Utrecht University offers a full-time position for a postdoctoral researcher for two years (24 months) in the focus area “Governing the Digital Society” (GDS). This interdisciplinary focus area fosters the collaboration between the departments of Media and Culture, Law, Governance, and Information Science. The GDS group promotes research on the socio-technical and political-economic processes of datafication, algorithmisation and platformisation and AI.

Your job
Our basic research inquiry revolves around the question: How to develop and apply principles of (good) governance in digital societies? Applied research based on this question is also welcomed. The postdoc position will be part of the Spinoza funded project, led by Professor José van Dijck and will start no later than 1 October 2024.

Postdocs will pursue their own research plan which fits the larger research aims of the GDS group. Projects may differ in scale and scope; we invite you to submit concrete project descriptions that fit our overall goals. Some of the major questions to be addressed in our overall GDS project are:

• How can we help public institutions to become more transparent, accountable, and responsible by articulating public values and implementing them into (the design of) their online practices?
• Which roles should governments, legislators, market actors, and citizens play in governing the digital society?
• How can important normative, ethical, societal principles of algorithmic design be implemented in governance structures?
• How can data practices and data resources enable citizens and civil society to make public institutions more transparent and to participate meaningfully in democratic and decision-making processes?
• How can we help (local, national, supranational) governments and independent institutions (e.g. educational, cultural or media organisations) to make sense of novel data resources and develop interpretative practices?
• How can we develop methodologies to empirically study the governance of and by actors and technologies of the digital society?

Please find descriptions of our core team and Special Interest Group members on the GDS website.

The postdoc positions are full-time, which means successful candidates can spend 80% of their time on research; they are expected to publish and present research results in the form of policy briefings, reports, articles in international peer reviewed journals, and papers at (inter)national meetings and conferences. In addition, they will spend 20% on professional activities organised in the context of GDS conjunction with members of the GDS team (outreach, teaching/course development, collaborative projects, seminar/conference organisation, communication, etc). Although teaching is not part of the postdoc position, occasional lectures or workshops are appreciated.

Candidates eligible for these postdoc positions will have the following professional and personal qualifications:

• a completed PhD in a field relevant to the GDS focus area (e.g., media studies, law, governance studies, information science) and preferably a topic that is related to one of the GDS research aims. The PhD should be approved and preferably defended before 1 October 2024;
• excellent methodological skills;
• excellent writing and presentation skills (academic publishing and conferences);
• a strong interest in cross-disciplinary cooperation as part of Utrecht University’s research community;
• some experience in non-academic publishing and audience communication.

We offer:

• a job for 24 months;
• a working week of 32 to 40 hours and a gross monthly salary between €3,226 and €5,929 in the case of full-time employment (salary scale 10-11 under the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities (CAO NU));
• 8% holiday pay and 8.3% year-end bonus;
• a pension scheme, partially paid parental leave and flexible terms of employment based on the CAO NU.

In addition to the terms of employment laid down in the CAO NU, Utrecht University has a number of schemes and facilities of its own for employees. This includes schemes facilitating professional development, leave schemes and schemes for sports and cultural activities, as well as discounts on software and other IT products. We also offer access to additional employee benefits through our Terms of Employment Options Model. In this way, we encourage our employees to continue to invest in their growth. For more information, please visit Working at Utrecht University.

Universiteit Utrecht

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 strategic themes. Our focus is on Dynamics of Youth, Institutions for Open Societies, Life Sciences and Pathways to Sustainability. Sharing science, shaping tomorrow.

The Faculty of Humanities has around 7,000 students and 1,100 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 centre of Utrecht, where the faculty is located, contribute to an inspiring working environment.

For more information, please contact Professor José van Dijck at GDS@uu.nl.

Candidates for this vacancy will be recruited by Utrecht University.