About the employer
KU Leuven is an autonomous university. It was founded in 1425. It was born of and has grown within the Catholic tradition.
Visit the employer pageKU Leuven is an autonomous university. It was founded in 1425. It was born of and has grown within the Catholic tradition.
Visit the employer pageThe Media Culture & Policy Lab at KU Leuven explores the dynamic intersections of media culture, technology, citizens, and society, fostering positive social change through transdisciplinary collaboration. We critically address phenomena such as the mediatization of society and science, advocating for responsible and sustainable technological development, and assessing the impact of interventions that are set up to lead to social change, using a diversity of methodologies such as action research and computational methods.
Our team is dedicated to enhancing meaningful interactions between people and digital technologies through our partnerships with the Mintlab, the LUCA School of Arts, and the Digital Society Institute.
Our research group focuses on several core themes. We investigate news media diversity, the representation of ethnic and cultural minorities, and what role digital media play into the lives of young people in at-risk situations. Our research on digital game culture offers valuable insights into how interactive media influence social networks and cultural practices. We explore the dual nature of digital technologies, recognizing both their opportunities and challenges. Our studies on problematic internet use, including gaming addiction and excessive social networking, reveal the psychological and social implications of digital media. We examine the cultural impact of digital technologies, such as the mediatization of religion, modern myths, and conspiracy theories. We also study the historical and cultural dimensions of film and media, analyzing how cultural, economic, and ideological forces have shaped their distribution, exhibition, and reception over time.
Through our research, we seek societal engagement and aim to contribute to media policy and governance, promoting ethical practices and inclusive approaches to media consumption, design and production. We conduct advanced scientific, conceptual, and empirical research with societal relevance, navigating the evolving landscape of media and communication.
The DEMINE (DEaling with conflicts related to MIgration: NEgotiating social cohesion through communication) European Joint Doctorate (DN-JD) network addresses the challenge of radicalisation and extremism that threatens social cohesion in Europe. By integrating inter-sectoral mobility and a balanced mix of research and transferable skills, DEMINE aims to develop a framework for understanding the role of interpersonal and mediated communication in intergroup relations and migration-related conflicts.
This innovative programme explores the impact of traditional media, social media, and interpersonal interactions on attitudes toward migration and social cohesion. It focuses on the dynamics of political and societal polarisation and radicalisation, providing insights into how these processes affect society.
The DEMINE consortium will train nine doctoral candidates across various disciplines, including political science, communication, journalism studies, linguistics, psychology, social data analytics, sociology, anthropology, and education science/media literacy. The training will address socially unacceptable extreme discourse that leads to populist attitudes and societal polarisation. Additionally, it will measure the impact of mediated and interpersonal communication expressions that aim to create societal divisions and ostracise specific communities.
We are currently hiring nine doctoral candidates (DCs) to start between January 1st, 2025 and April 1st, 2025 on the following topics:
DC1 Topic: “Gauging online and offline extreme discourses and its producers”
Responsibilities:
- Investigate online extreme discourse in social media commentary sections (e.g., Facebook, Instagram, Twitter/X, YouTube, TikTok).
- Analyse extreme discourses in news platforms and political discourse (parliamentary debates, campaign discourses, manifestos/party programmes).
- Identify common linguistic and rhetorical characteristics of extreme discourses.
- Use methods like interviews and network analysis to examine the characteristics and online footprints of individuals who create and disseminate extreme discourses
- Set up experiments to test how the general public distinguishes and perceives different types of extreme discourses
- Focus on gender and intersectionality in all aspects of discourse analysis.
Requirements:
- Master’s degree in relevant field (communication sciences, linguistics, psychology, etc.).
- Strong analytical and research skills.
- Proficiency in English; Knowledge of Dutch is a plus.
- Experience with (social media) data analysis and data analytic tools and coding (e.g., SPSS, NVivo, R). Experience with interviewing and conducting experiments is a plus.
- Commitment to developing methodological, writing, and publishing skills.
Host: KU Leuven (BE)
For more information, contact Prof. Michael Opgenhaffen at Michael.opgenhaffen@kuleuven.be
DC 2 Topic: “Understanding characteristics of producers of information disorders”
Responsibilities:
- Conduct computational studies of political extremist groups/communities on social media, focusing on identified subreddits, Twitter/X hashtags, and open Facebook extremist groups.
- Use the Twitter/X Streaming API for data collection and analysis.
- Perform digital ethnography to understand incentives and motives of active users sharing extreme content with misinformation.
- Investigate personal and group-coordinated sharing strategies outside the studied groups/hashtags.
- Examine networks of professional producers of extreme political content using misinformation.
- Focus on gender and intersectionality in all aspects of discourse analysis.
Requirements:
- Master’s degree worth 120 ECTS in relevant field (communication sciences, linguistics, psychology, etc.).
- Must have expertise in Natural Language Processing models and methods, web scraping, and online data collection.
- Must have high proficiency in at least one programming language, preferably Python.
- Preferably have knowledge about GDPR and data protection.
- Preferably have experience with quantitative discourse/text analysis using media sources.
