ECREA WEEKLY digest ARTICLES

Special Issue of Convergence: The International Journal of Research into New Media Technologies

Deadline for abstracts: March 7, 2021

Expected date of publication: April 2022

Guest editors: Daniela van Geenen (University of Siegen), Dr. Karin van Es (Utrecht University) and Dr. Jonathan Gray (King’s College London)

The criticism of knowledge technologies has a long tradition in science and technology studies (STS), feminist studies and media studies approaches often addressing the ways in which technologies frame epistemic processes in scientific and technical settings (e.g. Latour, 1987; Latour and Woolgar, 1979; Haraway, 1988 and 1997; Chun, 2011; Galloway, 2012; Manovich, 2013). Knowledge technologies are not just the preserve of natural scientists and engineers, but also present in a wide variety of everyday and professional settings – including social and cultural research, in particular, in critical approaches to ‘Big Data’ and algorithmic systems. Importantly, these tools frame how we approach our objects and sites of study; they are not neutral, but active mediators impacting the ways knowledge is produced and disseminated.

This special issue explores the contemporary relevance of the notion of ‘critical technical practice’ (Agre, 1997a) to digital research in the humanities and social sciences including internet studies, critical data studies (e.g. Iliadis and Russo, 2016), critical algorithm studies (Gillespie and Seaver, 2016), and software studies (e.g. Rieder, 2020). Philip Agre (1997a and b) coined the notion of critical technical practice (CTP) in his work on artificial intelligence, proposing the challenge of having ‘one foot planted in the craft work of design and the other foot planted in the reflexive work of critique’ (Agre, 1997b: p. 155). The issue aims to bring together, advance, and reflect on recent work on the relevance of critical technical practice(s) for scholarship, pedagogy, and public engagement around digital devices and computational tools in the context of social and cultural research. It takes up recent calls advocating the relevance of such approaches to tool development, research, and education in cultural and social studies in order to approach digital media as both objects and instruments of investigation (e.g. Dieter, 2014; Gray, Bounegru, Milan, and Ciuccarelli, 2016; Gray and Bounegru, forthcoming; Rieder & Röhle, 2012 and 2017; Van Es, Wieringa, Schäfer, 2018; Van Geenen, 2018 and 2020).

The editors welcome contributions from a range of disciplinary perspectives that explore questions such as:

• How can researchers organise critical inquiry with and about such digital tools, methods, and data collections?
• How can devices such as network graphs, spreadsheets, scrapers, APIs, machine-learning tools, and code libraries be repurposed in cultural and social research, with a critical sensibility towards their genealogies and sociocultural lives?
• How can methods be taken as sites of experimentation around the composition of collective life, between research and other areas of practice (e.g. activism, education, journalism, or policy)?

Deadline abstracts: 7 March 2021

Please send a 500-word abstract and a 100-word bio to the guest editors: daniela.vgeenen@unisiegen.de, k.f.vanes@uu.nl and jonathan.gray@kcl.ac.uk

Authors of accepted abstracts will be invited to send full contributions by 2 August 2021.

University of Brighton

The School of Media, University of Brighton is inviting applications for AHRC-funded technē Doctoral studentships for October 2021 entry.

We are looking for motivated and engaged individuals to study across our research strengths in Media & Communications, Arts and Humanities. Applicants will be educated to Masters level or equivalent and meet AHRC eligibility criteria for funding.

Your application will go through a two-stage process, being considered first by the University of Brighton Doctoral College.

AHRC-funded technē Studentships

Technē is a Doctoral Training Partnership funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), aiming to create a new model for collaborative research skills training for research students across nine higher education institutions in London and the South East (Royal Holloway; Brunel University; University of Brighton; Kingston University; Loughborough University, London; Roehampton University; University of Surrey; University of the Arts London; and University of Westminster). Technē’s vision is to produce scholars who are highly motivated and prepared for academic, public or professional life.

Fully-funded studentships (stipends and fee waivers) will be awarded by technē to the best students put forward by its member universities. Successful applicants will benefit from a rich and diverse training programme with a focus on interdisciplinarity career development both in and beyond higher education and they will be able to draw on supervisory expertise from across the partnership. The technē training programme is enhanced by input and placement opportunities provided by 13 partner organisations, including the Barbican, Natural History Museum, Museum of London, BFI and the Science Museum.

