Dept of Journalism Studies, University of Sheffield

Deadline: December 1, 2019

We are looking to recruit a further French-speaking Research Associate (12 months at 0.8fte) to join our growing team on the FemmePowermentAfrique project, which is assessing the impact of radio on women’s rights and empowerment in Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso. You will be working on a new part of the project, recently funded by a large GCRF grant, and will be examining radio output using natural language processing, but also gathering listener feedback through social media platforms.

Radio is an essential form of independent information in many regions in Global South. It is extensively used for many purposes including providing news, information, and awareness campaigns, particularly regarding youth and female empowerment. Given its potential influence and its capacity to change behaviour and influence attitudes (for good or bad), it is important to determine whether the information that radio broadcasts is accurate, independent, targeted, or even aligns with listeners’ needs or wishes.

Working in collaboration with Fondation Hirondelle, a Swiss-based media development organisation based in Lausanne, and its radio studios in Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso, you will be involved in the quantitative and qualitative analysis of data, radio programmes and radio generally. You will be fluent in French. Key areas of investigation will be radio, women, youth, politics, and Mali/Niger/Burkina Faso. Experience in these areas will be beneficial. You will have a good honours degree and will be undertaking or have recently completed a PhD in a relevant area. Familiarity with data management and natural language processing will also be advantageous. Some overseas travel may be required.

To apply, please click here. Closing date - 1 December 2019

For informal enquiries about this job, contact: Dr Emma Heywood - e.heywood@sheffield.ac.uk.