Host: Aarhus University
For more information, contact Prof. Rebekah Baglini at rbkh@cc.au.dk
DC 3 Topic: “Understanding characteristics of populist discourse”
Responsibilities:
- Investigate elements of populist discourse on social media.
- Identify common characteristics of populist discourses, including hate speech, extreme discourses, Islamophobic content, and radicalised Islamist discourse.
- Distinguish populist discourses from serious political criticism and determine if these characteristics can be recognised automatically.
- Focus on gender (women’s rights) in all aspects of discourse analysis.
Requirements:
- Master’s degree worth 120 ECTS in relevant field (communication sciences, linguistics, psychology, etc.).
- Expertise in qualitative discourse/text analysis, including methodology knowledge and coding skills.
- Knowledge of one European language besides academic English and native language.
- Preferable: Knowledge about GDPR and data protection, (near) native speaker proficiency in a major immigrant language (e.g., Arabic, Turkish, Urdu) to map both sides of the problematic discourse landscape, experience with ethnographic work (such as interviews and questionnaires), and programming and statistics skills.
Host: Aarhus University
For more information, contact Prof. Alexandra Kratschmer at romak@cc.au.dk
DC 4 Topic: “Examining the effects of online harmful and toxic discourse in the digital society”
Responsibilities:
· Examine the effects of different types of online problematic and harmful discourse, such as hate speech, information disorders (disinformation and conspiracy theories), and populist discourse on ideological polarization, attitudes, and beliefs.
· Investigate the effects of these types of harmful discourses in the general population
· Test how the origin of these discourses (e.g., social media, politicians, celebrities, conspiracy theorists, unfamiliar sources) plays a role in this process
· Identify segments of the population most vulnerable to these harmful contents (e.g., people with lower digital skills, with lower SES.).
· Use conventional methods (e.g., experimental studies, longitudinal surveys) and digital methods (e.g., data donation, daily diary approach) to identify cause-and-effect relationships between exposure to harmful content and subsequent polarisation and attitude changes over time.
· Pay special attention to diverse backgrounds and aspects of intersectionality.
Requirements:
· A Master's degree in Communication Science, or a Master's degree from a related field (e.g., Media Studies, Psychology, Political Science.).
· Strong research skills in quantitative research methods required. Particularly, knowledge pertaining to quantitative data analysis is important (in programs such as R, Python, SPSS, etc.).
· Proficiency in English is required; Dutch is a plus.
· The ability to work independently as well as part of a team. Successful candidates have well-developed social skills that they effectively use to collaborate with colleagues.
· Willingness to further develop methodological, writing, and publishing skills in the context of the doctoral research.
Host: KU Leuven
For more information, contact Prof. Brahim Zarouali at brahim.zarouali@kuleuven.be
DC 5. Topic “Identifying vulnerable groups among adolescents”
Responsibilities:
Requirements:
- Master’s degree in relevant field (psychology, education sciences, sociology, etc.).
- Proficiency in English and Italian.
- Expertise in quantitative and qualitative methodologies (including coding skills).
- Experience with data analytic tools (e.g., R).
- Commitment to developing methodological, writing, and publishing skills.
- Preferably have experience with conducting psychoeducational interventions in schools.
Host: University of Padova
For more Information, contact Prof. Ughetta Moscardino at ughetta.moscardino@unipd.it
DC 6. Topic “Extreme online discourse, humour and Emotion-regulation skills”
Responsibilities:
- Investigate the impact of humour on the acceptability of extreme discourse.
- Identify cognitive skills, particularly emotion-regulation, that reduce the impact of extreme discourse.
- Conduct survey experiments to evaluate perceptions of social media posts varying in extremity and humour.
- Test interventions aimed at increasing emotion-regulation skills in lab experiments.
- Analyse the influence of individual differences and diverse backgrounds on the acceptability of extreme discourse.
Requirements:
- Master’s degree in relevant field (communication sciences, linguistics, psychology, etc.).
- Knowledge of Dutch besides English.
- Expertise in qualitative discourse/text analysis, including methodology knowledge and coding skills.
- Ability to design, conduct and analyse survey and lab experiments.
Host: KU Leuven
For more information, contact Prof. Leen d’Haenens at leen.dhaenens@kuleuven.be
DC 7 Topic “Addressing polarisation, radicalisation, xeno- and Islamophobia and violent extremism through citizenship education within and outside the school walls”
Responsibilities:
- Investigate the impact of education programmes in formal and non-formal environments on detecting inflammatory political discourse.
- Identify and analyse non-formal citizenship education programmes targeting prevention of polarisation, radicalisation, and violent extremism in youth organisations.
- Consider the diverse backgrounds and intersectionality among adolescents in relation to polarisation.
- Conduct cross-country mapping to identify best and worst practices for policymakers and practitioners.
Requirements:
- Master’s degree in relevant field (sociology, anthropology).
- Proficiency in English and Italian.
- Expertise in quantitative and qualitative methodologies (including coding skills).
- Ability to conduct research in different contexts.
- Commitment to developing methodological, writing, and publishing skills.
