Postdoc positions at the Digital Democracy Centre

About the job:
The Digital Democracy Center invites applications for one or more positions as a postdoc. The position is located in the newly launched Digital Democracy Centre DDC at SDU (www.SDU.dk/ddc/). The position is vacant from September 2022 (or as soon as possible hereafter).

The DDC stands for a socio-technical, interdisciplinary approach combining theory and methods from social sciences and computer science, to study the impact of digital technology and AI on media, politics, and democracy. One of the largest challenges in this area is that research and new solutions are developed in single disciplines, which neglect the fact that current challenges are technological and social, legal, and ethical in nature. Through its research DDC will bridge this gap.

Job description

We seek applications for the following 2 projects. (It is possible to apply for more than one project. If you wish to be considered for more than one project position, please see information under “Application”).

I. Microtargeting
Microtargeting of voters refers to the process political campaigns use to identify the segments of a voting population they intend to engage for identification, persuasion, and mobilization. With the rise of big data and artificial intelligence during the last decade, election campaigns have been able to tailor their message in a much more precise way for much smaller segments of individual voters. Microtargeting has potentially profound consequences for the nature of democratic debate and deliberation as it allows parties and politicians to devise specific messages for groups in society, rather than present a common platform. It also carries the danger of a more segmented public sphere.

We examine the extent of microtargeting in multiparty contexts, the motivation of political actors to engage in voter targeting, the nature of microtargeted messages, and finally the effects on voters. Core questions are how digital campaigning and microtargeting by political parties works in elections in a context that is very different from the US context where this is normally studied, and what are the effects of microtargeting on voters? Do targeted message influence voters’ propensity to vote for particular parties? Does it shape which issues they consider the most important in the election? How does it shape democratic deliberation when voters are exposed to different messages?

II. New Demands on the News?
In collaboration with a Danish media company, this project will develop new ways of formatting, packaging, and presenting news on streaming platforms. With inspiration from non-news genres, we will develop news formats that are narrated to provide an immediate pay-off by instantly arousing audiences and providing them with a clear idea of why they should keep watching. Through experimental research we test the ability of such formats to provide immediate payoffs, both in the lab and at the actual on-demand platform. In our lab we measure emotional response (EDA) to selected news items, and through eye tracking we measure the attention paid to news items on the platform.

The project further explores how news organizations may integrate new news formats into daily news production. When it aims to change established ways of working, organizational adaptation is especially challenged. Staff form work habits and routines that typically hinder and slow down change. The project will focus on how inertia in team habits (routines) may be overcome in order to order to introduce new ways of as formatting, packaging and presenting news.

Further information can be obtained from Head of DDC Claes de Vreese, mail [email protected]

Application, salary, etc.

Appointment to the position requires a PhD or equivalent and will be in accordance with the salary agreement between the Ministry of Finance and the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations.

Research will be predominant in the position. Teaching assignments can be agreed individually.

Furthermore, other types of assignments may occur to a limited degree.

The University determines the distribution of the various assignments. The weighting of the different assignments may vary over time.

Upgrading of pedagogical qualifications is not a part of this position. Employment as Postdoc alone will thus not qualify to appointment as Associate Professor/Senior Researcher.

An application must include:

• Motivation letter outlining your interest in the position and qualifications. Please list the position number and title. If you wish to be considered for more than one project positions, please provide a motivation and study design example (see below) per project
• Detailed CV
• Certificates/Diplomas (Master and PhD degree)
  • A PhD degree in these fields is preferable:
    • Project I: Political Science, Political Psychology, Communication science, computational social science, Computer Science, Economics.
    • Project II: Psychology, communication, social science, or related areas, with a strong methodological profile. Experience with either cognitive neuroscience, narrative theory or organization theory is welcome, but not necessary.
    
    
  
  

• Complete list of publications, indicating which publications are most relevant for the position
• Up to 5 of the most relevant publications. Please upload a pdf for each publication, if the publication has been co-authored, co-author statements must be a part of this pdf
  • Please attach the PhD dissertation as a publication, if such exist
  
  
• Description of teaching experience (if applicable)
• Description of research coordination experience (if applicable)
• List of 3 references

All non-Danish documents must be translated into English.

Assessment of applications will be done under existing Appointment Order for universities.

Applications will be assessed by an assessment committee. The committee may request additional information, and if so, it is the responsibility of the applicant to provide the necessary material.
When the assessment committee has submitted its report, the applicant will receive the part of the evaluation that concerns him/her.

Applications that are incomplete with regard to the above requirements will not be assessed by the committee.

Shortlisting and tests may be used in the assessment process.

The University wishes our staff to reflect the diversity of society and thus welcomes applications from all qualified candidates regardless of personal background.

As part of the overall assessment of the applicant’s qualifications, an interview may be applied.

Applications must be submitted electronically using the link "Apply online". Uploaded files must be in Adobe PDF (unlocked) or Word format.

Read the guideline for applicants

Each field can only contain a single file of max. 10 Mb.