Postdoc vacancy HUM

The Department of Communication in the Faculty of Humanities at the University of Copenhagen is inviting applications for a full-time postdoctoral position for a duration of up to 2 years and 1 month in the NordForsk-funded project “PastForward: The political uses of the past in digital discourses about Nordic futures” to be filled by 1. October 2024 or as soon as possible thereafter.

Job content
The project PastForward (2023-2026) is a collaboration between Assistant Professor Manuel Menke (Copenhagen University - PI), Professor Karoline Andrea Ihlebæk (Oslo Metropolitan University), Assistant Professor Katarina Pettersson (University of Helsinki), and Associate Professor Samuel Merrill (Umeå University). It will study the uses of the past in the digital campaign material and social media content of political parties in Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and Finland during the build-up to these countries’ most recent national elections. Its focus concerns which pasts Nordic political parties refer to in their communication, how they embed the past in visions of the future, and how they strategically employ the past to create a sense of collective identity and shared interest to connect with potential voters. The project also investigates the discourses evolving with users in response to the parties’ social media posts. The advertised position relates primarily to the Danish and Norwegian cases and will be supervised by Manuel Menke at the University of Copenhagen with the remote support of Karoline Andrea Ihlebæk (Oslo Metropolitan University). A second postdoc at Umeå University in Sweden will be a close collaborator in the project.

As a postdoc in PastForward you will be expected to, independently and in collaboration with other researchers in the team, contribute along the following lines:

• Theoretical and conceptual work on the political uses of collective memory, history, and imaginaries of the future in political digital discourse.
• Preparing and conducting empirical studies with Danish and Norwegian language material from party websites and social media accounts with a focus on discourse analysis and qualitative content analysis.
• Applying and/or being open to learning explorative digital methods and quantitative content analysis

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 within the project. The chosen candidate will have an opportunity for a short research stay with the project’s Swedish collaborator at Umeå University.

As a 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 
To be considered for the position, applicants must have research qualifications at least corresponding to what can be achieved as part of a successfully completed PhD within a relevant field. We particularly welcome applicants with a background in research on social media, digital publics, political communication, memory studies and qualitative methods.

Given the nature of the research project, being able to read Danish and Norwegian text is a requirement.  The language of communication in the project and of most publications is English.

For more information about postdoc positions and qualification requirements, see the Ministry of Education and Research’s Ministerial Order on Job Structure for Academic Staff at Universities

Application
All applications must be submitted online, in PDF or Word format, via the link “Apply for the position” at the bottom of the page. 

Only material in English will be evaluated. Applications must include the following attachments: 

1. Personal statement (max. one page)
2. CV (max. two pages)
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 three publications. The publication dates must be clearly marked on the list. The selected publications must be uploaded as attachments and numbered 1–3. 

1. A research plan that includes a brief description of previous research, current research areas and upcoming research, and also accounts for experience with research organisation, research collaborations, international relations and any external/intersectoral collaborations (max. three pages).

Assessment criteria
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 of research management. In addition, the applicant’s research plan and research potential will be assessed in relation to the overall project described above.

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

Further information about the application procedure can be found on the University of Copenhagen’s website: https://jobportal.ku.dk/videnskabelige-stilling/rekrutteringsproces and at HR, e-mail: hrsc@hrsc.ku.dk. Please state ID number 211-1758/24-2I #1 on request. 

Further information about the position is available from the project PI Manuel Menke, e-mail: manuel.menke@hum.ku.dk

Remuneration and terms of employment 
The appointment is for a fixed term of 25 months and will be made in accordance with the collective bargaining agreement between the Ministry of Finance and the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations (AC). In addition, a total pension contribution of 17.1% of salary and pensionable supplements will be allocated. It will be possible to negotiate further supplements on the basis of qualifications.

We seek to reflect the breadth and diversity of society and encourage applications irrespective of personal background.

The deadline for applications is 23:59 [CEST] on 29 April 2024.  
Any applications or additional material submitted after the deadline will not be considered.