The School of Media and Centres for Research Excellence

The University of Brighton’s School of Media fosters a thriving community of theorists and practitioners working on the development of new knowledge around media cultures, technologies and practices. Our research encompasses a broad range of media forms, from television and film to digital media, videogames, VR and AR and it focuses on different stages of media production, representation, distribution and reception. More specific areas include innovative research on the media and: identity politics (e.g. gender and sexuality); power and resistance (e.g. activism, democracy); memory and history; sustainability and environmentalism, among others

Research is supported through specialist centres and groups. Doctoral supervisors are active in research in the Centre for Digital Media Cultures, the Centre for Spatial, Environmental and Cultural Politics, the Centre for Transforming Sexuality and Gender and the Centre for Memory, Narrative and Histories. Additional Research & Enterprise Groups that provide further opportunities for networking, collaboration and support are the ones on Screen Studies, Photography in Practice; Photography in Theory, Creative Sound & Music and Cultural Informatics.

The City of Brighton and Hove gives our PhD students access to one of the UK’s most lively media economies. We foster research that takes advantage of these relationships with a history of community engagement and industry-based research projects.

For more information about the School research culture, please visit the School of Media research website.

For more information about the scheme, please visit the Technē website.

For more details and how to apply, please visit the relevant University page on Funding Opportunities and Studentships.

Important dates:

University of Brighton deadline: Monday 4 January 2021.

Interviews: Week beginning 20 January 2021

For further information please contact the Postgraduate Research Coordinator Aris Mousoutzanis

Coventry University

Coventry University's School of Media and Performing Arts, Faculty of Arts and Humanities is inviting applications, from interested 'hackademics' , for the post of Assistant Professor of Journalism. The deadline is 8th January 2021.

The successful candidate for this ‘senior lecturer’ level role is expected to contribute to both undergraduate and postgraduate journalism curricula, especially “within the frameworks of contemporary journalistic practice - and have a good knowledge of media law or have experience in television, online journalism/public relations, editing (e.g. Adobe Premiere) and/or be familiar with TV studio operations. This post will cover an array of specialisms in emerging forms of network media.”

For details, please see:

1. Jobs.ac link:

https://www.jobs.ac.uk/…ism

2. Coventry university jobs portal route ( https://www.coventry.ac.uk/…ty/ )

> ‘find current vacancies’ tab > search ‘journalism’ on keywords search window.

As indicated in the ad, those interested may contact Deputy Head of School Paul Smith for informal discussion.

Book chapters

Deadline: January 12, 2021

Introduction

This book is aimed to analyze the relationship among politics and communication in the current context of increasing polarization and their disruptive effects over democracy (Bennett & Pfetsch, 2018). From an interdisciplinary approach, the book is intended to offer an overview of the threats faced by traditional and stable democracies in a hybrid communicative scenario (Chadwick, 2013) in which disinformation (Guess, Nyhan & Reifler, 2018) reaches worrying levels.

Objective

The objective of this book is to address a relevant issue that involves a multidisciplinary approach, that is, the relationships between communication, politics, and democracy. It is aimed to offer a valuable contribution regarding the challenges and threats faced by contemporary democracies while disinformation, polarization and populism have a main role in the present hybrid communicative scenario. This is a relevant and current topic that makes the book suitable for scholars and professionals working in the areas of political communication, political sciences, journalism and media. One of the strongest features of the book is the multi-national approach to the topic.

Recommended Topics

• Political communication and democracy
• Leadership crisis and representative democracy
• Institutions and media credibility
• Polarization, skepticism, apathy and political cynicism
• Socio-economic crisis, pandemic and democracy

• Populism: discourses and strategies
• Disinformation, hate speech and citizens’ mistrust
• Emotions, emotional communities and adversaries
• Selective exposure and ‘News Find Me’ perception
• Infotainment, fiction productions and political institutions

Editors

• Dolors Palau-Sampio, University of Valencia, Spain
• Guillermo López-García, University of Valencia, Spain
• Laura Iannelli, University of Sassari, Italy

Submission Procedure

Researchers are invited to submit on or before January 12, 2021 a chapter proposal of 1,000 to 2,000 words clearly explaining the mission and concerns of his or her proposed chapter.

https://www.igi-global.com/…017

Authors will be notified by January 26, 2021 about the status of their proposals. Chapter guidelines will be sent in case of acceptance of proposal. Full chapters are expected to be submitted by May 12, 2021. All submitted chapters will be reviewed on a double-blind review basis. Contributors may also be requested to serve as reviewers for this project.

