The University of Helsinki is recruiting a Doctoral Researcher in Computational Genomics for Predictive Medicine. This is a funded PhD with a salary: you are employed by the university and paid 2,600 to 2,850 euros a month, rising as your PhD progresses. The contract is full time and fixed term for up to four years, with a six-month trial period. Applications close on 19 November 2026, through the University of Helsinki recruitment system.
The post is in the Barrett lab, led by Professor Jeffrey Barrett, which is jointly affiliated with ELLIS Institute Finland, the Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM) and the Faculty of Medicine. You need a master’s degree in computational biology, data science, bioinformatics or a related field (exceptional bachelor’s graduates may be considered), Python or R skills, and research experience. Below is everything in the advert, plus how to write the one-page cover letter the lab asks you to write without AI.
University of Helsinki funded PhD in computational genomics at a glance
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Position | Doctoral Researcher in Computational Genomics for Predictive Medicine |
| Employer | University of Helsinki |
| Research group | Barrett lab (Professor Jeffrey Barrett) |
| Affiliations | ELLIS Institute Finland, FIMM, Faculty of Medicine |
| Salary | 2,600 to 2,850 euros a month, rising as the PhD progresses |
| Contract | Full time, fixed term, up to four years, six-month trial period |
| Start date | Not stated in the advert |
| Documents | One-page cover letter, CV (with publications and GitHub link if you have one), contact details for two referees |
| Contact | Professor Jeffrey Barrett, jeffrey.c.barrett@helsinki.fi |
| Deadline | 19 November 2026 |
Why a salaried PhD in Finland is different
In many countries a funded PhD means a tax-free stipend and student status. In Finland, a doctoral researcher on a post like this is an employee. You sign an employment contract, you are paid under the Finnish universities’ salary system, and the salary rises as you move through the PhD. That usually comes with the rights of a staff member, such as paid annual leave and occupational health care, and it counts as work experience.
The salary is gross, so Finnish income tax and social security contributions come out of it. Ask the university’s HR or relocation team for a net estimate before you plan your budget.
About the Barrett lab and the project
Jeffrey Barrett joined the University of Helsinki and ELLIS Institute Finland in August 2026 as Professor of Computational Predictive Medicine. A university news article from 18 September 2026 gives his background: a physics degree at MIT, a doctorate in statistics at Oxford, more than a decade leading research groups at the Wellcome Sanger Institute (including its SARS-CoV-2 genomic surveillance programme, which produced more than two million viral genomes), and then industry work as a chief scientific officer.
His group uses AI with large biobank and health registry data to find biomarkers that doctors can actually measure, so disease can be caught earlier and treatment better targeted. Finland’s biobanks and national health registries make Helsinki a strong place for this kind of work.
The project itself is open: you design and implement your own PhD research in computational genomics for predictive medicine. The advert lists these duties:
- Designing and carrying out a PhD project, from hypotheses and code to interpreting results.
- Working with the team, ELLIS Institute and university researchers, and international partners.
- Publishing, presenting at conferences and contributing to open science, such as preprints and open-source software.
- Helping mentor and train other scientists.
Requirements
Essential
- Motivation to work with others on difficult problems, with a practical, get-things-done focus.
- A master’s degree in computational biology, data science, bioinformatics or a related field. Exceptional candidates coming straight from a bachelor’s degree may be considered.
- A strong publication record.
- Python or R for data analysis.
- Research experience in computational biology and/or data science.
- Excellent written and spoken English.
Nice to have
- High-performance or cloud computing.
- Machine learning, for example with PyTorch or TensorFlow.
- Research using health care or genomics data.
- Software development in small teams with code review and version control.
- Using agentic AI tools while keeping your own reasoning.
“A strong publication record” is a high bar for a PhD applicant. Read it as: show the research you have already done, including master’s thesis work, preprints, conference posters and public code. A clean GitHub repository from your thesis is evidence too.
Language and degree questions
The advert asks only for excellent English; no Finnish is required. It does not name a specific English test, so check the recruitment system for any proof the university requires. Doctoral researchers in Finland also need the right to study in a doctoral programme. The advert doesn’t explain how that works for this post, so ask Professor Barrett which doctoral programme you would join and when you would apply to it.
Salary and cost of living in Helsinki
The advert gives 2,600 to 2,850 euros a month, set under the Finnish universities’ salary system. Helsinki is the most expensive city in Finland, with rent the main cost. Shared flats and student-type housing keep costs down in the first year. Public transport is good, and many researchers manage without a car.
Moving countries for four years is a big step, so ask about relocation help and the residence permit process when you are shortlisted. The advert says nothing about visas. Applicants from outside the EU or EEA will normally need a residence permit to work in Finland, and the university’s HR team can tell you which type applies to doctoral researchers.
How to apply for the University of Helsinki computational genomics PhD
- Read the advert and the lab’s AI statement: the lab explains its approach to AI on its website.
