Doctoral Position in Political Communication

vor 3 Wochen

Zürich, Zürich, Schweiz Universität Zürich Vollzeit
IKMZ - Department of Communication and Media Research
Doctoral Position in Political Communication (3+1 years)
80 % The University of Zurich is the largest research university in Switzerland. The Department of Communication and Media Research (IKMZ) is one of the leading communication departments in Europe. The University of Zurich is interested in the equality of men and women in scientific positions and encourages applications from women.

The International and Comparative Media Research Group (Prof. Frank Esser) at the Department of Communication and Media Research (IKMZ) is seeking to fill the position of a doctoral researcher within the SNSF-funded project "Political Social Media Influencers: An Empirical Investigation into Their Role and Influence on Youth Political Engagement".

The project investigates the mechanisms through which political social media influencers (PSMIs) affect the political engagement of young people across different countries and media systems. Using cutting-edge methods (natural language processing, computer vision, panel experiments, data donations), our project aims to map the landscape of PSMIs on platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube, and to understand how these influencers shape political discourse and mobilize young voters across three diverse media environments (Germany, Poland, and the United States). This position offers an excellent opportunity to contribute to a pioneering area of political communication and media research, with implications for both academic understanding and practical policy development in digital political communication and political engagement.
Your responsibilities
  • Acquiring detailed knowledge of the literature on political communication, political engagement, social media communication, and information flows, as well as on new methodologies (e.g. text analysis with large language models, computer vision) to study political phenomena.
  • A thematic focus on computational text analysis and multi-modal social media analysis to trace and content-analyze political conversations online
  • Planning and execution of subprojects within the larger project framework
  • Assisting PIs in coordination of data collection processes
  • Data analysis and writing scientific articles as part of the doctoral dissertation
  • Presentations at international scientific conferences
  • Taking part actively in the research environment of the Department of Communication and Media Research at the University of Zurich, including its PhD program.
  • Submission of a PhD dissertation within the period of appointment
Your profile
  • Excellent Master's degree in Communication Studies, Political Science, or a related discipline. The certificate is required at start of employment.
  • Strong interest in political communication, comparative media research, social media and politics, public opinion, computational methods, experiments, and/or mixed method approaches.
  • Strong command of R and/or Python
  • Interest in computational social science methods, including Natural Language Processing, computer vision, and/or network analysis
  • Strong command of English. Knowledge of a language related to the project's regional focus (German, Polish) is an additional asset.
  • A scientific mindset, the capacity of working independently, strong affinity for cooperative collaboration, project management skills, enthusiasm for working in teams
  • Willingness to move to Zurich and willingness to travel internationally to engage with project-relevant scientific communities
  • Desirable: Previous work experience as a research assistant
What we offer
  • Participation in a cutting-edge research project funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation
  • Excellent resources and working conditions to work on your doctoral degree within the framework of the project at the Department of Communication and Media Research under the supervision of Prof. Frank Esser
  • Funding for conferences, additional training, and research activities
  • 3 years of employment, plus possible extension of 1 year
  • An internationally competitive salary (salary range between 49,000 CHF in the first year and 53,000 CHF in the third and fourth year)
  • A supportive, well connected, research-oriented team
  • An attractive work environment: the University of Zurich is Switzerland's largest university. Zurich is a vibrant, cosmopolitan city that regularly ranks as one of the cities with the highest quality of life in the world
Place of workAndreasstrasse 15, 8050 Zürich, Switzerland
Start of employment The position is available from , or by agreement.

Please send your application in one pdf file to Dr. Christian Pipal. Applications should be submitted in English and must contain the following elements:
(i) Letter of motivation outlining
a. your interest in doctoral position and the research project
b. your background, research interests and skills, and
c. how you meet the selection criteria or how you will acquire the required skills.
(ii) CV
(iii) Copies of degrees and relevant transcripts
(iv) Contact details of two academic referees who can speak to your academic qualifications
(v) One copy of relevant research work (e.g. research or term paper, master thesis).

The application deadline is Online interviews are planned for the second week of June via Zoom.

  • Doctoral Position in Political Communication

    Vor 6 Tagen

    Zürich, Zürich, Schweiz IKMZ - Department of Communication and Media Research Vollzeit

    IKMZ - Department of Communication and Media Research_Doctoral Position in Political Communication (3+1 years)The International and Comparative Media Research Group (Prof. Frank Esser) at the Department of Communication and Media Research (IKMZ) is seeking to fill the position of a doctoral researcher within the SNSF-funded project "Political Social Media...

