University of Copenhagen

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.

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

Full job post and details for the appointment procedure: https://jobportal.ku.dk/videnskabelige-stillinger/?show=152580