Technical University of Munich

The Emmy Noether Junior Research Group "The media portrayal of majority and minority groups" (Stefanie Walter, PhD) invites applications for a 3-year doctoral research position (65%) with focus on automated text analysis and computational social science.

Your responsibilities:

The applicant will be a core member of the Emmy Noether Junior Research Group "The media portrayal of majority and minority groups". The group is newly funded by the German Research Foundation and led at TUM by Stefanie Walter. The project will analyze similarities and differences in the media portrayal of majority and minority groups by studying them comparatively. The position will focus on the project’s quantitative component with an emphasis on automated content analysis and quantitative social science. The doctoral researcher will be actively involved in the project’s research activities, including the design and implementation of studies. They will also be expected to help co-author articles based on this project for publication and have the opportunity to pursue a doctoral degree.

Your qualifications:

• Master’s degree in Political Science, Media and Communication, or related disciplines.
• Skills in quantitative methods and automated text analysis / computational social science (e.g., documented in transcripts, further training, or course work).
• Command of R (or Python) (e.g., documented in transcripts, further training, or course work).
• Interest in political communication (e.g., documented in transcripts, further training, or course work).
• Strong ability to communicate in spoken and written English (required; Level B2 (or equivalent) e.g., documented by university entrance diploma or English language certificate).
• Ability to communicate in German valuable but not required (please indicate proficiency).

Our offer:

This is a 3-year research position with the opportunity to pursue a doctoral degree at the Technical University of Munich, one of Germany's most highly ranked research universities (in residence). The estimated starting date is 1 March 2021. Remuneration will be in accordance with the German public service pay scale (collective agreement for state-level public servants, TV-L) at the E-13 level (65%). TUM strives to raise the proportion of women in its workforce and explicitly encourages applications from qualified women. Applications from disabled persons with essentially the same qualifications will be given preference.

How to apply:

To apply, please send the following materials as a single pdf file to: stefanie.walter@tum.de

• Cover letter (no longer than 2 pages) that explains your interest in the project and details your experience with quantitative methods, automated text analysis/computational social science. Please include your reasons for applying for this particular position and your ideal starting date.
• Current curriculum vitae (CV).
• A copy of your academic certificates (if available, transcripts providing specific information about your university-level coursework and/or a list of courses that is informative about your substantive and methodological preparation).
• A writing sample (research paper, publication, or Master’s thesis).
• Contact details of two referees who can attest to your research and technical abilities.

All applications received by 18 December 2020 are assured full consideration.

Please do not hesitate to contact Stefanie Walter at stefanie.walter@tum.de if you have any questions.

The project strongly supports the TUM's diversity policy, which seeks to increase the number of women, people with disabilities, and members of other groups traditionally underrepresented in academia. Submissions from such applicants are therefore particularly encouraged.

Data Protection Information:

When you apply for a position with the Technical University of Munich (TUM), you are submitting personal information. With regard to personal information, please take note of the Datenschutzhinweise gemäß Art. 13 Datenschutz-Grundverordnung (DSGVO) zur Erhebung und Verarbeitung von personenbezogenen Daten im Rahmen Ihrer Bewerbung. (data protection information on collecting and processing personal data contained in your application in accordance with Art. 13 of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)). By submitting your application, you confirm that you have acknowledged the above data protection information of TUM.

Kontakt: stefanie.walter@tum.de