  • Postdoctoral Researcher in Political Communication

    Vor 5 Tagen

    Zürich, Zürich, Schweiz IKMZ - Department of Communication and Media Research Vollzeit

    IKMZ - Department of Communication and Media Research_Postdoctoral Researcher in Political Communication at the University of Zurich (3+1 years)The International and Comparative Media Research Division (Prof. Frank Esser) at the Department of Communication and Media Research (IKMZ) is seeking to fill the position of a postdoctoral researcher within the...

  • Doctoral Position in Computational Communication

    Vor 6 Tagen

    Zürich, Zürich, Schweiz Department of Communication and Media Research Vollzeit

    Department of Communication and Media Research_DOCTORAL POSITION IN COMPUTATIONAL COMMUNICATION SCIENCE (PROF. DR. JING ZENG)Your responsibilities: Conduct highquality computational media and communication research. Attend academic conferences and publish in academic journals in related areas. Successfully complete your PhD within the appointment period....

  • Doctoral Position in Strategic Communication

    Vor 5 Tagen

    Zürich, Zürich, Schweiz IKMZ - Department of Communication and Media Research Vollzeit

    IKMZ - Department of Communication and Media Research_Doctoral Position in Strategic Communication (Research and Teaching Assistant, 3-6 Years)60 % :The IKMZ, with around 80 employees, is one of the largest and most successful communication science institutes in Europe, providing excellent infrastructure for research and teaching, an inspiring academic...

  • Post-doctoral Research Position

    Vor 5 Tagen

    Zürich, Zürich, Schweiz Department of Political Science Vollzeit

    Department of Political Science_Post-Doctoral Research PositionYour responsibilities: Develop and lead at least one subproject within the context of PRODIGI. Conduct and publish highquality research within the context of PRODIGI. Collaborate with other members of the research group. Provide support for research, organizational, and administrative tasks....

  • Doctoral Position in Strategic Communication

    Vor 6 Tagen

    Zürich, Zürich, Schweiz Universität Zürich Vollzeit

    IKMZ - Department of Communication and Media ResearchDoctoral Position in Strategic Communication (Research and Teaching Assistant, 3-6 Years)60 % The IKMZ, with around 80 employees, is one of the largest and most successful communication science institutes in Europe, providing excellent infrastructure for research and teaching, an inspiring academic...

  • Doctoral Position in Strategic Communication

    vor 3 Wochen

    Zürich, Zürich, Schweiz Universität Zürich Vollzeit

    IKMZ - Department of Communication and Media ResearchDoctoral Position in Strategic Communication (Research and Teaching Assistant, 3-6 Years)60 % The IKMZ, with around 80 employees, is one of the largest and most successful communication science institutes in Europe, providing excellent infrastructure for research and teaching, an inspiring academic...

  • Post-doctoral Research Position at The Chair of

    Vor 5 Tagen

    Zürich, Zürich, Schweiz Department of Political Science Vollzeit

    Department of Political Science_Post-Doctoral Research Position at the Chair of Comparative PoliticsYour responsibilities: Engage in research, supervision and teaching in the area of comparative politics. Publish and present highquality research at international conferences. Collaborate with other members of the Chair of Comparative Politics. Develop your...

  • Phd Position On Measures for Reducing

    Vor 5 Tagen

    Zürich, Zürich, Schweiz Department of Political Science Vollzeit

    Department of Political Science_PhD position on measures for reducing flight-related greenhouse gas emissionsThe IPZ offers excellent research support in a vibrant research community and is committed to advancing young scholars' careersThe projectThe PhD position is linked to the project "Successful trajectories for reducing flight-related greenhouse gas...

  • doctoral position

    vor 3 Wochen

    Zürich, Zürich, Schweiz Universität Zürich Vollzeit

    IKMZ - Department of Communication and Media ResearchDOCTORAL POSITION (RESEARCH ASSISTANT, 3-6 YRS) IN COMPUTATIONAL COMMUNICATION SCIENCE (PROF. DR. JING ZENG)60 % The University of Zurich is the largest research university in Switzerland. IKMZ is one of the leading communication departments in Europe. The University of Zurich is interested in the equality...

  • doctoral position

    vor 2 Monaten

    Zürich, Zürich, Schweiz Universität Zürich Vollzeit

    Department of Communication and Media ResearchDOCTORAL POSITION (RESEARCH ASSISTANT, 3-6 YRS) IN COMPUTATIONAL COMMUNICATION SCIENCE (PROF. DR. JING ZENG)60 % The University of Zurich is the largest research university in Switzerland. IKMZ is one of the leading communication departments in Europe. The University of Zurich is interested in the equality of men...

