Research Assistant in Legal History

The MORALMEM project, funded by the Research Council of Finland, is seeking a research assistant for a fixed-term employment from 1.10.2026 to 30.9.2027 at the Faculty of Law at the University of Helsinki.

The responsibilities of the research assistant include supportive tasks such as: 

• Providing support in research work, proofreading, editing archival data collections and work related to finalizing documents. 
• Sorting out data material and creating an archival corpus. 
• Communicating information about the research project's activities and events (e.g., email communication, social media, maintaining the website and mailing list).
• Assisting in organizing events such as seminars conferences and workshops. 

We offer an opportunity to be part of a high-quality research team and to participate in international academic events. The research team operates in English, good oral and written proficiency in English is important. Since a big part of the archival data is in Swedish, ability to read and understand Swedish is an asset.

The position requires: 

• Organizational skills; experience in archival work is an advantage. 
• Practical skills; experience in planning events and workshops is an advantage. 
• The ability to create photoshop posters, update social media platforms and websites, or a willingness to learn. 
• A demonstrated understanding of the fundamentals of research work, for example, through previous work. 
• Good oral and written proficiency in English. 
• A positive attitude. 

Additional advantages include: 

• An interest in history, legal history or law & society.

The research assistant must be an undergraduate student at the Faculty of Law at the University of Helsinki. The position is part-time, 30% of a full-time position. The salary for this position ranges from 730 – 800 eur per month, depending on previous work experience. The job requires on-site arrangements at the university, so it cannot be done remotely. 

Please submit your application through the recruitment system by 18.9.2026 via the "Apply Now" button. Attach the following to your application: 

• Motivation letter
• CV 
• Transcript of academic records 
• Writing sample (1–2 pieces, in Swedish and/or English) 

Please log into our recruitment system using your personal email address (not an @helsinki.fi address). 

For questions related to the position, you can contact PI Karolina Stenlund (karolina.stenlund@helsinki.fi. For questions related to the recruitment system, please reach out to recruitment@helsinki.fi

The University of Helsinki encourages applicants from a diverse range of genders, age groups, language and cultural backgrounds, as well as minorities. 

You can read about our university's accessibility and inclusivity from this link: Saavutettavuus ja esteettömyys | Helsingin yliopisto 

Here is a short information about the project MORALMEM 

The memory of the Holocaust remains a deeply contested and politically charged issue in contemporary Europe, shaping both EU legislation on genocide denial and responses to global conflicts such as the Israeli-Palestinian crisis. Despite the profound legal, societal, and political implications of Holocaust memory in Europe, there has been remarkably little research into the historical formation of this foundational collective memory and the key actor involved in shaping it. Increased institutionalized deployment of the Holocaust is to a significant degree driven by an international intergovernmental organization called International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) – the full history of the IHRA’s development, working method, and legal influence is however almost untold. With the overall goal of contributing to a more inclusive European collective memory, the principal aim of the project MORALMEM is to write a legal history of the IHRA based on previously unexplored archives. The project will critically evaluate how the organization’s development has contributed to the current political and legal framing of Holocaust memory in Europe. By methodologically combining historical archival analysis with legal and political inquiry and insights from the field of memory studies.