Postdoc in Automated Media and Publics
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Postdoc in Automated Media and Publics
The Department of Communication and Arts (DCA), Roskilde University, invites applications for a position as postdoc from 1st of June 2026 or as soon as possible thereafter. The postdoc is 24 months full-time position. The purpose of the position is to study sociotechnical developments of (generative) AI in relation to democratic public debate.
The project
The postdoc is part of the larger research project AUTOPUBLICS funded by the Danish Research Council (2026-2029). AUTOPUBLICS investigates how citizens relate to issues of common concern through and despite their personalized media experiences. The project will deploy a range of qualitative and digital methods to investigate the automation and personalization of media experiences with AI-driven technologies and the wider ramifications of such personalization for people's engagement with public issues. To pursue this agenda, the project includes interconnected studies of the making of algorithms and the culture of algorithms and the effect of these algorithms on audiences for the emergence and sustaining of publics. The postdoc will contribute to the overall aim of the AUTOPUBLICS project by designing and conducting an original study on the interrelations between ongoing developments of algorithms, media use and current societal transformations. In particularly, we are interested in 1) studies of recommender systems and artificial intelligence both in relation to the news media industries and beyond the news media, with a focus on how algorithmic systems are socio-technically encoded to connect specific users with specific issues of public concern, or 2) studies of audiences’ media experiences, with a focus on news media use as a part of broader media repertoires or assemblages, and the role of algorithms and recommender systems for the development of these media experiences.
The postdoc will, in collaboration with the other members of the project team, use digital and other methods (qualitative/quantitative) to collect relevant data and the project also offers the possibility to be actively involved in public communication and outreach based on the collected data in the form of exhibitions or other public displays. Finally, there will be opportunities to attend international conferences and workshops as well as to participate in media and methods training.
The postdoc position is located at Roskilde University, and the successful candidate will be associated with several interrelated research environments: The section Media and Democracy, the research groups Digital Publics and Trust and Journalism and Democracy, the Centre for Digital Citizenship 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 Jannie Møller Hartley, as well as the co-PI associate professor Andreas Birkbak and a PhD student.
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, the social sciences, or in data science.
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 both analog and digital data. The ideal candidate should be familiar with current developments in the literatures on digital transformation of public debate and on the media industries and be able to connect these literatures to empirical case studies.
The candidate is furthermore expected to demonstrate:
Responsibilities and tasks
The ideal candidate possesses good communication skills; works independently but is visible and involved in the department’s daily activities; is willing to engage in disciplinary and interdisciplinary collaboration across the department and with the other AUTOPUBLICS team members.
The candidate is expected to:
Assessment
In the assessment of candidates, consideration will be given to:
We expect job interviews to be held medio April 2026.
Questions
For further information about the postdoc position, and to obtain a full academic description of the AUTOPUBLICS project, please contact PI Jannie Møller Hartley on tel. (+45) 30251066 or e-mail: jath@ruc.dk
Terms of employment
The employment is full time, 37 hours per week, and refers to Head of Section Jannie Møller Hartley.
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:
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 01-02-2026.
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.
The project
The postdoc is part of the larger research project AUTOPUBLICS funded by the Danish Research Council (2026-2029). AUTOPUBLICS investigates how citizens relate to issues of common concern through and despite their personalized media experiences. The project will deploy a range of qualitative and digital methods to investigate the automation and personalization of media experiences with AI-driven technologies and the wider ramifications of such personalization for people's engagement with public issues. To pursue this agenda, the project includes interconnected studies of the making of algorithms and the culture of algorithms and the effect of these algorithms on audiences for the emergence and sustaining of publics. The postdoc will contribute to the overall aim of the AUTOPUBLICS project by designing and conducting an original study on the interrelations between ongoing developments of algorithms, media use and current societal transformations. In particularly, we are interested in 1) studies of recommender systems and artificial intelligence both in relation to the news media industries and beyond the news media, with a focus on how algorithmic systems are socio-technically encoded to connect specific users with specific issues of public concern, or 2) studies of audiences’ media experiences, with a focus on news media use as a part of broader media repertoires or assemblages, and the role of algorithms and recommender systems for the development of these media experiences.
The postdoc will, in collaboration with the other members of the project team, use digital and other methods (qualitative/quantitative) to collect relevant data and the project also offers the possibility to be actively involved in public communication and outreach based on the collected data in the form of exhibitions or other public displays. Finally, there will be opportunities to attend international conferences and workshops as well as to participate in media and methods training.
The postdoc position is located at Roskilde University, and the successful candidate will be associated with several interrelated research environments: The section Media and Democracy, the research groups Digital Publics and Trust and Journalism and Democracy, the Centre for Digital Citizenship 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 Jannie Møller Hartley, as well as the co-PI associate professor Andreas Birkbak and a PhD student.
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, the social sciences, or in data science.
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 both analog and digital data. The ideal candidate should be familiar with current developments in the literatures on digital transformation of public debate and on the media industries and be able to connect these literatures to empirical case studies.
The candidate is furthermore expected to demonstrate:
- Good command of English is necessary, and experience with publishing in English is considered an asset.
- Good command of Danish is considered an asset.
- Good organizational skills
- Knowledge of and from the media industries is considered an asset
- Experience with communication and outreach activities is considered an asset
Responsibilities and tasks
The ideal candidate possesses good communication skills; works independently but is visible and involved in the department’s daily activities; is willing to engage in disciplinary and interdisciplinary collaboration across the department and with the other AUTOPUBLICS team members.
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 team 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
Assessment
In the assessment of candidates, consideration will be given to:
- Scientific production and research prospective (including an individual research plan rooted in the broader project, to be submitted with the application)
- Ability to promote and utilize research results
- Ability to contribute to the development of the department’s internal and external cooperation
We expect job interviews to be held medio April 2026.
Questions
For further information about the postdoc position, and to obtain a full academic description of the AUTOPUBLICS project, please contact PI Jannie Møller Hartley on tel. (+45) 30251066 or e-mail: jath@ruc.dk
Terms of employment
The employment is full time, 37 hours per week, and refers to Head of Section Jannie Møller Hartley.
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:
- Cover letter
- Research prospective
- CV
- Documentation of education
- A complete list of publications
- A maximum of 5 relevant scientific works that you want included in the assessment
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). - 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 01-02-2026.
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.