Postdoctoral Researcher(s) in Digital Media, Computational Methods and Democracy

The Department of Communication and Arts at Roskilde University invites applications for one or two postdoctoral position(s) in a new research project on digital media and the conditions for democratic debate. The position is a full-time appointment for 24 months, starting on 1 March 2027 or as soon as possible thereafter.

We welcome candidates with backgrounds in digital methods, computational social science, science and technology studies (STS), sociology, communication studies, political communication, media studies, information studies, digital humanities, or related fields in the humanities and social sciences.

About the project
The postdoc position is associated with an ambitious three-year project funded by the Politiken Foundation (Politiken-Fonden) through its largest ever research initiative, which seeks to investigate how digital technologies are shaping democratic debate. You will be part of a team researching how digital news media, search engines, social media, and AI chatbots present pressing issues in Danish public debate. Our central concern is the scope of public issues as they are represented online, how this varies between platforms and between people's actual online experiences, and how digital media shape the range of perspectives citizens encounter. While much research and public debate focuses on misinformation, disinformation, polarisation and hate speech, another fundamental question is whether digital media expose us to a sufficiently diverse range of actors, arguments, and viewpoints to support a productive democratic conversation. Do digital platforms broaden the range of concerns and perspectives that can enter democratic debate, or do they narrow the ways in which public issues are represented and understood?

The project will answer this by developing two complementary research tools:

• The Democratic Debate Meter: A public-facing digital tool that systematically tracks and compares how selected public issues — such as hybrid warfare, agricultural taxation, health services, or school reform — are represented across digital platforms. Using computational digital methods, including text analysis and simulated searches, we investigate which actors and topics become visible.
• The Live Data Donation Lab: A participatory research initiative that combines data donations with browser-based capture of digital content. Working with citizens, journalists, and policymakers, we investigate how personalised digital environments shape people's encounters with and sensemaking around public issues and involve participants in interpreting findings and developing our analytical approach.

By combining computational analysis with qualitative and participatory methods, the project aims to advance research on digital media and democracy. We are focused on producing publicly accessible findings, reports and tools that contribute to wider debates about the role of digital platforms in democratic life, while also contributing to cutting edge academic research at the highest international level.

The position
As a postdoctoral researcher, you will play a central role in the project's research activities, working closely with the project leaders and other team members. You will contribute to the collection and analysis of digital data, the development of methods for comparing representations of public issues across platforms, and the interpretation and communication of findings. Depending on your background and interests, there will be opportunities to contribute to computational text analysis, methodological development, public-facing data visualizations, qualitative research, participatory workshops and public dissemination. You will also contribute to the project's research publications and its public-facing outputs, including the Debate Meter and reports on the scope of issue representation across digital media.

The position offers an opportunity to develop an independent research profile while collaborating on a bold interdisciplinary project that connects methodological innovation with an important question for contemporary democracy. You will be part of an enthusiastic and supportive research environment at Roskilde University, with opportunities to participate in international conferences, workshops and research collaborations. In recent years, faculty have enjoyed a highly successful record of obtaining research grants for large national and international projects broadly focused on questions around digitalisation and democracy, meaning you will be joining a department where young and senior scholars are actively collaborating on a number of ambitious research initiatives in these areas.

The position is based at the Department of Communication and Arts, with affiliation to the Centre for Digital Citizenship and the Digital Media Lab. You will work closely with the project leader, Associate Professor Andreas Birkbak, and the co-investigator Professor Chris Peters.

Qualifications
We are looking for a researcher who is curious about how digital technologies shape public debate and who is interested in developing innovative ways to study these processes. Applicants must hold a PhD, or expect to obtain one by the time of appointment, in a relevant field within social science, the humanities, or data science.We are particularly interested in candidates who bring some combination of the following:

• Computational and digital methods: Experience with, or a strong interest in developing, computational approaches to digital data, especially text analysis and digital trace data and the comparative analysis of online content. Experience with qualitative, participatory or interpretive methods is also an advantage.
• Research on media and democracy: An interest in how digital media shape public debate, democratic participation and the visibility of different actors, issues and perspectives.
• Theoretical and methodological breadth: Familiarity with relevant approaches in STS, digital methods, media and communication studies, platform studies, controversy mapping, or related fields.
• Research communication: An interest in communicating research beyond academia, including through public reports, digital visualisations, workshops, or engagement with journalists and other societal actors.
• Good command of Danish is essential, as the project analyses Danish-language media content and public debate. Good command of English is also required, including the ability to write and publish research in English.

We do not expect candidates to be equally experienced in all these areas. We welcome applicants with complementary profiles who can contribute their own expertise while developing new skills through collaboration with the project team.

Responsibilities
The successful candidate(s) will be expected to:

• Contribute actively to the design and implementation of the project's research activities.
• Collect, process and analyse digital media data, including contributing to computational text analysis.
• Develop and apply analytical methods, in dialogue with the project's theoretical and empirical concerns.
• Contribute to research publications, both independently and in collaboration with the project team.
• Help communicate research to wider audiences through reports, digital outputs and other activities.
• Participate in workshops, conferences and collaborations with academic and non-academic partners.
• Contribute to the department's collegial and interdisciplinary research environment.

Assessment
In assessing applicants, particular consideration will be given to:

• The relevance and quality of the applicant's research experience and publications
• Potential for contributing to computational and digital methods and methodological innovation.
• The applicant's established theoretical and empirical interests on digital media and democracy.
• Experience with interdisciplinary collaboration and communicating research to wider audiences.
• Potential to contribute to the project and to the wider research environment at Roskilde University.

Further information
For further information about the position or the project, please contact the project leader Associate Professor Andreas Birkbak, at andreasbi@ruc.dk or +45 28 79 93 16. We expect job interviews to be held in February 2027.

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.  

According to the Pay Transparency Directive, the salary ranges for the various job categories at Roskilde University are listed here. 

Application procedure 
After the deadline for applications the Head of Department 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. 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) 

6. If duties include teaching: Teaching portfolio (read more about teaching portfolio at Roskilde University here)

 

Please submit your application no later than January 10, 2027.

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 hiring process at Roskilde University may include a risk assessment as a tool to identify potential risks associated with new hires, ensuring the safety, compliance, and integrity of the workplace.