The Centre for Journalism, Department of Political Science and Public Management, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, invites applications for a two-year full-time postdoc for the project Navigating Negativity: What is a Healthy News Diet? (HEALTHY NEWS), with employment starting from 1 August 2026, or as soon as possible thereafter. The place of employment will be in Odense. 

The research project – funded by the Velux Foundation – examines when exposure to negative news informs people about important societal issues and when it negatively affects mental well-being and leads to news avoidance. The overall aim is to identify barriers and opportunities for healthy news diets and to assess how the benefits and drawbacks of negative news can be balanced in today’s individualized media environment.

The project consists of three subprojects addressing the content (SP1), consumption (SP2), and consequences (SP3) of negative news. SP1 will analyse how the level of negativity differs across news outlets, social media platforms, and individual news diets, drawing on, among other data sources, data donations from individuals and automated content analyses. SP2 will examine how people perceive and navigate negative news using in-depth interviews. SP3 will examine how exposure to negative news affects societal beliefs and mental well-being based on panel survey data. All data will be collected in Denmark.

The project is led by Associate Professor Kim Andersen and includes Associate Professor Lene Heiselberg, Professor David Nicolas Hopmann, a PhD student, and the postdoc. The postdoc will work closely with the whole project team but will focus on one of the three subprojects, depending on personal interests and methodological competencies.

While the overall focus, structure, and methodological approaches are given for the project, the postdoc will also be able to affect the direction of the research. Applications must therefore include a research proposal of no more than two pages outlining how to examine barriers and opportunities for healthy news diets in today’s individualized media environment. The proposal should be anchored in one of the three subprojects but may also draw on methods from the other subprojects. It is expected to describe the theoretical, methodological, and analytical approach.

Expectations and key responsibilities

The postdoc will ideally have experience from the research fields of journalism studies or political communication, but we invite candidates with a PhD degree from a broad range of fields, such as communication, political science, computer science, media studies, or sociology.

The postdoc will be involved in all aspects of the research, from conception, execution, analysis, publishing, and public dissemination. The ideal candidate therefore has a high academic level and a good grasp of research designs and methods. Experience with relevant methods, such as data donations, automated content analyses, panel survey analyses, and in-depth interviews, is an advantage. 

The postdoc is expected to be willing and able to contribute to the Centre for Journalism achieving two strategic goals: 1) To produce original research of high international quality, and 2) to exchange knowledge with relevant societal actors, including news media, the public, and policymakers. See the entire strategy here.

The postdoc is expected to (please also consult the Scholarly Qualification Matrix):

• Be capable of working independently and in a team, for example in data collection, writing scientific articles, and knowledge dissemination.

• Be able to communicate project results in English both in writing and orally in academic contexts and to the broader public.

• Be interested in engaging with relevant societal actors including news media and the public.

• Prioritize being present and taking part in the daily academic and social environments at the department.

The Centre for Journalism is a part of the Department of Political Science and Public Management. The department believes in fostering a stimulating and inspiring environment for both faculty members and students. The department's ambition is therefore to recruit, develop, and retain talented scholars committed to both academic excellence and departmental development. Furthermore, the department wishes our staff to reflect the diversity of society and thus welcomes applications from all qualified candidates regardless of personal background.

Enquiries about the project and the position can be addressed to the Principal Investigator, Kim Andersen, kand@journalism.sdu.dk. For further information about the Centre for Journalism and the Department of Political Science and Public Management, please contact Peter Bro, ppe@journalism.sdu.dk.

Application

An application must include:

• A motivated application

• A maximum two-page research proposal (see above)

• A detailed CV (max 2 pages)

• Copy of certificates/diplomas (MA and PhD degree)

• A complete list of publications indicating which publications are most relevant for the position.

• The 3 most relevant publications. If publications have been co-authored, co-author statements must be included and contain information like in this example. The statement is just for your inspiration.

• A teaching portfolio as documentation for teaching experience, and if relevant, supervision qualifications. Formal application instructions and guide for teaching portfolio may be found here.

All non-Danish documents must be translated into English, and all documents must be in pdf format, no more than 5 MB per file. Documents should not contain a CPR number (civil registration number) – in this case, the CPR number must be crossed out.

Applicants are encouraged to read the information "How to apply" before applying. If you experience technical problems when uploading the application, please contact hcm-support@sdu.dk. 

UPLOAD GUIDE: Motivated application should be uploaded as ‘Cover letter’, Curriculum Vitae should be uploaded as ‘Resume’. All other documents should be uploaded as ‘Miscellaneous documents’. 

The application deadline is 22 March 2026, at 11.59 PM/23.59 (CET/CEST) 

Applications must be submitted electronically using the link "Apply now" on our website.

Assessment and selection process

Applications will be assessed by an assessment committee. Shortlisting may be applied. Shortlisted candidates will receive a written assessment. Read about shortlisting at SDU.  The committee may request additional information, and if so, it is the responsibility of the applicant to provide the necessary material. Incomplete applications may be rejected without any substantial evaluation.

When the assessment committee has submitted its report, applicants will receive the part of the assessment that concerns themselves. The assessment report will subsequently be forwarded to the Head of Department, who will form an appointment committee. Interviews and tests may be part of the overall evaluation by the appointment committee. 

Based on information from the entire recruitment process, the Head of Department determines which applicants will be offered a position.

Conditions of employment

Employment will be in accordance with the collective agreement between the Ministry of Finance and the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations for academics in the state with the associated circular on the protocol for the job structure for academic staff at Danish universities and the provisions for postdoc as described herein. 

To qualify for the position as postdoc, the PhD degree must have be obtained by the employment date. 

For a detailed description of the entry criteria and a job description for an assistant professor, as well as a descriptions of the assessment and hiring processes at the Department of Political Science and Public Management, please consult the department’s Scholarly Qualification Matrix – REEAD.

The person employed in the position may, based on a specific individual managerial assessment, be exempted from time registration, also known as a “self-organiser”.

SDU recommends that international applicants take the time to visit Work in Denmark, where there is information and facts about moving to, working and living in Denmark, as well as the International Staff Office at SDU.

About the Department of Political Science and Public Management

The Department of Political Science and Public Management is part of the Faculty of Business and Social Sciences and currently has approximately 100 permanent employees as well as several part-time employees. Currently, the department attracts around 2,500 students in its various full-time bachelor and master programs as well as part-time professional master programs. The department is located on three of the University of Southern Denmark’s campuses in Odense, Sønderborg and Esbjerg, respectively. 

The department is organized around three research sections in Public Administration, Welfare and Politics, International and Regional Politics, and Journalism as well as several cross-disciplinary research centres and research groups. 

For a detailed description of the department's profile and activities and more information about its strategy, please visit the department's website.