Note: There are no submission or acceptance fees for manuscripts submitted to this book publication, Contemporary Politics, Communication, and the Impact on Democracy. All manuscripts are accepted based on a double-blind peer review editorial process.

Important dates

• January 12, 2021: Proposal Submission Deadline
• January 26, 2021: Notification of Acceptance
• May 12, 2021: Full Chapter Submission

Publisher

This book is scheduled to be published by IGI Global (formerly Idea Group Inc.), an international academic publisher. For additional information regarding the publisher, please visit https://www.igi-global.com. This publication is anticipated to be released in 2022.

Please visit https://www.igi-global.com/…017 for more details regarding this publication and to submit your work.

Inquiries

• Dolors Palau-Sampio, University of Valencia: dolors.palau@uv.es
• Guillermo López-García, University of Valencia: guillermo.lopez@uv.es
• Laura Iannelli, University of Sassari: liannelli@uniss.it

Special issue of The Radio Journal

Deadline: January 20, 2021

Guest editors: Ellis Jones (University of Oslo) and Jeremy Morris (University of Wisconsin-Madison)

On 19 May 2020, Spotify announced they had secured worldwide rights to distribute The Joe Rogan Show – arguably the world’s most commercially successful podcast – exclusively through their streaming platform. This move, reportedly worth over $100m, follows a series of notable licensing deals and acquisitions by Spotify (e.g. Gimlet Media, Anchor, The Obamas, etc.). But the heavy investment in this emerging media format also puts podcasts and music in economic and cultural tension. Noting the paltry royalties Spotify distributes to musicians, jazz historian Ted Gioja scoffed that the Rogan deal shows ‘Spotify values Rogan more than any musician in the history of the world.’

So, while academic literature has positioned podcasts in relation to radio as the format they most resemble, outside of academia it is music and podcasts that are more frequently presented as in competition for listeners’ attention, and as generating different listening practices and distinct sets of socio-cultural values. This special issue of The Radio Journal: International Studies in Broadcast & Audio Media (20.1, May 2022) seeks to put these two competing and complementary formats in dialogue. Topics for articles might include:

• Music and podcasts as participatory media. As a ‘home recording’ project, podcasting has potential parallels with the long history of ‘DIY’ and ‘alternative’ music production. What is the significance of being a ‘home’ podcaster, in relation to these politicised lineages of music production?
• Identity and political ‘voice’. Podcasts are accessible and ubiquitous, but some early structural features that made it a popular practice for white, educated men still persist. Who can speak through these different forms? How do music and spoken word give voice to different communities, and particular forms of expertise?
• Functions and uses. Recorded music and podcasts are distinct formats, yet they occupy similar roles in people’s lives: soundtracking commutes, chores, exercise, etc. How do music and podcasts compare as forms of ‘time’ or ‘mood’ management’?
• Music, podcasts, and well-being. How do music and podcasts provide similar or different experiences of comfort, immersion or distraction? Why are podcasts (more than music) categorized as habitual listening, or as addictive binge-listening?
• Platformization. What are the consequences of Spotify’s moves away from the open ecosystem podcasting was built on, and what can popular music learn from such changes? What is the relationship of music and podcasts to corporate surveillance and data capture? How has platformization placed pressures on the form, content, and structure of music and podcasts?
• Music in podcasts. Podcasts have not (yet) integrated the playback and publicizing of popular music in the same way that radio has, largely due to licensing issues. How might this change in the streaming era? How have licencing issues led to other uses of music in podcasts? How have musicians used podcasts to build audiences and develop alternative revenues amidst a purported ‘value gap’ in music streaming?

Please send abstracts (200-300 words) and short bio to podcastingandpopularmusic@gmail.com by Wednesday 20th January 2021. Completed commissioned articles (~7,000 words) will be due by 1 August 2021.

Authors selected for the special issue will also be invited to participate in a conference panel at the upcoming IAMRC conference (July 2021), in the Music, Audio, Radio and Sound working group, where they can share and comment on drafts of their works in progress.

