[AISWorld] Postdoc opportunities: Gamification Group (Prof. Hamari) is coaching towards Marie Skłodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellowships

[Juho Hamari]

*Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Postdoctoral Fellowships (MSCA-PF),
previously known as Individual Fellowship (MSCA-IF), provides funding
opportunities for excellent researchers of any nationality and any research
field. The European scholarships referring to a European host organization,
provide funding opportunities for researchers in different situations of
their career. MSCA-PF aims to enhance the creative and innovative potential
of a researcher wishing to acquire new skills through advanced training,
international, interdisciplinary and inter-sectoral mobility.*

Tampere University (TAU) / *Gamification Group
<http://gamification.group/> (GG)* / Faculty of Information Technology and
Communication Sciences /  lead by *Professor Juho Hamari*, welcomes
applicants to join GG and actively co-develops successful applications to
the MSCA-PF program. Gross salary for a successful MSCA-PF candidate will
vary between 5300-5800 € per month depending on several factors (specified
in the MSCA-PF program and during the orientation period).

Beyond the support provided by Gamification Group, Tampere University
offers a holistic program for supporting candidates to develop winning
proposals through webinars and personal coaching by grant-writers.

The webinars will be open for all PF applicants who apply Tampere
University as host. The aim of the Master Class is to give coaching on how
to write a competitive proposal and work on the research idea together with
the supervisor. The Master Class is free of charge, and participation is
highly recommended to all applicants. See Tampere University’s general
information brochure here
<https://webpages.tuni.fi/gamification/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/MSCA-PF_brochure_220221-1.pdf>
.

The webinars are pre-recorded and will be published once a week.

*Important dates (see all instructions below):*

   - *MSCA-PF general info Webinar: 10th March 2021  (video available for
   later viewing)*
   - *Masterclass: April-May 2021*
   - *Full research plan proposal submitted to European Union
   (tentative) deadline: 15th September 2021*

Researchers interested to apply the PF grant and work with Professor Juho
Hamari at Tampere University, should verify that they fulfill the
respective eligibility criteria and then send an Expression of Interest as
soon as possible (*but no later than 15th of April*), by email to:
preaward at tuni.fi and juho.hamari at tuni.fi with the following reference:
“MSCA PF “*firstname_lastname*“. You can also make inquiries to *Juho
Hamari* beforehand about the research group and possible research topics.
The expression of interest should include the following documents:

*Expression of Interest must be in PDF-format and consist of the following:*

   - CV
   - Description of tentative research plan to be proposed to the MSCA-PF
   program
   - Declaration of eligibility

Master Class participation is highly recommended for all applicants. The
Master class is free of charge.

**) Horizon 2021 MSCA-PF eligibility criteria:*

   - Applicant has a *doctoral degree* by the time of the call deadline.
   - The applicant must not have resided or carried out his/her main
   activity (work, studies, etc.) in Finland for more than 12 months between
   15.9.2018 -15.9.2021.



Gamification Group’s research covers several forms of information
technologies such as games, gamification, game-based learning, persuasive
technologies, social networking services, online video streaming, eSports,
sharing economy, crowdsourcing, virtual economies, virtual reality,
augmented reality and mixed reality. GG has published several seminal
empirical, theoretical and meta-analytical scholarly articles from
perspectives of consumer behavior, human-computer interaction, game studies
and information systems science. GG is the most internationally published
research group especially on the topic of gamification, but pursues several
topics related to games and novel information technologies.
http://gamification.group <http://gamification.gg/>

“Coaching is of paramount importance to any MSCA application. Writing my
project at Tampere University was a unique experience that contributed to
the application’s success. Professor, researchers and university staff have
been helpful, encouraging and they patiently guided me through the whole
process, answering immediately all my questions. With their great
experience, they helped me to structure, strengthen and enrich my proposal,
offering valuable advice from a practical and a methodological perspective.
Last but not least, Gamification Group’s environment is an ideal place for
a researcher, as it is friendly, inspirational, supportive and a source of
great research opportunities.”

— *Nikoletta Zampeta Legaki, Gamification Group member, MSCA-IF grantee
with the project GANDALF
<https://slack-redir.net/link?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tut.fi%2FGamification%2Fprojects%2Fgandalf%2F>.*
“Coaching is a fundamental asset for any MSCA application. While I was
writing my project at Tampere University, researchers and staff have been
invaluable advisors: inspiring me and helping strengthen my project both
from a practical and methodological perspective. (…) At the Gamification
Group I found a dynamic and supportive environment to develop *ReClaim*, a
place full of stimulating discussions and great research opportunities.”

— *Mattia Thibault, MSCA-IF grantee with the project **ReClaim
<http://urban-play.eu/>*.
“Preparing my MSCA-IF application was an intense and gratifying experience.
While I could focus on writing a research proposal that intersects topics
that I am passionate about, having such collective support in this process
boosted my application towards this fruitful outcome. For instance, Tampere
University’s research services guidance allowed me to understand further
what evaluators expect from the proposal and how to address these points
through an online workshop and follow-up meetings. Meanwhile, Professor
Hamari and Gamification Group researchers’ expertise also ensured the
proposal’s quality by introducing different perspectives and providing
valuable advice in methodological and practical aspects. Despite the
pandemics, the provided support and the collaborative environment made the
whole process so enjoyable that I cannot wait to start implementing
GamInclusive.”

—* Ana Klock, MSCA-IF grantee with the project GamInclusive
<https://webpages.tuni.fi/gamification/projects/gaminclusive/>.*



 “I witnessed one of the best experiences as a supervisee while preparing
my application for MSCA-IF. Together with my four colleagues from different
parts of the world, we were guided by the research services of Tampere
University in a 2-day grant-writing workshop followed by a pleasant dinner
in Tampere. Still, the workshop was only the hands-on part of this
longitudinal support as I had been continuously and rigorously supervised
by Juho Hamari, supported by the experts in research services and also by
the colleagues in Gamification Group. As a result of this process, GG now
hosts three successful MSCA-IF grantees who will also be of help for future
applicants.”

—* Oğuz Turan Buruk, MSCA-IF grantee with the project WEARTUAL.*



“The MSCA-IF process was one of the most professional and supportive
experiences I’ve had the joy to encounter. The enthusiasm and coaching
provided by the team at the Gamification Group and TAU’s research services
team was sustained over a four-month period from the original workshop
right through to the final submission. The coaching I received from my
supervisor, Professor Juho Hamari was worth its weight in gold in terms of
practical and methodological advice in shaping a compelling research
proposal. And in my particular case, my project wasn’t successful in its
first attempt, but the Gamification Group and TAU believed in me and the
project, and supported me in resubmitting an improved proposal the
following year – and here we are with a funded project.”

— *Marigo Raftopoulos, MSCA-IF grantee with the project Augmented-Humans
<https://webpages.tuni.fi/gamification/projects/augmented-humans/>.*



*Tampere University* is one of the most multidisciplinary universities in
Finland. Almost all internationally recognised fields of study are
represented at our university.

Tampere University was created in January 2019 by the merger of the
University of Tampere and Tampere University of Technology. TAU is
Finland’s second-largest university with 20.000 students and 330
professors. TAU is a partner in the ECIU University, one of the first 17
Erasmus+ European Universities alliances that will become the universities
of the future, promoting European values and identity, and revolutionizing
the quality and competitiveness of European higher education.

At the new University, technology and social sciences come together in a
unique way. Our research groups and projects conduct multidisciplinary
research across institutional boundaries.

*Welcome to join us at GG @ TAU!*

   - https://www.tuni.fi/en
   - http://gamification.group