Tutkijo

Tutkijo is a Finnish lexical stem and an informal reference related to the word tutkija, which means "researcher." The base verb tutkia means "to study" or "to investigate," and the agentive suffix -ja forms tutkija, denoting a person who conducts systematic inquiry. Tutkijo appears as a stem in compound words and inflected forms (for example tutkijoiden, the genitive plural) and may be encountered in clipped speech or headings where the final vowel is omitted.

A tutkija (researcher) plans and carries out investigations to expand knowledge in a specific field. Typical activities include designing studies, collecting and analyzing data, publishing results in scholarly outlets, applying for funding, and participating in peer review. Researchers work in universities, public research institutes, private companies, government agencies, and non-governmental organizations. In academic settings they may also teach and supervise students.

Educational qualifications vary by role and country; many research positions require a master’s degree, while independent academic research often requires a doctoral degree and postdoctoral experience. Career stages commonly include doctoral candidate, postdoctoral researcher, and principal investigator or senior researcher. Ethical considerations, reproducibility, and research integrity are central to the profession. Related Finnish terms include tutkinto (degree), tutkimus (research), and tieteentekijä (scientist).