Postdoctoral Positions in Researching Toxic Visual Contents

Department of Communication and Media Research

Postdoctoral Positions in Researching Toxic Visual Contents (Prof. Dr. Jing Zeng) 80 %

Start of employment Earliest July 1, 2026, or by agreement, temporary

The Department of Communication and Media Research (IKMZ) is seeking two postdoctoral researchers. They will join the SNSF-funded project VIZTOX – Visual toxicity in the digital platform age (Link), led by Prof. Dr. Jing Zeng.

The position begins with a two-year contract (80% FTE) and could be extended for up to five years. The annual salary is CHF 82,371, in accordance with cantonal regulations.

Your responsibilities

The role of the postdoctoral researcher within the VizTox project can be tailored to the candidate's expertise and interests.

The postdoc may take on a more research-focused role, which could involve:

• Conducting independent and collaborative research within the project's work packages, contributing to milestones and deliverables
• Publishing research findings and presenting results at conferences
• Contributing to project dissemination and outreach activities
• Co-mentoring doctoral researchers and supporting research capacity-building within the team

Alternatively, they may take on a more hands-on, research engineering–oriented role, which could involve:

• Supporting the technical development and infrastructure of the project
• Retrieving, managing, processing, and preparing multimodal data
• Developing and maintaining research tools, workflows, and computational pipelines
• Assisting project teams with technical and analytical needs

Your profile

• PhD degree (or close to finishing their PhD) in a relevant field, including (but not limited to): Communication Science, Computer Science, Data Science, Digital Humanities.
• A distinct research profile in researching online communication, that is demonstrated through publications or research tool development.

Relevant computational skills include (but not limited to):

• Image analysis or computer vision techniques
• Design, implement, and evaluate multimodal large-language-model (MLLM) pipelines for researching harmful visual content
• Natural language processing (NLP)
• Network analysis

Additional relevant expertise may include:

• Digital ethnography to studying online communities and content creators
• Critical visual analysis or visual culture research, semiotics
• Visual Discourse or narrative analysis of multimodal online content
• Comparative research of translational media practices

• Content moderation research focusing on visual harm

• Track record in studying harmful online content-especially misogyny, misinformation, or propaganda-is an advantage.

• The ability to take a leading role in the project's work on German-speaking online communities will be regarded as an advantage.
• Strong communication skills and strong teamwork orientation.

Information on your application

Please compile the following documents into a single PDF file and submit them via the UZH job portal (blue button) below:

• Letter of motivation
• CV, clearly listing research experience and methods skills relevant to the project
• A one-page project description outlines the research ideas and methods you are interested in developing during the postdoctoral appointment
• 2 writing samples (e.g. journal publications, article-in-progress, PhD thesis)
• Relevant transcripts and certificates (e.g. transcripts from graduate study; a scan of your MA and PhD degree)
• Contact information of two references

Application deadline

The review of applications will start on February 1st, 2026. The positions will remain open until it is filled. For any inquiries regarding the position, please contact Prof. Dr. Jing Zeng.

What we offer

Work-Life Balance

• Flexible working models (such as part-time positions, mobile working, job-sharing)
• Childcare at the kihz foundation of UZH and ETH

Learning and Development

• Wide range of continuing education courses of UZH and the Canton of Zurich
• Language Center run jointly with ETH Zurich

Food

• Food and drinks at reduced prices in the UZH cafeterias
• Lunch-Check-card with UZH contribution

Healthcare

• Special conditions on the Academic Sports Association ASVZ
• Free seasonal flu vaccinations
• Rest and relaxation at the quiet room in the university tower

Discounts

• Private traffic: Carsharing, rent a vehicle, parking space
• Digitalization: Hardware, software, mobile phone subscriptions
• Special conditions on hotel reservations

Conditions of Employment

• Policies of the UZH
• Most UZH staff are employed according to public law

International Services

• Support for people from outside Switzerland

Campuses

• Campuses Zurich City, Zurich Irchel, Oerlikon and Schlieren
• Sites Zurich West, Old Botanical Garden, Botanical Garden and Lengg

Location
Department of Communication and Media Research

Andreasstrasse 15, 8050 Zürich, Switzerland

Further information
Questions about the job

Jing Zeng

Prof. Dr.

Questions about the application procedure

Pinar Tidin

HR Officer

Working at UZH

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