Host: University of Padova
For more information, contact Prof. Devi Sacchetto at devi.sacchetto@unipd.it
DC 8. Topic “Identifying strategies of empowering political actors to address post-truth politics in the post-factual era”
Responsibilities:
- Identify knowledge and skill gaps of politicians and policy-makers in addressing extreme political discourses causing polarisation, radicalisation, xenophobia, and violent extremism, particularly in relation to migration processes and policies.
- Study how politicians and policy-makers react to / contribute to polarised and radicalised discourses about migration at the intersection between traditional and social media.
- Analyze whether and how online conversations influence political decisions and tactics.
- Develop strategies to build capacity among political actors to cope with and overcome these challenges.
- Carry out comparative study across two/three European countries/contexts.
- Consider different backgrounds, gender dynamics and aspects of intersectionality in the research.
Requirements:
- Master’s degree in relevant field (political science, communication sciences, media studies etc.).
- Use conventional methods (quantitative and qualitative e.g., experimental studies, surveys, coding skills) and digital methods (e.g., linkage analysis of social media data).
- Good proficiency in English; preferably knowledge of Italian and another European language.
- Commitment to developing methodological, writing, and publishing skills.
- Ability to conduct research in different contexts.
Host: University of Padova
For more information, contact Prof. Claudia Padovani at claudia.padovani@unipd.it
DC 9 Topic “Identifying strategies of empowering news media producers to limit the dissemination of disinformation”
Responsibilities:
- Study the general perception of news media producers about polarising messages and misinformation, including self-perception and perception of others.
- Explore the use of digital and social media tools to ‘depolarise’ journalistic discourses, especially on divisive topics like migration.
- Engage news media producers in recognising and addressing technology-driven and psychological biases in their reporting.
- Assess the perceived value of open-source intelligence techniques (OSINT) in limiting the dissemination and validation of disinformation and polarising discourses.
- Focus on diverse backgrounds and aspects of intersectionality in all research activities.
Requirements:
- Master’s degree worth 120 ECTS in relevant field (communication sciences, journalism, media studies etc.).
- Experience or interest in studies of misinformation dissemination and the role of news media.
- Preferably, experience with news media countering mis-/disinformation in one or more European countries.
- Preferably, first experience with OSINT techniques or convincing interest in working with them in the context of data and digital journalism.
- Knowledge of one European language besides English and native language.
Host: Aarhus University
For more information, contact Prof. Christoph Raetzsch at craetzsch@cc.au.dk
For more information about the project, please visit the DEMINE website at https://demine.eu/. Please submit your application, including a CV and a 2-5 page project description with a literature list, detailing your ideas on how to contribute to the specified work package, to info@demine.eu.Be sure to clearly indicate the position you are applying for in your submission.
Specifically for the candidates applying for the positions at Aarhus University: All applicants must demonstrate excellent English communication skills, as proficiency in academic English is essential for success in this position. You should be able to read, write, and speak English fluently at an academic level. The required English language proficiency is equivalent to a minimum TOEFL score of 83 or an IELTS score of 6.5.
For further details, please visit: http://phd.arts.au.dk/applicants/english-test/”
Applications to up to two openings are welcome. However, only applications in line with the MSCA mobility rules are eligible, meaning that researchers cannot have resided in the country of the host institution for more than 12 months in the three years prior to the date of recruitment.
Deadline for submission of your application is October 15, 2024. Late applications will not be considered. Job interviews with shortlisted candidates will be organised in November-December.
Where to apply? Please send an email to: info@demine.eu
The EU Researcher Allowances will be used to cover both the employee's and the employer's mandatory charges. The gross amount of the doctoral scholarship (tax-free) will be approximately €3,000 per month for single individuals with no dependents. This amount will increase if you have a registered partner without income and/or dependent children, and decrease if you have a registered partner with income.
For more information please write to info@demine.eu
Privacy Notice:
Please be informed that we will process personal data collected from you in response to this vacancy, such as your name, photo, address, email address, or personal data contained in your curriculum vitae, recommendation letter or other documents submitted by you in response to this vacancy for recruitment and selection and audit purposes.
You have various rights in relation to our processing of your personal data. In particular, you have the following rights:
In case you object to the processing of your data necessary for recruitment and selection, please be aware that no contractual relation is possible, and we will not be able to consider your application.
To exercise your rights, please fill in the web form made available for this purpose on the following website: https://admin.kuleuven.be/privacy/en/application-form.
KU Leuven strives for an inclusive, respectful and socially safe environment. We embrace diversity among individuals and groups as an asset. Open dialogue and differences in perspective are essential for an ambitious research and educational environment. In our commitment to equal opportunity, we recognize the consequences of historical inequalities. We do not accept any form of discrimination based on, but not limited to, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, age, ethnic or national background, skin colour, religious and philosophical diversity, neurodivergence, employment disability, health, or socioeconomic status. For questions about accessibility or support offered, we are happy to assist you at this email address.
KU Leuven is an autonomous university. It was founded in 1425. It was born of and has grown within the Catholic tradition.
Visit the employer page