PhD-student in Sociology - Befattningen är under tillsättning eller redan tillsatt, och det är inte längre möjligt att lämna in en ansökan

The Department of Sociology is seeking candidates for a PhD position with a focus on public opinion dynamics online.

The work of the candidate will be in the area of public opinion dynamics, broadly defined. This includes the study of phenomena such as intentional disinformation, unintentional or inadvertent misinformation, malinformation (designed to harm others), and also related phenomena such as conspiracy theories, propaganda, hate speech, and so on. A particular focus for the research is how these forms may occur under societal threats. Processes and phenomena of interest include polarization (of opinion), issue alignment, and other communicative practices on social media in relation to politics and democracy. The position is connected to WASP-HS, which means that an emphasis on the role of algorithms, automation, and datafication is implied.

WASP-HS
The PhD position is part of the Wallenberg AI, Autonomous Systems and Software Program on
Humanities and Society (WASP-HS), which aims to realize excellent research and develop competence on the consequences and challenges of artificial intelligence and autonomous systems for humanity and society. This 10-year program is initiated and generously funded by the Marianne and Marcus Wallenberg Foundation (MMW) with 660 million SEK. In addition to this, the program receives support from collaborating industry and from participating universities.For more information about the research and other activities conducted within WASP-HS please visit; WASP-HS – The Wallenberg AI, Autonomous Systems and Software Program – Humanities and Society.

The PhD candidate will take part in the WASP-HS graduate school, which provides foundations,
perspectives, and state-of-the-art knowledge in the different disciplines taught by leading researchers in the field. Through an ambitious program with research visits, partner universities, and visiting lecturers, the graduate school actively supports forming a strong multi-disciplinary and international professional network between PhD candidates, researchers, and practitioners in the field. It thus provides added value on top of the existing PhD programs at the partner universities, providing unique opportunities for participants.

This particular PhD position is part of a five-year guest professorship from prof. Yoshihisa Kashima
from the University of Melbourne. Another PhD position at Computer Science is also part of this project. Together the persons involved will investigate the development of institutions in the context of societal threats. Due to the connection with the guest professor position study trips to Melbourne are possible and encouraged.

Requirements and qualifications

To possess basic eligibility, the applicant should hold an advanced degree, have completed studies equivalent to at least 240 higher education credits, at least 60 of which at an advanced level, or in some other ways have acquired skills which are equivalent to this requirement.

To meet the requirements for individual eligibility, an applicant must have satisfactorily undertaken courses within sociology or any other relevant discipline equivalent to at least 90 higher education credits and 60 higher education credits at advanced level (magister level), or equivalent competence.

We are looking for a candidate who will work with digital communication data using a mixed-method approach. This means that an orientation towards both interpretive/qualitative and computational methods is qualifying for the position. Some of the research may have an experimental element, which means that a background in social psychology can be a merit.

Since the research will be conducted in an international and interdisciplinary research environment, the ability to collaborate and contribute to teamwork, and a very good command of the English language is important.

More information

The PhD programme is four years. However, the position may also include part-time teaching. If so, the contract for the position is extended, corresponding to the time spent teaching.

Salary is paid according to the established wage intervals for PhD candidates at the University.

The PhD will be expected to carry out the work full time on location in Umeå and to participate in common departmental activities.

Application

The application should contain the following documents:

• Research plan outlining a proposed dissertation project (maximum two pages excluding references). The plan should be related to the broad framework indicated above, and if the application is successful, the plan may be substantially revised further on.
• Letter of application including a personal resume and motivation for application (maximum one page).
• Verified CV including relevant academic degrees, previous work experience and University transcripts with grades.
• Copy of degree certificate.
• Essays or academic publications.
• Any other document that demonstrates merit.

Starting date is on a mutually agreed upon date. The application is to be submitted via the e-recruitment system Varbi no later than August 16 2023.

The research environment

The PhD candidate will do research within the framework of a collaboration between the DIGSUM
Centre for Digital Social Research, the Department of Sociology and the Department of Computing Science, at Umeå University. The position is in sociology and will be carried out within the PhD programme in Sociology. The Department of Sociology carries out extensive research in a broad range of areas, out of which one is Digital Sociology; Digital Sociology (umu.se) The Digital Sociology research group is also part of the interdisciplinary environment provided by DIGSUM (Centre for Digital Social Research); DIGSUM

The department of Sociology carries out extensive research and emphasizes a work climate that enhances intellectual development. At present the department employs about 60 persons of which 12 are doctoral students.