The Department of Media and Culture seeks to appoint three PhD candidates for the project “Governing Digital Societies in Europe” led by Prof. dr. José van Dijck. This project forms the start of an interdisciplinary research group that investigates socio-technical, legal and governance aspects of online platforms and data practices. The candidate may write his/her own research proposal that should deal with digital platforms and their effects on public institutions or democratic processes. Preferably, the proposal focuses on one or two specific sectors (e.g. online news) or one or two specific data practices (e.g. data literacy or policy making). Since the subject of ‘governing the digital society’ is highly interdisciplinary, the ideal candidate is expected to combine theoretical and methodological perspectives, such as media studies, law, information science, software studies, philosophy or governance studies. The project will be situated in the Media and Culture Studies Department with close associations with the Utrecht Data School, the Centre for Digital Humanities and the UU research theme “Institutions for Open Societies.”

A successful PhD candidate should preferably have:

• a (research) Master degree in Media Studies, Information Law, Communication, Information Science or a suitable related academic field;
• an outstanding record of undergraduate and graduate work, preferably international experience;
• demonstrable experience in analyzing technological-legal discourse;
• experience in applying digital methods and preferably programming skills (eg python and/or r. Skilled with gephi, tableau and excel. Preferably knowlegde of mySQL or noSQL and jupyter notebooks);
• strong writing skills and an excellent command of English, both written and orally; preferably knowledge of Dutch;
• an interest in teaching to undergraduate students through the Utrecht Data School and/or the future track Applied Data Science.

The position is full-time (1.0 FTE), composed of 0.8 FTE research and 0.2 FTE teaching. Starting date is 1 September 2018. The position is for an initial period of 18 months which, after a positive assessment of progress is made, will be extended by another 30 months (4 years in total). The gross salary ranges between €2,222 gross per month for a full-time employment in the first year, ending at €2,840 in the fourth year. Salaries are supplemented with a holiday bonus of 8 % and a year-end bonus of 8.3 % per year. We offer a pension scheme, collective insurance schemes and flexible employment conditions (multiple choice model). You'll find more information at working at Utrecht University

A better future for everyone. This ambition motivates our scientists in executing their leading research and inspiring teaching. At Utrecht University, the various disciplines collaborate intensively towards major societal themes. Our focus is on Dynamics of Youth, Institutions for Open Societies, Life Sciences and Sustainability.

The Faculty of Humanities has around 6,000 students and 900 staff members. It comprises four knowledge domains: Philosophy and Religious Studies, History and Art History, Media and Culture Studies, and Languages, Literature and Communication. With its research and education in these fields, the Faculty aims to contribute to a better understanding of the Netherlands and Europe in a rapidly changing social and cultural context. The enthusiastic and committed colleagues and the excellent amenities in the historical city center of Utrecht, where the Faculty is housed, contribute to an inspiring working environment.