ASCA currently has a vacant Postdoc researcher position as part of the broader field Humane AI. Within this field the focus is on data and platforms for social, cultural and economic innovation. ASCA is one of the five Research Schools within the Amsterdam Institute for Humanities Research.

What are you going to do?

This postdoc project, proposed by the Global Digital Cultures (GDC) research priority area https://globaldigitalcultures.uva.nl/, aims to expand the horizon of platform studies research. The objectives are to build a global scholarly network that develops research on platforms in particular regions, most prominently Southeast Asia, Africa, and Latin America, and that uses this research as an opportunity for theory building. Rather than developing universalizing theories based on case studies in the US and Europe, the idea is to diversify the geographies of theory. To understand how platforms affect social and cultural relations, and how they employ machine learning in doing so, we need to multiply our frames of reference beyond contexts that privilege Silicon Valley and its cultural ideals of individualism and libertarianism.

As the postdoc in the project, you are expected to pursue these objectives of network-building and theory-building through concrete research activities that involve critically revisiting central concepts in the study of platforms and evolving cultural practices (e.g. precarity, diversity, public/private, authenticity, modernization, Global South/Global North). These activities might include:

• organizing an international workshop, identifying partner institutions, and soliciting research on platformization around the globe;
• editing a special issue with a similarly global scope;
• publishing a review article of literature on platformization beyond the global North;
• developing and publishing new research around key concepts based on case studies outside of Europe and North America;
• developing a larger research proposal (e.g. for ERC or NWO).

Developing these activities, the postdoc will closely work together with Prof. Thomas Poell, Prof. Jeroen de Kloet, Prof. dr. Stefania Milan, and Prof. Tobias Blanke within the Global Digital Cultures research group and research priority area. The postdoc will become a member of ASCA.

Your tasks and responsibilities:

• conducting research, presenting intermediate research results at workshops and conferences and publishing two single-authored, peer reviewed articles;
• participating in meetings of the project research group and developing a shared database;
• co-organising knowledge dissemination activities.

Your experience and profile:

• a PhD in Media Studies, Cultural Studies, Sociology, Anthropology, Political Science;
• excellent research skills demonstrated by a track record of publishing in high-ranking journals and/or with leading presses or a demonstrable capacity to develop such a record;
• a strong cooperative attitude and willingness to engage in collaborative research;
• enthusiasm for communicating academic research to non-academic audiences;
• excellent command English.

The Postdoc researcher will be appointed at the Media Studies of the Faculty of Humanities at the University of Amsterdam and will conduct the research in ASCA. The employment contract will be for one year. Contingent on a positive performance evaluation the contract will be extended with one year. The employment contract is for 30,4-38 hours a week. Preferred starting date is 01 October 2022.

The gross monthly salary, based on 38 hours per week and relevant experience, ranges between € 3,974 to € 5,439. This sum does not include the 8% holiday allowance and the 8,3% year-end allowance. A favourable tax agreement, the '30% ruling', may apply to non-Dutch applicants. The Collective Labour Agreement of Dutch Universities is applicable.

What else do we offer

• excellent possibilities for further professional development and education, including participation in a dedicated Research Training group;
• an enthusiastic, inspiring and professional academic team;
• the opportunity to collaborate with leading researchers at research institutes that - partly as a result of their interdisciplinary approach - are world renowned.

Faculty of Humanities

The University of Amsterdam is the Netherlands' largest university, offering the widest range of academic programmes. At the UvA, 30,000 students, 6,000 staff members and 3,000 PhD candidates study and work in a diverse range of fields, connected by a culture of curiosity.

The Faculty of Humanities provides education and conducts research with a strong international profile in a large number of disciplines in de field of language and culture. Located in the heart of Amsterdam, the faculty maintains close ties with many cultural institutes in the capital city. Research and teaching staff focus on interdisciplinary collaboration and are active in several teaching programmes.

Want to know more about our organisation? Read more about working at the University of Amsterdam.