Postdoc Position in Issues of Datafied Health

The Department of Communication and Arts (DCA), Roskilde University, invites applications for a position as postdoc from August 1, 2021 or as soon as possible thereafter. The position as postdoc is full-time and limited until April 30, 2023. The purpose of the position is to study processes of opinion formation and decision-making concerning issues of personal and populational health.

The project

The postdoc is part of the research project Algorithms, Data and Democracy (the ADD-project) funded by the Villum and Velux Foundations. The postdoc position is located at Roskilde University, and the successful applicant will be associated with the research group Organizing Communication and Digitalization and the Digital Media Lab at the Department of Communication and Arts. The successful applicant will work in close collaboration with the project leader Professor Sine Nørholm Just as well as the other members of the ADD-project at Roskilde University as well as the five other partner universities.

The ADD-project studies the increasing datafication and digitalization of public opinion formation and decision-making, focusing on two interrelated consequences of these developments: Data and algorithms are foundational to the infrastructure of public debate, but they are issues of public concern. In other words, current technological developments are becoming controversial. With the ADD-project we diagnose current developments and ask how they can be turned to the better: how can algorithms and data be used to enlighten and engage citizens and to strengthen democratic institutions? We search for digital solutions to digital problems by studying controversies about digitalization as they play out on digital platforms and are shaped by digital technologies. A short description of the project can be found here: https://veluxfoundations.dk/en/content/dkk-100-million-new-research-and-knowledge-dissemination-project

The postdoc will contribute to the overall research project by studying the dual processes of how uses of algorithms and data shape personal and public decision-making in relation to issues of health and how such datafied health decisions are articulated as issues of public concern. The post-doc will, in collaboration with the other members of the project team, use digital and qualitative methods to collect relevant data; beginning with a common corpus of controversies concerning algorithms and data, in general, and zooming in on particularly relevant cases of controversial uses of/controversies about data and algorithms in health decisions.  

The ADD-project is conducted in close cooperation with five partners from other Danish Universities and collaborates with Mandag Morgen to enhance outreach and ensure impact. Within the project, the successful applicant will have the opportunity for close collaboration with researchers from very different disciplinary backgrounds and will partake in the development of new interdisciplinary perspectives. Further, the project offers the possibility to be actively involved in public communication and outreach. Finally, there will be opportunities to attend international conferences and workshops as well as to participate in media and methods training.

Responsibilities and tasks

The ideal candidate shall be enterprising and possess good communication skills, be visible and involved in the department’s daily activities, in addition to being willing to engage in disciplinary and interdisciplinary collaboration across the department and with all partners in the ADD-project.

The candidate is expected to:

• Be an active collaborative partner in the research project.
• Conduct and complete an independent research project in collaboration with the group.
• Publish independently and in collaboration with the research PI and group in relevant peer reviewed journals.
• Plan and contribute to panels at relevant international conferences.
• Plan and participate in research seminars and network meetings.
• Contribute to popular dissemination of research findings
• Be an active and present colleague in the Department of Communication and Arts

Qualifications

Applicants must hold a PhD or the equivalent thereof within communication studies, organization studies, science and technology studies or an adjacent field in the humanities, social sciences or data sciences.

The ideal candidate is an excellent scholar with expertise in qualitative and/or mixed methods and with experience/interest in the collection and analysis of digital data. The ideal candidate should be familiar with current developments in the literatures on decision-making and strategic communication, broadly, such as rhetoric, political debate, discourse studies etc., and be able to connect these literatures to empirical issues of public controversy.

The candidate is furthermore expected to demonstrate:

• A background in one or more of the following fields: communication studies, organization studies, science and technology studies, studies of (digital) public debate and decision making.

• Good command of English is necessary, and experience in publishing in English is considered an asset.
• Good command of Danish is considered an asset.

Assessment

In the assessment of candidates, consideration will be given to:

• scientific production and research prospective (including an individual research plan based in the existing project to be submitted with the application)
• the ability to promote and utilize research results
• ability to collaborate closely with research partners
• ability to contribute to the development of the department’s internal and external cooperation

Questions

For further information about the postdoc position, and to obtain a full academic description of the project, please contact PI Sine Nørholm Just on tel. (+45) 20774039 or e-mail: sinenjust@ruc.dk.

We expect job interviews to be held in week 25, 2021.

Terms of employment

The employment is full time, 37 hours per week, and refers to Dean Julie Sommerlund.

The position will be filled according to the Agreement between the Danish Ministry of Finance and the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations (AC) and Job Structure for Academic Staff at Universities.  

Application procedure

After the deadline for applications the Dean will shortlist applicants for assessment with assistance from the recruitment committee including the chairperson of the assessment committee.

Shortly after the application deadline all applicants will be notified whether or not their application has been selected for assessment.

The shortlisted applicants will be informed about the composition of the assessment committee, and each applicant will be given the opportunity to comment on the composition of the committee and - later on - their assessment.

Once the recruitment process is completed, all applicants will be informed of the outcome of their application.

Application

To apply for the position go to www.ruc.dk/en/job/ 

Only applications in English are accepted. 

Applications must include: 

1. Cover letter
2. CV
3. Documentation of education
4. A complete list of publications
5. Research prospective
6. A maximum of 5 relevant scientific works that you want included in the assessment   
7. If relevant: Documentation for any additional research and/or teaching qualification

If any of the publications that you want included in the assessment are the result of a joint effort, the extent and the nature of your contribution to each individual work must then be clarified in a co-author statement (find template here) 

Please submit your application no later than April 25, 2021

Material received after this date will not be taken into consideration. 

Roskilde University wishes to reflect the diversity of society and welcomes applications from all qualified candidates regardless of personal background.