The Institute of Data Science (IDS), part of the Department of Advanced Computing Sciences at Maastricht University is looking for a post-doctoral researcher to work with Professor Adriana Iamnitchi’s team on projects in computational social sciences. Specific problems include (and are not limited to) challenges related to the enforcement of EU’s Digital Services Act on social media platforms, understanding monetization practices in social media, reassessing the tradeoff between user data privacy and platform accountability/transparency. Of particular interest are topics that acknowledge cross-platform and multi-platform processes and the interplay between offline events and online processes. The researcher will also be welcome to propose research topics and focus on their own research.

Responsibilities include:

• Conducting data-driven, quantitative research in computational social sciences.
• (Co-)authoring scientific, peer-reviewed papers for top conferences and journals.
• Contribution to proposal writing.
• Contribution to teaching activities.

• PhD degree in computer science or a closely related field.
• Strong computational and data science skills evidenced by peer-reviewed publications.
• Experience working with huge datasets. Familiarity with social network analysis is a plus.
• Ability to program in Python.
• Excellent ability to write, present and communicate in English.

Fixed-term contract: 2 years.

The full-time position is offered for a period of 2 years, with yearly evaluations. The salary will be set in scale 11 of the collective labour agreement of the Dutch Universities (between € 3.974 and € 5.439 gross per month) depending on qualifications and work experience for a full-time job (38 hours/week). On top of this, there is an 8% holiday and an 8.3% year-end allowance. Non-Dutch applicants could be eligible for a favourable tax treatment (30% rule).

The intended starting date of this position is negotiable.

The terms of employment of Maastricht University are set out in the Collective Labour Agreement of Dutch Universities (CAO). Furthermore, local UM provisions also apply. For more information look at the website www.maastrichtuniversity.nl > About UM > Working at UM.

Maastricht University

Maastricht University is renowned for its unique, innovative, problem-based learning system, which is characterized by a small-scale and student-oriented approach. Research at UM is characterized by a multidisciplinary and thematic approach, and is concentrated in research institutes and schools. Maastricht University has around 22,000 students and about 5,000 employees. Reflecting the university's strong international profile, a fair amount of both students and staff are from abroad. The university hosts 6 faculties: Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Faculty of Law, School of Business and Economics, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience. 
For more information, visit www.maastrichtuniversity.nl.

The Institute of Data Science (IDS)

The Institute of Data Science (IDS) at Maastricht University is a research centre embedded in the Department of Advanced Computing Sciences, part of the Faculty of Science and Engineering. The mission of the Institute of Data Science is to foster an interfaculty environment for collaborative innovation in the development and application of data science technologies.

maastrichtuniversity.nl/ids

The Department of Advanced Computing Sciences (DACS) is Maastricht University’s largest and oldest department broadly covering the fields of artificial intelligence, data science, computer science, mathematics and robotics.  Over 100 researchers work and study in the Department of Advanced Computing Sciences, whose roots trace back to 1987. The department’s staff teaches approximately 800 bachelor’s and master’s students in 3 specialized study programmes in Data Science, Computer Science, and Artificial Intelligence. 

Maastrichtuniversity.nl/dacs

The Faculty of Science and Engineering (FSE). Maastricht University heavily invests in the growth of its STEM research and education. The Faculty of Science and Engineering is one of the focal points of these developments. Within the Faculty of Science and Engineering, over 260 researchers and more than 2,700 students work on themes such as fundamental physics, circularity and sustainability, data science and artificial intelligence.

www.maastrichtuniversity.nl/fse