Series description

This series aims to publish monographs and edited collections (in the region of 70,000-90,000 words) that tackle the position of women in the economy as well as explore labour relations. By labour relations, it means studying human relations in work in its broadest sense and analysing how labour relations affect social inequality with particular reference to women. In terms of social inequality, this series particularly welcomes analyses of women and class and broader analyses of labour relations. The series will publish perspectives from around the world and thus the series fits into the understanding of labour relations through both work relations in a Western sense and non-Western forms of labour. The series is also interested in studies of the position of women in worker’s unions, stance on women’s affairs within workers unions, and the position of women and women’s affairs in labour movements.

Both historical and contemporary perspectives are welcome. Studies in industrial and economic sociology are particularly welcome.

The book series aims to publish books from a variety of perspectives, e.g. the series will equally accept both theoretical and empirical perspectives. Also, the book series will accept case study perspectives on women working in various industries. We would particularly like to hear from authors who research the position of women in working-class positions, e.g. factory workers, supermarket workers, etc. Studies on women in feminized industries (e.g. nursing, teaching, PR) and masculine industries (construction, business, finance) are equally welcome.

Aim and scope

The main aim of this book series is to deconstruct the position of women in the economy and explore labour relation from a feminist perspective. All feminist perspectives are welcome, which includes liberal feminist perspectives, as well as analyses of the position of women from radical and socialist feminist positions. In the case of the latter, we particularly welcome proposals that tackle economic system and inequalities with special reference to the position of women. The proposed books should particularly focus on analysing structural problems that bring about inequality, the distinctiveness of women’s contributions to the economy, work conditions and masculinities in organizations and wider societies and differences between men and women. Besides, books that tackle economic systems and link this to the position of women are also welcome.

Topics considered:

• Women and organizational culture
• Masculinities and femininities and the organizational culture

• Leadership styles between men and women
• Communication styles between women and men, and the link with career progression
• Business and sustainability (women’s angle)
• Women in business
• Industrial relations and women
• Labour relations and women
• Women and poverty
• Women and consumerism
• Women and class
• Studies on patriarchy and economy

• Labour movements, women and the media
• Worker’s Unions and women
• Women’s work activism
• Radical feminist perspectives on the position of women in the economy
• Ecofeminist analyses of the society
• Socialist Feminism and the criticism of the capitalist society
• Media systems and women
• Women and labour relations in capitalism, socialism and communism
• Family, domestic work and employment
• Women and work security
• Women, work and reproduction
• Women and capitalism
• Women and socialism
• Women and communism
• #metoo movement
• Women and sustainability
• Women and the glass ceiling/paygap debate

Series Editor: 

Dr Martina Topić FHEA, Senior Lecturer in Public Relations at Leeds Beckett University, UK

To submit a proposal to this series, please contact the series editor via email: Dr Martina Topić, M.Topic@leedsbeckett.ac.uk 

May 26-28, 2021

Online conference

Deadline: March 1, 2021

8th International Communication Days

International Communication Days is organized by Üsküdar University Faculty of Communication annually with a different theme each year. The main title of this year’s international symposium is “Crisis Communication in the Digital Age”. The symposium will be held on 26-27-28 May 2021 via zoom / webinar with the participation of renowned keynote speakers at the national and at the international level. Simultaneous Turkish-English interpretation will be provided during the keynote speeches.

Our world has been struggling with an unprecedented global pandemic for the past year. The rapid spread of the pandemic all over the world suddenly confronted all humanity with a serious crisis situation in all dimensions of life. While the importance of communication is deeply felt in the management of the crisis that brought life to a standstill, we are also witnessing how digital communication technologies are effectively included in the process. The transfer of social relations, business life, education, cultural and artistic activities to online environments through digital technologies in a period when social spaces are restricted, people are confined to their homes and shelter in their private living spaces, shows that the world is on the brink of a digital revolution. Therefore, this current crisis requires reconsidering the power of communication in the context of digitalization from different dimensions.

The 8th International Communication Days / Crisis Communication in the Digital Age Symposium aims to discuss various aspects of crisis communication in the context of digital communication technologies, focusing on the Covid-19 outbreak. The views and thoughts to be put forward in the symposium will be shared with the relevant academic and social circles and efforts will be made to turn these contributions into practice.

