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School of Electrical Engineering

Become a doctoral researcher at the School of Electrical Engineering

Doctoral education will prepare you for the most demanding expert positions in your field in the academia, companies and public administration or as an entrepreneur. Start here if you’re interested in doctoral studies!
Two people in an anechoic chamber with blue acoustic foam panels. One person gestures while the other holds equipment.

The doctoral programme at the School of Electrical Engineering will make you an expert in your field. During the studies, you’ll explore a research topic of your choice in detail and select courses that develop your competence. Full-time students can complete the doctoral programme in four years. Doctoral studies can also be completed as part-time studies. In this case, the schedule is planned individually with the supervising professor.

What does doctoral education at the School of Electrical Engineering offer you?

  • A respected degree that prepares you to work in demanding research and expert positions, for example, at universities and other research organisations, companies, in public administration or as an entrepreneur.
  • The opportunity to develop diverse competencies via studies tailored specifically for you.
  • The support of an experienced research team and supervisor, which allows you to conduct high-quality research and contribute to advancement in your field.
  • State-of-the-art research facilities and a multidisciplinary environment.
  • International experience through conferences, researcher exchanges and visits, and working in an international research group.
  • Networks with the academic community, companies and organisations in your field.
  • Excellent employment opportunities as well as support and mentoring for career planning.

What do doctoral research in the School of Electrical Engineering include?

A doctorate in the School of Electrical Engineering is not just fours more years of studies, but actual research work.As a doctoral researcher, your main task is to conduct research in your field and present the results in high-quality publications and at conferences. You’ll select and complete 30 credits of studies that support your research and give you valuable skills for your future work life. You have the opportunity to participate in an exchange or a visit to one of our many partner universities around the world.

You will compile your research into a doctoral thesis, which in most cases consists of peer-reviewed articles and a summary section. Doctoral research culminate in a traditional public defence and post-doctoral party, which is always a memorable experience.

Our doctoral students work in international and multidisciplinary research groups and cooperate with other researchers. You’ll be assigned an experienced researcher as your personal thesis advisor, who will support you throughout your doctoral studies. You’ll become part of the international academic community and also have opportunities to network with companies and organisations in your field.


More information on doctoral studies at Aalto UniversityWhat are doctoral studies like?

Surveys show that doctoral graduates from our school are very satisfied with their degree

Aalto University / Aalto students studying / photo: Aino Huovio

Hundred per cent of doctors from the School of Electrical Engineering are satisfied with their degree

Last winter, Aarresaari, a career services network of Finnish universities, conducted a survey on how doctoral graduates from 2014 were employed. A hundred per cent of doctors from the School of Electrical Engineering were satisfied with their degree from the career point of view.

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Aalto-yliopisto / tohtoreiden hatut

Doctoral graduates from the School of Electrical Engineering satisfied with their degrees and careers

In their responses to the career monitoring survey doctoral graduates also emphasised the importance of networking and project management skills.

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Rows of doctors sitting with their doctoral hats on, photographed from behind

Results of the doctoral graduate survey 2022

The majority of doctoral graduates in 2022 were satisfied with the education they received and were employed at the time of their graduation. Each doctoral student is asked to answer the survey when they graduate.

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Where are doctors of science in technology employed?

Our doctoral programme trains experts for academic careers and jobs in business and public administration. The majority of doctoral graduates in electrical engineering work for companies. After graduation, you’ll be qualified to work in demanding scientific research and teaching positions as well as expert, development and management tasks. The employment rate for doctoral graduates in technology is excellent.

Companies need doctors

    Honorary Doctor Matti Kauhanen

    "Companies are pleased to hire doctors on account of their strong conceptual and theoretical competence, as doctors also rapidly develop into top experts in their field of speciality at the company and are able to see the big picture of the subject matter" – Matti Kauhanen, Business Unit Technology Manager, ABB

    heikki holmberg okmetic oy

    "Companies need experts with broader and deeper expertise. Doctors are needed in product development, project management, technical customer support, and production quality assurance." –  Heikki Holmberg, Senior Development Manager, Okmetic Oy

    We see doctoral education as an investment in the future, says Tuomas Nurmi, senior HR manager at Murata Finland.

    How can you prepare yourself for doctoral studies?

    To apply for doctoral studies, you must hold a relevant master's degree completed with good academic success. You also need the ability to conduct research and good oral and written skills in English. You have the motivation to complete your degree within the four-year target period.

    Summer jobs and thesis worker positions offered by research groups are a good way to get acquainted with research and gain useful experience for doctoral studies.

    Before applying, you should discuss your research topic and the supervision of doctoral studies with the supervising professor responsible for your field of study. The doctoral programme in electrical engineering consists of 13 research fields. Applications are accepted monthly, except for July.

    The research fields and supervising professors

    How to apply for doctoral studies?

    Find out what is required of applicants and what can our doctoral studies offer!

    Information for applicants interested in doctoral studies
    A man with a doctor's hat on celebrating his promotion as a doctor with other doctors

    How are the studies funded?

    Many of our doctoral students are employed as researchers in different research projects. The Doctoral Programme in Electrical Engineering also offers some funded positions, for which the calls are announced on our web page and by e-mail. In addition, various grants are available for doctoral studies.

    Open positions on the Aalto website

    More information on funding

    Where can I find more information?

    We're happy to answer any questions that you may have! You can reach us at: doctoral-sci-elec@aalto.fi


    Application requirements and instructions to the School of Electrical EngineeringContact information to the doctoral programme

    Next public defences at the School of Electrical Engineering

    Doctoral hat floating above a speaker's podium with a microphone.
    Public defences

    Public defence in Radio Science and Engineering, M.Sc.(Tech.) Albert Salmi

    Optimization of reactively loaded antennas (title of the thesis)
    Doctoral hat floating above a speaker's podium with a microphone.
    Public defences

    Public defence in Space Science and Technology, M.Sc.(Tech.) Maria Hieta

    Advancing atmospheric humidity measurements on Mars through improved calibration methods (title of the thesis)
    Doctoral hat floating above a speaker's podium with a microphone.
    Public defences

    Public defence in Acoustics and Speech Technology, M.Sc. Etienne Thuillier

    Learning Deep Acoustic Feature Representations for HRTF Individualization (title of the thesis).
    Doctoral hat floating above a speaker's podium with a microphone.
    Public defences

    Public defence in Communications Engineering and Networking Technology, M.Sc. Boxuan Xie

    Towards Sustainable Ambient Internet of Things: Backscatter Communications, Sensing, and Printed Electronics (title of the thesis)
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