Postdoctoral position in Social Media, Representation, and Political Behavior

The Department of Political Science at the University of Copenhagen invites candidates for a postdoctoral position in Social Media and Political Representation. The starting date is 1 February 2022 with room to negotiate either an earlier or later start.

The position is for 1 year with the possibility of extension.

Introduction
The Department of Political Science offers a dynamic environment around the fields of Social Media, Representation, and Political Behavior, which seeks to produce high-caliber research on timely societal questions.

For more on the Department and its pluralistic academic environment, please see https://politicalscience.ku.dk/about/            

Job Description
The postdoc will be employed as part of the project “Social Media and Political Representation” (SoMeRep) led by Professor Anne Rasmussen and Assistant Professor Gregory Eady and funded by Denmark’s Independent Research Fund. The project uses experimental, quasi-experimental, and descriptive research to examine what the shift toward social media means for inequalities in democratic representation. It investigates how social media impacts civic engagement, political responsiveness, political discourse, and topics related to social media more broadly.

The position covers a variety of tasks related to the research process, including:

• Developing experimental, quasi-experimental or descriptive research designs in the social media context
• Collecting data through original surveys, APIs and/or web-scraping
• Cleaning and analyzing those data
• Collaborate in writing and publishing papers

The postdoc will participate in collaborative research work closely together with Rasmussen, Eady, and other project members. There is a strong potential for the postdoc to contribute to the design and implementation of new research ideas within the overall project.

Your Competencies and Opportunities
The candidate must hold (or be close to completing) a PhD degree in Political Science, Data Science, Economics, Sociology or related fields. Other key qualifications include:

• A good grasp of relevant academic literature (e.g. research on (inequality in) political representation, social media, incivility, gender, ethnicity, and/or organized interests).
• Strong academic writing skills.
• Experience with developing and applying quasi-experimental and experimental research designs
• Extensive experience with coding and data management in common statistical programming languages (e.g. R, Python, or Stata).
• The ability to work independently as well as collaborate with other members of the research team.

The position offers a range of attractive opportunities for the candidate, including:

• Being part of a vibrant and ambitious team that aims to produce high quality research.
• The opportunity to develop an independent research agenda within the overall project.
• Being part of a strong environment within Political Representation within the Department.
• Funding for conferences, additional training etc.

Strategy of the Faculty of the Social Sciences
The Department of Political Scienceis part of the Faculty of the Social Sciences. The Faculty is a successful academic community that strives to put knowledge into action by:

• Engaging partners in the co-creation of knowledge, learning and social change.
• Empowering our students to become reflective and responsible citizens who have the vision, the knowledge and the competences to change society for the better.
• Energizing global, European and Danish communities of knowledge by research findings with impact.

For more on the Faculty strategy, see: https://samf.ku.dk/fakultetet/strategi/ . You can read the Department’s strategy here https://politicalscience.ku.dk/about/strategy-plan/.

Terms of Employment

The recruitment process
Further information on the recruitment process at University of Copenhagen can be found here: https://employment.ku.dk/faculty/recruitment-process/

An Equal Opportunity Workplace
The University of Copenhagen is committed in its pursuit of academic excellence to equality of opportunity and to creating an inclusive working environment and therefore encourages all qualified candidates to apply, regardless of personal background, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability, ethnicity etc. For more on the diverse working place environment at the University and the University’s participation in the HRS4R HR Excellence in Research, see https://employment.ku.dk/working-at-ucph/eu-charter-for-researchers/

International applicant?
The University of Copenhagen offers a broad variety of services for international researchers and accompanying families, including support before and during your relocation and career counselling to expat partners. Please find more information about these services as well as information on entering and working in Denmark here: https://ism.ku.dk/

Contact information
Information about the recruitment process is available from HR, e-mail: [email protected],please refer to ID number: 211-1210/22-2I.

Additional information about the position can be obtained from professor, Anne Rasmussen, e-mail: [email protected] or assistant professor Gregory Eady, e-mail: [email protected]

How to apply
Submit a complete application at our online portal. Click on the “Apply now” icon at the bottom of the page to apply. The documents must be in Adobe PDF or Word. 

Your application must be written in English and include the following documents:

• Cover letter motivating your application
• Curriculum vitae including a publication list and names of two references who could write a letter for you
• Up to three publications or working papers     
• Diploma (PhD, Master and Bachelor)

The closing date for applications is 1 November 2022 23:59 CEST

Applications or enclosures received thereafter will not be considered.

Part of the International Alliance of Research Universities (IARU), and among Europe’s top-ranking universities, the University of Copenhagen promotes research and teaching of the highest international standard. Rich in tradition and modern in outlook, the University gives students and staff the opportunity to cultivate their talent in an ambitious and informal environment. An effective organisation – with good working conditions and a collaborative work culture – creates the ideal framework for a successful academic career.