  • doctoral position

    vor 2 Monaten

    Zürich, Zürich, Schweiz Universität Zürich Vollzeit

    IKMZ - Department of Communication and Media ResearchDOCTORAL POSITION (RESEARCH ASSISTANT, 3-6 YRS) IN COMPUTATIONAL COMMUNICATION SCIENCE (PROF. DR. JING ZENG)60 % The University of Zurich is the largest research university in Switzerland. IKMZ is one of the leading communication departments in Europe. The University of Zurich is interested in the equality...

  • doctoral position

    vor 3 Wochen

    Zürich, Zürich, Schweiz Universität Zürich Vollzeit

    IKMZ - Department of Communication and Media ResearchDOCTORAL POSITION (RESEARCH ASSISTANT, 3-6 YRS) IN COMPUTATIONAL COMMUNICATION SCIENCE (PROF. DR. JING ZENG)60 % The University of Zurich is the largest research university in Switzerland. IKMZ is one of the leading communication departments in Europe. The University of Zurich is interested in the equality...

  • doctoral position

    vor 3 Wochen

    Zürich, Zürich, Schweiz Universität Zürich Vollzeit

    IKMZ - Department of Communication and Media ResearchDOCTORAL POSITION (RESEARCH ASSISTANT, 3-6 YRS) IN COMPUTATIONAL COMMUNICATION SCIENCE (PROF. DR. JING ZENG)60 % The University of Zurich is the largest research university in Switzerland. IKMZ is one of the leading communication departments in Europe. The University of Zurich is interested in the equality...

  • Postdoctoral Researcher in Political Communication at the University of Zurich

    vor 2 Monaten

    Zürich, Zürich, Schweiz Universität Zürich Vollzeit

    IKMZ - Department of Communication and Media ResearchPostdoctoral Researcher in Political Communication at the University of Zurich (3+1 years)80 % The University of Zurich is the largest research university in Switzerland. IKMZ is one of the leading communication departments in Europe. The University of Zurich is interested in the equality of men and women...

  • Postdoctoral Researcher in Political Communication at the University of Zurich

    vor 3 Wochen

    Zürich, Zürich, Schweiz Universität Zürich Vollzeit

    IKMZ - Department of Communication and Media ResearchPostdoctoral Researcher in Political Communication at the University of Zurich (3+1 years)80 % The University of Zurich is the largest research university in Switzerland. IKMZ is one of the leading communication departments in Europe. The University of Zurich is interested in the equality of men and women...

  • Phd Position in The Research Group of Professor

    Vor 6 Tagen

    Zürich, Zürich, Schweiz Department of Political Science Vollzeit

    Department of Political Science_PhD Position in the Research Group of Professor Lucas LeemannThe Department of Political Science offers excellent research support in a vibrant research community and is committed to advancing young scholars' careers.Your responsibilities: The PhD student will pursue his or her own research in the broad areas of Comparative...

  • Doctoral Student

    Vor 5 Tagen

    Zürich, Zürich, Schweiz ETH Vollzeit

    Doctoral Student in Environmental Politics:100%, Zurich, fixed-termThe International Political Economy and Environmental Politics group led by Professor Thomas Bernauer is offering two fully funded positions for Doctoral Students in Environmental Politics. The preferred starting date is March-May 2023. The funding is for up to four years, which is commonly...

  • Phd / Doctoral Position

    Vor 6 Tagen

    Zürich, Zürich, Schweiz Institute of Veterinary Anatomy, Vetsuisse Faculty of the University of Zurich Vollzeit

    Institute of Veterinary Anatomy, Vetsuisse Faculty of the University of Zurich_PhD / Doctoral PositionThe project is SNSF (Swiss National Science Foundation) funded. The position is available for 3 years and will research into molecular mechanisms of hypoxia and HIF1α-mediated responses in steroidogenic cells (granulosa cells, Leydig cells and adrenal...

  • PhD / Doctoral Position 80 -100 %

    vor 2 Monaten

    Zürich, Zürich, Schweiz Universität Zürich Vollzeit

    Institute of Veterinary Anatomy, Vetsuisse Faculty of the University of ZurichPhD / Doctoral Position80-100 % The Group of Reproductive Biology of the Institute of Veterinary Anatomy, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zurich is looking for a candidate for a PhD/doctoral position in the field of comparative reproductive endocrinology.Highly motivated graduate...