University of Tartu September 2026 Doctoral Intake — 20 Research Positions Across 13 Specialisations

Applications are tied to the university's listed research topics rather than applicant-proposed topics for this intake. The advertised specialisations and projects are: Biodiversity and Ecological Sustainability (1 position): Integrating artificial intelligence for efficient cross-species processing and modeling of large-scale animal telemetry data in applied contexts; Chemistry (3 positions): AI-assisted research memory and knowledge-driven experimentation in electrochemistry | Adaptive NMR methodologies for integrated structure elucidation in bio and pharma fields | Mapping atmospheric autooxidation mechanisms of climatically relevant low-volatility compound formation via multi-reagent mass spectrometry and AI-driven modeling; Computer Engineering (1 position): AI-based task planning for human-robot teams in unstructured environments; Computer Science (5 positions): Architectures and evaluation methods for structured LLM-mediated psychological interventions | AI-driven low-cost pervasive sensing for sustainable agriculture supply chains | Human–AI collaboration models in workplace learning for data engineers | Multilingual sign language modelling in under-resourced conditions | Developing and testing an AI-based tutor for the Estonian education system; Economics (1 position): The impact of research investments by European Union member states on national scientific output, human capital, and the economy: a comparative analysis of the 2007–2027 budgetary periods; Educational Science (1 position): Learning-centred kindergarten in international comparison: leadership practices of early childhood education leaders in supporting and involving teachers; Geography (2 positions): AI-based forecasting of socio-spatial urban change: applying explainable AI and spatial machine learning to assess planning impacts | Rural social innovation in peripheral regions; Linguistics (1 position): Linguistic Annotation with LLMs; Mathematical Sciences (1 position): Categories of acts and modules; Molecular Biotechnology (1 position): Decoding the molecular mechanisms of callose biosynthesis and its deposition in plant cell walls; Physics (1 position): Foundations of numerical relativity in the teleparallel formalism; Psychology (1 position): The role of appraisal in emotional empathy; Space Research and Technology (1 position): Joint self-supervised learning of terrain geometry and traversability using passive and proprioceptive sensors in non-structured environments. Online entrance interviews are scheduled for early October, with the Educational Science interview specified for 13 October 2026. Studies are expected to begin in autumn 2026.

Applicants must satisfy the doctoral admission requirements for the chosen University of Tartu specialisation and submit the programme's required application documents. International applicants must provide proof of English proficiency unless a different language rule is specified. The Educational Science topic in this intake requires Estonian proficiency. Applicants should check the position-specific requirements before applying because additional conditions may apply by specialisation or project.

The official University of Tartu doctoral open-calls page was checked on 8 September 2026. It was updated 1 September 2026 and identifies the next intake as 15–30 September 2026. The 13 listed specialisations sum to 20 available positions. The page states that most admitted doctoral researchers are junior research fellows; in 2026 the minimum full-time junior research fellow salary is EUR 2,100/month (net approximately EUR 1,580). Economics and Educational Science are explicitly not junior research fellow positions. The source gives a closing date but no closing clock time, so only deadline_date is stored.