Postdoc Position in Digital Media Analysis

The Media Studies Section, Department of Communication (COMM), Faculty of Humanities, University of Copenhagen (UCPH), Denmark, invites applications for a postdoc position in digital media analysis to be filled by December 1, 2020 or as soon as possible thereafter. The position is for 2 years.

Information about the Media Studies Section can be found at https://comm.ku.dk/research/media-studies/

Job content
The postdoc will be part of the project ProDem – Protests and Democracy: How Movement Parties, Social Movements, and Active Citizens are Reshaping Europe funded by the Volkswagen Foundation and will work alongside co-principal investigator Assoc.Prof. Christina Neumayer. The project aims to comparatively assess the medium and long-term effects of the triple interaction between citizens, social movements, and movement parties. We seek to explain how social movements and movement parties, together with a realignment of citizens’ values and attitudes, have affected democratic quality in Denmark, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Romania, and the UK between the peak of the global wave of protests in 2011 and 2019. 

The postdoc works with digital media analysis and should have experience with collecting and analyzing data from various social media platforms. In collaboration with the co-PI at UCPH, the postdoc investigates patterns of the triple interaction between citizens, social movements, and movement parties over time. An interest in civic or political participation, social movements, political parties, digital media and political communication, is an advantage. The postdoc will be part of the Media Studies section at COMM at UCPH and will work in close cooperation with the international ProDem consortium. There will be ample opportunity for exchange and collaboration with postdocs and senior researchers in the consortium. 

Qualifications requirements  
The successful candidate will have, or is about to be awarded, a PhD in computational social science, media or communication studies, sociology, political science, or a related discipline, have good command of digital media analysis and/or computational social science methods as well as an interest in civic or political participation, social movements, political parties, digital or broadcasting media. 

Furthermore, emphasis will be placed on the following:  

  • Experience with computational social science methods / digital data analysis methods, and data collection from various social media platforms;
  • A developing publication record in good quality publications; 
  • Ability to conduct literature reviews and relevant background research (to identify, summarize and code relevant studies for further analysis); 
  • Good written and verbal communication skills and an ability to communicate research findings effectively to both specialist and lay audiences including project stakeholders such as policy-makers, party or social movement representatives, in order to generate impact;
  • Interest in civic or political participation, social movements, political parties, digital media and political communication;
  • Experience with data visualizations;
  • Knowledge of a range of research methods;
  • Ability to publish, e.g. blogs, with content management systems; 
  • Ability to work effectively in a team, together with the principal investigator at UCPH and the other members of the consortium, as well as independently; to recognize when to seek advice and to meet collective deadlines.

For further details about the qualification requirements for postdocs, please refer to the job structure for academic staff: https://www.retsinformation.dk/Forms/R0710.aspx?id=140435 (only in Danish)

For further information, please contact Assoc.Prof. Christina Neumayer, christina.neumayer@hum.ku.dk .

Application  
Submit the application online in Adobe PDF or Word format.

ZIP-files cannot be uploaded.  

Please click on the “Apply now” icon at the bottom of the page.  

Please note that each field in the application form may only contain a single file of max. 20Mb.  

The application must be written in English and include the following enclosures:

  • Application letter/cover letter  
  • Curriculum vitae (with applicant’s e-mail address & telephone number)  
  • Documentation of qualifications (examination certificates/PhD diploma, etc.).  
  • Complete and numbered list of publications. The enclosed publications must be marked with *.  
  • Research plan (max 5 pages), including a short description of previous research and a plan for the coming years that includes an account of involvement in organising research, establishment of research seminars, symposia and congresses, etc.  
  • Documentation of teaching qualifications and research dissemination, if any  
  • Publications. Applicants may choose a maximum of three publications for assessment, of which at least two must have been published within the five years immediately preceding the deadline for applications. Publication dates must be clearly marked on the publication list. The publications selected must be uploaded as attachments and listed from 1 to 3.

Should any material submitted consist of work with named co-authors, or work that is otherwise the result of collective academic endeavours, the extent of the applicant’s contribution to the work must be clearly stipulated. The Faculty may ask for a signed statement from the co-authors stipulating the extent and nature of each individual’s contribution.

Only material in English, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish or German can be expected to be assessed.

All material will be shredded at the end of the appointment procedure.

Appointment procedure  
After the application deadline, the Head of Department selects applicants for assessment on the advice of the Appointment Committee.  All applicants are notified whether their application has been accepted for assessment. The Dean subsequently appoints an expert assessment committee tasked with carrying out an assessment of the selected applicants for the specific post. Selected applicants are notified of the composition of the committee. Applicants are ultimately offered the opportunity of commenting on the part of the assessment relating to themselves before the appointment is finalized.

Applicants will be continuously informed about the progress of the procedure by e-mail.

Further information about the application procedure is available from Salma Schou (HR), e-mail: hrsc@hrsc.ku.dk, please refer to ID 211-0521/20-2I

Salary and conditions of employment  
Terms of appointment and salary will be in accordance with an agreement between the Ministry of Finance and The Danish Confederation of Professional Associations (AC). The salary range starts at DKK 34,300 (EUR 4,590) per month + a 17,1 % contribution to the pension scheme. It is possible to negotiate salary supplements on an annual basis.

The Danish Ministry of Finance and the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations (AC) have further agreed on a protocol that makes it possible for international researchers employed by the University to achieve a pension exemption, whereby the pension contribution will be paid out as salary. For more information about the different pension schemes, please see https://ism.ku.dk/onarrival/pension

A special tax scheme is offered to researchers recruited abroad, https://ism.ku.dk/onarrival

If you consider applying from abroad, you may find useful information on how it is to work in Denmark and at UCPH.

Read more here : http://ism.ku.dk  http://www.nyidanmark.dk/en-us/frontpage.htm and https://www.workindenmark.dk

UCPH wishes to encourage everyone interested in this post to apply, regardless of personal background.  

The closing date for applications is 23.59 CET, 15 October 2020.  

Applications or supplementary material received thereafter will not be considered.

Part of the International Alliance of Research Universities (IARU), and among Europe’s top-ranking universities, the University of Copenhagen promotes research and teaching of the highest international standard. Rich in tradition and modern in outlook, the University gives students and staff the opportunity to cultivate their talent in an ambitious and informal environment. An effective organisation – with good working conditions and a collaborative work culture – creates the ideal framework for a successful academic career.