Tampereen yliopisto ends doctoral researcher's resource agreement after social media posts

Tampereen yliopisto has this autumn terminated a resource agreement with doctoral researcher Tia Viskari, citing what it describes as inappropriate social media conduct, according to YLE.

An email seen by the outlet shows Jaakko Nevalainen, head of the health sciences unit, telling Viskari she has "publicly criticised Tampereen yliopisto and its representatives in a way the university considers inappropriate and contrary to good practice." Viskari said the decision surprised her and that she had not named the university, her unit or individuals when describing her experiences as a doctoral researcher.

Viskari's resource agreement, not an employment contract, gave her campus access and a university computer while she worked on a dissertation funded by a personal grant. She told YLE she had posted about pay issues and supervision challenges on a public Instagram account, and that one short video about a pay matter was a 24-hour story. She said she had tried to raise problems inside the unit but often felt unheard. "I feel like I'm shouting into the wind when I try to get help or start a discussion at the university," she said.

The university can end a resource agreement unilaterally with one month’s notice and initially cited Viskari’s social media posts as grounds for the dismissal. The university declined to comment on the case. Nevalainen referred questions to dean Liisa Häikiö, who said she could not comment on individual researchers publicly. Viskari retains student status and plans to finish her dissertation even if she must complete it elsewhere.

The move follows an earlier dismissal that was remanded to court in September.