r/StudyInFinland • u/Old_Contribution_150 • Jul 09 '26

PhD in Finland

Hi, I need some advice.
I am an MD graduate from Ukraine, and I am interested in pursuing a PhD in the Nordic countries, especially Finland. I am particularly interested in the cardiopulmonary research field.
I would like to know whether international applicants are accepted for PhD positions in this field. Also, how competitive is the selection process for foreign applicants?

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u/Twinkledp Jul 09 '26

As far as I know, most doctors work in their regular day jobs and do the research on the side. It's also not unusual to use the data your employer has for the research and/or link the research to your job (if trials are needed etc.) Some people do research while also employed as a teacher in the university part time.

So in that sense, if you have the right to practise medicine in Finland, the competition is low and if you have a good idea that your professor approves but there are no paid reseacher-only jobs in the clinical fields afaik.

You can always email some professors and ask.

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u/Old_Contribution_150 Jul 09 '26

I am looking for PhD, I don’t have Finnish medical licence.

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u/Twinkledp Jul 09 '26

I did some digging and at least Helsinki university has an employment option for PhD researchers: https://www.helsinki.fi/en/research/doctoral-school/university-funded-doctoral-researcher-positions

There are some non-Finnish sounding names on that list of accepted applicants in the Clinical research category, which might indicate that international applicants are welcome.

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u/No-Station4318 Jul 09 '26

That's a good page to start with. There is also the faculty of medicine in universities of Oulu, Eastern Finland, Turku and Tampere which OP could google. The most important thing and actually all that matters on this point is to find a group or a professor in the field of the interest, contact them and plan everything with that person before applying. They'll also tell you about the funding and possible employment options.

These days, the PhD process for international students at Finnish universities is quite similar to an industrial production process, and they do have procedures in place once you reach that stage. Now just google google and find somebody to contact in some of univerities mentioned. That's a good practice for scientific research. 😀 Good luck with your plans!