Academic Career Planning and Leadership (ACLA) Course 2026–2027 – apply now, deadline 10.9.
The seventh edition of the Academic Career Planning and Leadership course (ACLA) is now open for applicants (deadline 10.9.2026 at 15:00). This course is targeted to post-doctoral researchers who are launching their independent research careers and are thinking about building their own research group.
We will discuss career planning and trajectories, strategic mapping of research horizons, funding opportunities and challenges, building and leading a research group, project management, social impact issues and publication strategies, data management, and research ethics.
Approximately 15–20 participants will be enrolled, representing a wide disciplinary range of social sciences and humanities across all faculties of the City Centre Campus.
The course will convene in six sessions (Fridays, 10 –15) over the academic year. Workshop days are: October 9 (warm-up session), October 23, November 20, December 11, January 22, February 19, March 19, and April 16.
Participants should make sure that they are able to commit to these dates.
For early May 2027, we are planning an excursion to Brussels to learn about European science policy and funding opportunities.
To apply, fill in this form:
You will need:
- a short CV
- list of 5 of your recent publications
- (one page) abstract of your ongoing research project
- short application letter, letting us know what kind of questions and challenges you think you need support and help with.
- Deadline for applications: September 10, 2026 15:00.
- Admission results by the end of September.
The course coordinators are Risto Kunelius, Pekka Mäkelä, and Kirsi Pyhältö.
For inquiries, please contact
Updates to the Research Data Management Handbooks are coming soon
The Research Data Management Handbooks, developed by HSSH and University of Helsinki Data Support, are being updated and expanded to better support researchers, teachers and students working with research data in the social sciences and humanities. The updates are informed by an interdisciplinary editorial board of researchers who critically reviewed the handbooks in the context of their own research practices. The revision process has helped to update and refine the content while strengthening cross-disciplinary collaboration around research data management in SSH fields.
The handbooks provide practical, data-type-specific guidance for responsible and efficient research data management throughout the research process. The handbook collection currently covers five common data types in SSH research: survey data, social media data, research-ready text data, register data, and video and audio data. Each handbook offers concrete guidance on topics such as planning, legal and ethical considerations, documentation, storage, sharing and long-term preservation of research data.
The updated handbooks are intended for wide use across the University. In addition to supporting researchers in their own projects, they can serve as a practical resource in seminar teaching, thesis supervision and research methods training. The aim is to make data management guidance more accessible and easier to apply in everyday research and teaching.
The updated handbooks will be published in both Finnish and English. The handbooks are living resources that continue to evolve in response to user needs and developments in the field. Stay tuned for the updates and explore how the handbooks can support good research data management practices in your work.
You can access the current handbooks here:
See also the Think Open blog post by Mikko Ojanen (University of Helsinki Library) which discusses the development of the Research Data Management Handbooks and reflects on the experiences, challenges, and insights gained during the project:
HSSH’s methodological and interdisciplinary Brown Bag Seminars continue
HSSH’s Brown Bag Seminar series returned from its summer break on 26 August. Organised by HSSH’s Methodological Unit, the weekly seminar series introduces novel methodological approaches and cutting-edge research in the humanities and social sciences in an accessible and interdisciplinary format. Open to all, the seminars combine short presentations with discussion and provide an excellent opportunity to explore new methods, exchange ideas, and meet colleagues across disciplinary boundaries.
The autumn season opened with a presentation by Anna von Zansen, Joona Juselius and Mariel Wuolio on algorithm-based facial expression analysis from video recordings. The session presented their work to support the use of algorithm-based facial expression analysis in SSH research, including the development of resources and workflows that enable researchers to use the Py-Feat software independently at HSSH Interlab. If you are interested in learning more about the method, a workshop on the topic is being planned for later this autumn (if interested, please contact
Join us next week (2.9) for a Brown Bag session with Feeza Vasudeva, Narges Azizifard and Eetu Mäkelä, who will be presenting a hybrid methodological approach combining computational analysis and close reading to study large-scale digital discourse. The seminar will explore how researchers can combine computational methods with qualitative interpretation to analyse social media data while retaining contextual depth. Everyone interested in methodological innovation and interdisciplinary discussion is warmly welcome to participate.
More information in HSSH website:
An intensive course “Normative Perspectives on Artificial Intelligence” with Jonathan Iwry takes place in October (5.10-16.10.2026)
How can the humanities and social sciences help address the pressing challenges posed by artificial intelligence? In October 2026, Jonathan Iwry will lead a seminar course at the University of Helsinki exploring some of the most pressing normative questions surrounding AI. The course is jointly hosted by Doctoral Programme in Social Sciences and the Helsinki Institute for Social Sciences and Humanities.
The course details:
- Normative Perspectives on Artificial Intelligence (5cr)
- Contact teaching, 5/10-16/10/2026
- Language: English
- Instructor: Jonathan Iwry
This advanced research seminar explores how the humanities and social sciences can help address some of the most pressing challenges posed by artificial intelligence. Over a series of lectures, we will examine a range of contemporary issues in the ethics, governance, and regulation of AI, drawing on perspectives from philosophy, law, psychology, economics, and public policy. Among other things, we will consider what it means to adequately explain an AI system; whether the use of AI in the courtroom could ever be justified; what makes humans capable of moral and legal responsibility while AI is; what—if anything—makes AI and the challenges it raises different from previous technological revolutions; what role AI should play in our society; and how we should regulate a rapidly evolving technology that we increasingly depend upon but struggle to understand.
The course is organized around two central questions: What role should AI play in our society, our institutions, and our lives as human beings and moral agents? How can the humanities and social sciences help us regulate AI and clarify the normative principles that should guide its place in human life?
The seminar also draws on the instructor’s experience contributing to AI governance and legislative initiatives in the United States, offering participants a window into contemporary policy debates and the practical challenges of translating interdisciplinary scholarship into governance. Sessions combine lectures, discussion of current research, and workshop-style feedback on participants’ own projects.
The course is intended for graduate students and faculty across the humanities and social sciences. No technical background in AI is required. Whether your interests lie in AI policy, the ethical and legal implications of emerging technologies, or the enduring philosophical questions that AI forces us to confront, this seminar offers an interdisciplinary opportunity to engage with one of the defining intellectual and societal challenges of our time.
Jonathan Iwry is a Fellow at the Accountable AI Lab at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. His work focuses on the philosophical challenges posed by AI and other emerging technologies for foundational legal concepts. His work has been published in the Food and Drug Law Journal, Psychological Methods, Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, the Negotiation Journal (of Harvard's Program on Negotiation), and Bloomberg Law. His commentary has been featured in Fortune and NPR Illinois. He previously worked as an associate at Ropes & Gray LLP and at the Institute for Law & AI. He received his J.D. from Harvard Law School and B.A., summa cum laude, in Philosophy and History from the University of Pennsylvania. During law school, he served as a Teaching Fellow in two Harvard College courses—Michael Sandel’s “Justice” course and Joshua Greene’s course on AI ethics—and received awards from the university for excellence in teaching.
Jonathan Iwry
Wharton Accountable AI Lab
Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania
For the course schedule, enrollment, and more information, check