The 8th International Communication Days / Crisis Communication in the Digital Age Symposium will last for three days. Professor Paul Argenti (Darthmouth University), known for his work on crisis communication and management, Professor Simon Cottle (Cardiff University), known for his studies in crisis communication and crisis media, Professor Ümit Atabek (Yaşar University), known for his studies on communication governance and strategy, and Associate Professor Gregory Simons (Uppsala University), who has many books and articles in the field of media are among the keynote speakers of the symposium. Also, Liz Yeomans, PhD (Leeds Beckett University), known for her research on crisis communication and empathy in public relations and Fügen Toksü (Turkish Public Relations Association - TUHID), known for both her professional work in the public relations sector and her contributions to the academic field will be among the keynote speakers of the symposium.

Crisis Communication in the Digital Age Symposium is an international peer-reviewed scientific event. At the symposium, oral presentations are welcome. The scientific committee of the symposium includes esteemed academics from home and abroad.

Topics may include but are not limited to:

• Digitalization and crisis communication
• Health communication
• Crisis communication and management during Covid-19
• Crisis communication and management in the time of natural disasters
• Crisis communication, management and social media
• Crisis communication, management and public relations
• Crisis communication, management and advertising
• The role of visual communication in crisis communication and management
• The role of art and design in crisis communication and management
• Crisis communication, management and television
• Crisis communication, management and cinema
• Online communications education during pandemics
• Shopping and digital marketing during the Covid-19 outbreak
• Institutional and organizational communication during crises
• Media and crisis journalism
• Media industry during the Covid-19 outbreak

Submitted abstracts will be peer reviewed by the referees of scientific committee and the accepted papers will be published in the abstract booklet. Full papers will be included in the symposium proceedings book to be published online. The maximum acceptable length of an abstract is 250 words and full paper submissions cannot be more than 7500 words. The paper submission rules of Etkileşim, Üsküdar University Faculty of Communication Academic Journal should be taken into consideration.

Abstracts presentations should be sent to the organization committee before 01 March 2021. All submissions must be made online via the symposium website. Accepted papers will be announced by 2 April 2021.

We look forward to your papers. Thanks in advance for your contributions.

Uskudar University

Contact e-mail: ifig@uskudar.edu.tr 

8th International Communication Days Important Dates:

• Abstract Submission Deadline:  April 16, 2021 
• Announcement of the Program: May 7, 2021

You can find the detailed information about the symposium in our website: 

https://ifig.uskudar.edu.tr/en/2021

April 23-25, 2021

Online conference

Deadline: January 8, 2021

The Ludomusicology Research Group is pleased to announce the Ludo2021 Tenth European Conference on Video Game Music and Sound.

We are currently accepting proposals for research presentations.

We welcome proposals on all aspects of sound and music in games.

This year, we are particularly interested in papers that support the conference theme of ‘Where in the world is video game music? Geographies, Cultures, and Regions of Game Music’. Papers on this topic may include:

• Transculturality in game soundtracks
• Game audio production between the local and the global
• Game sound and its others
• Exoticism and orientalism in game scoring
• Postcolonial perspectives on video game musicInteractions across game-musical and cultural contexts

Presentations should last twenty minutes and will be followed by questions.

Please submit your paper proposal (c.250 words) with a short provisional bibliography by email to ludomusicology@gmail.com by January 8th 2021. We aim to communicate the programme decisions by January 22nd 2021. If you require more information, please email the organizers.

We encourage practitioners and composers to submit proposals for showcasing practice as research, bearing in mind the limits and possibilities of an online environment.

There will be no charges for attendees or presenters.

Download and share our Call for Papers!

Keynote Speakers

Prof. Hillegonda Rietveld, Professor of Sonic Culture at London South Bank University, musician and electronic music specialist, co-editor of the special issue ‘Hear the Music, Play the Game’ of G/A/M/E: The Italian Journal of Game Studies.

Markus Zierhofer, composer of The Wagadu Chronicles and founder of AudioCreatures.

Organized by: Melanie Fritsch, Michiel Kamp, Tim Summers and Mark Sweeney

Eludamos: Journal for Computer Game Culture

Deadline: January 31, 2021

“Playfulness” is a bona fide example of a travelling concept (Bal 2002), with a complex conceptual history that ranges from anthropology and psychology (e.g., Lieberman 1977; Sutton-Smith 1997) via literary theory (e.g., Stewart 1979; Hutchinson 1983) to the interdisciplinary field of game studies (e.g., Ensslin 2014; Sicart 2014). While there are thus evidently many different ways to approach the question what it means for humans or other animals to think, perceive, and/or behave “playfully,” even a brief look at our current media culture—with its increasing erosion of the border between work and play, its subversion of the notion of distinct media and established genre conventions, as well as its promises of new forms of creative and political participation— clearly demonstrates that this question is indeed still worth asking.