- Write a one-page cover letter yourself: the advert asks applicants not to use AI for it.
- Update your CV: include publications, preprints, code and a GitHub link if you have one.
- Get two referees’ contact details: ask them first, and tell them about the post.
- Apply in the University of Helsinki recruitment system: use the link from the advert and upload your files.
- Submit by 19 November 2026: the advert gives no time, so submit a day early to be safe.
Questions about the position or the research go to Professor Barrett at jeffrey.c.barrett@helsinki.fi.
About the University of Helsinki
The University of Helsinki is Finland’s oldest and largest university.
| Ranking | Edition | Position |
|---|---|---|
| THE World University Rankings | 2026 | Joint 105th |
| Shanghai Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) | 2025 | 94th, the only Finnish university in the top 100 |
FIMM and ELLIS Institute Finland give the group links to genomics and machine learning networks across Europe. ELLIS in particular connects you to AI research groups in other countries, which is useful for a PhD that combines machine learning and medicine.
How to write the one-page cover letter
You have one page and you must write it yourself. Use it to show how you think. A simple structure:
- Why this lab: one specific thing about predictive medicine or biomarkers that interests you, and why.
- What you have done: one research project in detail, including the code you wrote and a result.
- What you want to work on: a rough question you would like to explore, without pretending it is a full proposal.
- How you work: an example of teamwork or of getting something hard finished.
A sample opening, for illustration only: “In my master’s thesis I trained a polygenic risk model on UK Biobank data and found it worked far worse for people of non-European ancestry, and I want to spend a PhD working on why.”
Keep the language plain. The lab explicitly does not want AI text, and a reader who sees many letters will spot a generic one fast.
What the selection process looks like
The advert does not give a timeline. For posts like this, the group usually shortlists from the written applications, holds one or more online interviews, and may give a short technical task or ask you to talk through your code. Referees are contacted for shortlisted candidates. The six-month trial period applies after you start.
How to compare funded PhD offers in Europe
If you are applying to several salaried PhDs at once, compare them on more than the monthly figure:
- Gross or net: Helsinki and Vienna quote gross salaries, while Masaryk quotes a net figure, so the numbers are not directly comparable.
- Length: this post runs up to four years. A three-year contract with no extension can leave you unpaid while you finish writing.
- Employment status: an employment contract usually brings pension contributions and staff benefits that a stipend does not.
- Supervision and data access: for computational genomics, access to large biobank and registry data matters as much as the salary.
Common mistakes
- Using AI for the cover letter after being asked not to.
- Sending a CV with no links to code or publications.
- Writing a cover letter that repeats the CV.
- Applying with no programming in Python or R.
- Forgetting to tell referees, who may be contacted quickly.
Who should apply and who shouldn’t
Apply if you have (or are finishing) a master’s in computational biology, data science or bioinformatics, you code well in Python or R, and you want to work on large health datasets. Strong bachelor’s graduates with real research output can also try.
I would not apply if you have no programming experience, or if you want a wet-lab PhD. This is computational work from start to finish.
Similar funded PhD positions to compare
| Position | Institution | Location | Pay | Deadline |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Doctoral Researcher in Archaeobotany | University of Helsinki | Helsinki, Finland | EUR 3,400 to 3,900 a month | 30 November 2026 |
| University Assistant Predoctoral, Computer Science | University of Vienna | Vienna, Austria | EUR 3,776.10 gross a month (full-time basis) | 30 November 2026 |
| Fully Funded PhD in Structural Biology | Masaryk University | Brno, Czech Republic | From CZK 30,000 net a month | 8 January 2027 |
| Post-doctoral Researcher, same lab | University of Helsinki | Helsinki, Finland | EUR 3,800 to 4,000 a month | 19 November 2026 |
For other ways to fund study in Finland, see our guides to Finland scholarships for international students and studying in Finland without IELTS.
University of Helsinki computational genomics PhD: FAQs
How much does the University of Helsinki pay doctoral researchers in this post?
2,600 to 2,850 euros a month, set under the Finnish universities’ salary system and rising as the PhD progresses.
What is the deadline for the Helsinki computational genomics PhD?
19 November 2026, through the University of Helsinki recruitment system.
Can I apply with only a bachelor’s degree?
The advert asks for a master’s degree but says exceptional candidates coming straight from a bachelor’s may be considered.
Can I use AI to write my cover letter?
No. The advert asks applicants not to use AI for the one-page cover letter.
Sources and updates
Checked on 29 October 2026 against the Times Higher Education Unijobs listing (job 416979) and the same advert on jobRxiv (posted 14 October 2026), the University of Helsinki news article Jeffrey Barrett develops ways to detect disease earlier and more precisely (18 September 2026), the Barrett lab website, Study in Finland’s report on the THE World University Rankings 2026 and the University of Helsinki’s news on ARWU 2025 (15 August 2025). Apply through the link on the advert. We will update this page if the university changes the deadline.
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