Postdoctoral Positions in Humanities
University of Copenhagen
Denmark

The research project Power over Platforms hosted at The Center for Tracking and Society in the Department of Communication, Faculty of Humanities, University of Copenhagen (UCPH), invites applications for two full-time postdoctoral position to be filled by 1 March 2025 (or as soon as possible thereafter). The chosen candidates will be employed at the Faculty of Humanities, Department of Communication.

The positions are fixed term positions for three years.

Job content
The positions are part of the Power over Platforms project which runs from 2025 to 2027 and is funded by the Danish National Research Foundation. The candidates’ research activities will contribute to the project’s empirical studies of how different kinds of actors seek to influence how platform companies govern their products and services.

The aim of the project is to understand how power is exercised over platform companies such as Google, Meta, and their competitors by actors who have neither raw economic nor formal regulatory or legislative means. The focus is on how civil society groups, interest groups, professional associations, and companies from other sectors sometimes actively try to shape how platform companies operate.

Systematically analyzing the actors involved in trying to influence key decisions made by platforms on key issues—content moderation, privacy, and the use of generative AI for political information and speech—across different jurisdictions (inside and outside the EU), and across different platforms (primarily consumer-facing content platforms including Google, Meta, and their smaller competitors such as TikTok and X) the project sets out to identify who seeks to influence platform governance, how, and what the outcomes are across countries and across companies.

To do this, the project will combine qualitative fieldwork, digital methods, and comparative institutional analysis.

For more information about the project, please contact the project PI Rasmus Kleis Nielsen (rakn@hum.ku.dk).

Duties and Responsibilities
As a postdoc on the project, you are expected to contribute to an empirical mapping of actors seeking to influence platform companies, analyze their strategies, and how the context, object, and goal of their efforts influence outcomes.

We are especially interested in applicants with theoretical and methodological qualifications from within the broad field of digital media and communications research, and social scientists interested in digital media and communications.

Experience with platform studies with an emphasis on governance and a track record of relevant empirical work is an advantage. An interest in governance issues around content moderation, privacy and data protection, and generative artificial intelligence is welcome. So is an ability to work in one or more major EU languages (e.g. German, French) in addition to English. Applicants with previous experience in qualitative fieldwork, document analysis, and similar relevant empirical approaches will be preferred.

The work will include:

• Mapping actors involved in platform governance across different countries.
• Identifying key individuals working in this area, documenting their career trajectory.
• Interviewing individuals involved in platform governance networks, across civil society, interest groups, platform companies, companies in other sectors, and other relevant actors.
• Fieldwork at relevant events across the world, including potentially longer research stays in relevant locations.
• Capturing and analyzing platform governance debates as they play out online and offline.

You will be expected to publish scientific articles within the context of the project, and to participate in the organization of activities and research events. As postdoc at the Department of Communication you will be part of an internationally oriented interdisciplinary environment focused on advancing theoretical, methodological and empirical research about digital society.
 

Qualification requirements and assessment criteria
Employment as a postdoc requires academic qualifications at PhD level.

Applicants must have a background in digital media and communications research, including as a social scientist researching digital media and communications.

More information on careers at UCPH and the requirements for different academic positions is available at:
Career at The University of Copenhagen – University of Copenhagen (ku.dk)

For more about postdoc positions and qualification requirements, see the Job Structure for Academic Staff at Universities: Ministerial Order on Job Structure for Academic Staff at Universities (ufm.dk)

Applicants will primarily be assessed in relation to their research qualifications, including their publications, ability to conduct independent research and participate in research collaborations, and their experience with research management. In addition, the applicant’s research plan and research potential will be assessed in relation to the Power of Platforms project described above.

Application
Applications must be submitted online in PDF or Word format. Click on the “Apply now” button at the bottom of this advertisement to apply.

Applications must be written in English and must include the following attachments:

1. Letter of motivation

2. CV

3. Documentation of qualifications (exam certificates and PhD diploma) 

4. Complete publication list (attached publications must be marked with an asterisk). The list must be structured systematically and divided into the following categories:

• Peer-reviewed publications:
  • Monographs and anthologies
  • Articles in journals
  • Book chapters/anthology contributions, etc.
• Non-peer-reviewed publications:
  • Publications disseminating research findings, etc.

Applicants can attach a maximum of 3 publications. The publication dates must be clearly marked on the list. The selected publications must be uploaded as attachments and numbered 1-3. 

5. Research plan.

6. Documentation of other work on the dissemination of research.

Only documentation in English will be assessed.  

Applicants are invited to familiarize themselves with the Faculty of Humanities' strategic landmarks here: Strategic landmarks – University of Copenhagen (ku.dk)

Salary and terms of employment
Terms of appointment and salary will be in accordance with an agreement between the Ministry of Finance and The Danish Confederation of Professional Associations (AC). The salary range for postdocs starts at DKK 38,575 (EUR 5,100) + a 17.1 % contribution to the pension scheme. It is possible to negotiate salary supplements on an annual basis.

The recruitment process
Once the deadline for applications has expired, the Head of Department will consider advice from an appointment committee and select applicants for further assessment. All applicants will be notified whether they have been shortlisted. The Head of Department then sets up an expert assessment committee to consider the applications. The selected applicants will be informed who is serving on the committee and will be offered the opportunity to comment on the committee’s assessment of their application before an appointment is announced.

Further information on the recruitment process at University of Copenhagen can be found here:  Recruitment process – University of Copenhagen (ku.dk)

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, please see HR Excellence in Research – University of Copenhagen (ku.dk)

International applicant?
The University of Copenhagen offers a variety of services for international researchers and accompanying families, including support before and during relocation and career counselling for expat partners. Please find more information about these services as well as information on entering and working in Denmark here: For international researchers at the University of Copenhagen – University of Copenhagen (ku.dk)

Contact information
Further information about the recruitment process is available from HR, email: hrsc@hrsc.ku.dk, please refer to ID number: 211-2003/24-2I.

Additional information about the position, including an outline of the Power of Platforms project, can be obtained from the PI, Professor Rasmus Kleis Nielsen, email: rakn@hum.ku.dk.

The deadline for applications is 23:59 [CET] on 13 December 2024.  

Any applications or additional material submitted after the deadline 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.