For the forthcoming 2021 issue of Eludamos: Journal for Computer Game Culture (https://www.eludamos.org), we thus invite proposals for articles exploring aspects of playfulness across media. Possible topics would include:

• Theories and case studies of playfulness from game studies and beyond
• Playful aesthetics across media forms (games, comics, films, etc.)
• Playfulness as a mode of production across the creative industries
• Playfulness as a mode of reception in participatory culture/fan cultures
• Playfulness in “serious” contexts (gamification, protests, etc.)

Please send an abstract of 300–500 words and 100-word biobibliographical note to the guest editor Jan-Noël Thon at jan.n.thon@ntnu.no by 31 January 2021. Selected abstracts will be invited to submit a full article of 5,000–6,000 words by 30 April 2021. All submitted articles will be subject to peer review.

Works Cited

Bal, Mieke. 2002. Travelling Concepts in the Humanities: A Rough Guide. Toronto: University of Toronto Press.

Ensslin, Astrid. 2014. Literary Gaming. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

Hutchinson, Peter. 1983. Games Authors Play. London: Methuen.

Lieberman, J. Nina. 1977. Playfulness: Its Relationship to Imagination and Creativity. New York: Academic Press.

Sicart, Miguel. 2014. Play Matters. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

Stewart, Susan. 1979. Nonsense: Aspects of Intertextuality in Folklore and Literature. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press.

Sutton-Smith, Brian. 1997. The Ambiguity of Play. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press

KU Leuven

(ref. ZAP-2020-182)

The fulltime professor position (open-rank) will be held within the Leuven School for Mass Communication Research, a research unit within the Department of Communication Sciences, Faculty of Social Sciences, KU Leuven (Belgium). KU Leuven represents a leading academic institution in Europe that is currently by far the largest university in Belgium in terms of research funding and expenditure. The university’s mission is to provide excellence in academic education and research and to offer a distinguished service to society. Owing to KU Leuven’s cutting-edge research, KU Leuven is a charter member of the League of European Research Universities (LERU) and is consistently ranked among the top 10 universities in Europe.

Within KU Leuven, the Leuven School of Mass Communication Research (SMCR) represents a pioneering institution for media effects research. SMCR strives to contribute to the most advanced methodological techniques and theoretical insights in communication studies, cognitive and social psychology, sociology, and public health. The research focus lies on the use of information- and entertainment media (including social media, ICT, television, games, mobile devices), and on how these uses may harm or enhance various components of individuals’ wellbeing. We have a strong expertise in explaining the processes through which various forms of media use affect physical, psychological and social wellbeing in the long run, and the conditions under which these processes occur. Therefore, a series of advanced methods are applied, including longitudinal survey studies, daily diary studies and content analysis. Issues studied in recent years include alcohol and drug use, sexuality and sexism, aggression, risk taking, depression, self-harm, (positive) body image, sleep, mental wellbeing, health information seeking, self-esteem, parental mediation, and nutrition.

The School adheres to the highest academic standards and strives towards publishing its research in top academic journals (e.g., Journal of Communication, Human Communication Research, New Media & Society). For this research, prestigious grants from multiple funding agencies are attributed yearly and SMCR’s excellent research has been awarded on a yearly basis by different international and interdisciplinary organizations. SMCR staff is involved in various national and international multidisciplinary research projects, primarily of fundamental nature but also with societal relevance

Website unit

Duties

• Research

You will be expected to develop a research program, aim at excellent scientific output of international level, and support and promote national and international research collaborations in the broad field of health communication and in the context of the School for Mass Communication Research. Your research focuses on the development of innovative theory and advanced research techniques in this field. You have a strong background in predominantly quantitative research methods and have demonstrated research excellence in various ways (e.g., top ranked ISI publications, awards, societal impact etc.).

