information security and medical technology. However, nowadays AI has an important role in virtually all fields of research. Shanghai Ranking 2025 highlights the University of Oulu’s strength in AI research: Oulu was ranked as the top Finnish university in artificial intelligence, placing in the 101–150 range globally”, says Jukka Riekki, Dean of the Faculty of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering at the University of Oulu.
Apply by January 12, 2026
ELLIS Institute PI recruitment is open until January 12, 2026. Details and applications at: https://www.ellisinstitute.fi/PI-recruit-2026
Further information: contact@ellisinstitute.fi