With this vacancy we aim to further strengthen and expand the research at SMCR. We are looking for a candidate with a strong experience in research in communication and the advancement of health and wellbeing in society. Specifically, your research may encompass one of the following subdomains of health communication: (1) effects of media use on various health (e.g., addiction, suicide,…) or societal issues (e.g., hate speech, sustainability,…), and ways of responding to these effects with communication and intervention, (2) the development and testing of mediated promotion and intervention campaigns aiming to advance public health or societal wellbeing, (3) health information seeking and effects (e.g., resistance to health information, public service announcements,…), and/or (4) technological perspectives on health communication (e.g., effects of VR on health outcomes, potential of mHealth in health promotion, artificial intelligence,…).

Your research may focus on the (strategic) uses or effects of different types of media including but not limited to, social media, entertainment media, television, news media, apps, video games, blogs, websites, serious games, virtual reality etc.

In close collaboration with SMCR staff, you contribute to the existing lines of research and set up your own program through the acquisition of research funding.

• Education

The Department of Communication Science, consisting of two research groups SMCR and IMS, organizes the Bachelor and Master of Communication Science, the (English) Master in Digital Media and Society, and is involved in the Master’s program of Business Communication and Journalism. Your teaching will contain several courses at the Bachelor’s and Master’s level and will include theoretical and methodological courses on communication science in general and health communication in particular. You have experience in lecturing large groups and you have a broad employability due to in-depth and detailed knowledge about the social sciences, media sociology and media psychology. You supervise students working on their masterthesis and PhD students.

Your teaching is expected to meet the KU Leuven standards regarding academic program level and orientation and to be in keeping with the educational vision of KU Leuven. Commitment to the quality of education as a whole is naturally understood.

• Service

You provide scientific, social and internal services. This is reflected, among other things, in a constructive contribution to education and research, as part of a team's collective projects (e.g. through participation in meetings, teacher days, information sessions, recruitment activities, exchange programs).

Profile

Applicants hold a Ph.D. degree in communication sciences, social sciences, psychology, public health or an equivalent diploma. We seek a scholar with a broad theoretical- and interdisciplinary interest and a strong background in quantitative research methods, whose research relates to and complements the current research lines at SMCR with a strong health communication profile. The successful candidate has an excellent research record as evidenced by more than one dimension, e.g., the quality of his/her PhD research, high-level publications in the important journals of our field (i.e., ICA journals) and related fields, research impact (e.g., citations) and acquired research funding. We value professional behavior and collegiality, and will encourage the candidate to collaborate with SMCR researchers as well as with interdisciplinary research groups and centers within KU Leuven. The candidate has a large international network and is eager to further develop this within the context of SMCR.

Applicants have demonstrated excellent teaching skills which preferably include experience in teaching large groups of students.

The official administrative language used at KU Leuven is Dutch. If you do not speak Dutch (or do not speak it well) at the start of employment, KU Leuven will provide language training to enable you to take part in administrative meetings. A thorough knowledge of English is required.

Offer

We offer a full-time employment in an intellectually challenging and international environment. You will work in Leuven, a historic and lively city located in the heart of Belgium, within 20 minutes from Brussels, and less than two hours from Paris, London and Amsterdam. Depending on your experience and qualification, the position will be filled at one of the levels of the Senior Academic Staff (Tenure Track Professor, Associate Professor, Full Professor). Junior researchers are appointed as assistant professor on the tenure track for a period of five years; after this period and a positive evaluation, they are permanently appointed (or tenured) as an associate professor. The anticipated starting date for this position is September 1, 2021.

To facilitate scientific onboarding and accelerate research in the first phase a starting grant of 100.000 euro is offered to new professors without substantial other funding (e.g., ERC).

KU Leuven welcomes international scholars and their family and provides practical support with regard to immigration and administration, housing, childcare, learning Dutch, partner career coaching,…

Interested?

For more information please contact Prof. dr. Kathleen Beullens, tel.: +32 16 32 32 19, mail: kathleen.beullens@kuleuven.be or Prof. dr. Stef Aupers, tel.: +32 16 37 23 07, mail: stef.aupers@kuleuven.be or dean prof. dr. Steven Eggermont, tel: +32 32 32 38, mail: steven.eggermont@kuleuven.be. For problems with online applying, please contact solliciteren@kuleuven.be.

You can apply for this job no later than February 22, 2021 via the online application tool

KU Leuven seeks to foster an environment where all talents can flourish, regardless of gender, age, cultural background, nationality or impairments. If you have any questions relating to accessibility or support, please contact us at diversiteit.HR@kuleuven.be.