Call for Applications: Post-doctoral researcher at Department of Communication, University of Vienna

Vacancy for a postdoctoral researcher in journalism studies with a focus
on audience behaviour at the Journalism Studies Centre in the Department
of Communication, University of Vienna. The position is for a period of
3 years and is a fixed-term appointment.

The successful applicant is expected to start by Feb 1, 2022 or as soon
as possible thereafter, and will work under the supervision of Professor
Folker Hanusch and study audience expectations of news, as part of the
research project ‘Audience expectations of news in the digital age’,
funded by the Austrian Science Fund (FWF).

About the project / work tasks

The project seeks to understand audiences’ diverse expectations of the
news they consume, and how different forms and genres of news become
meaningful and valuable to audiences. By relying on innovative
qualitative as well as quantitative methods, the project also aims to
increase our understanding of how audience expectations shift across
social contexts and to capture the breadth of audiences’ news media
consumption repertoires across genres.

Within the project, the postdoc will develop and carry out audience
research using a range of innovative ethnographical approaches, focusing
on topics such as expectations, everyday news use, digital news media,
social media, news media genres.

The postdoc will be based at the University of Vienna, within a dynamic
research centre and diverse and interdisciplinary department, and work
closely with the project co-PI, Prof. Folker Hanusch and Sandra Banjac.
It is a requirement that the project is completed in the course of the
period of employment.

About the Department

The Department of Communication at the University of Vienna is one of
the world’s largest departments for communication science. Set up during
the 1940s, the department now has approximately 3,700 students, more
than 90 employees and more than 140 teaching staff. The department is
currently ranked as one of the top programs for communication research
in Europe, and the research is supported by numerous funding agencies,
such as the European Union or the Austrian Science Fund.

Vienna’s geographic and cultural position as well as the international
research orientation make the department a key hub for numerous
top-notch research collaborations around the globe. The department has
research contacts with many universities from neighbouring countries,
but also from the USA and Asia. Consequently, the department regularly
welcomes foreign researchers as Visiting Fellows or Guest Professors.

Profile of the position

– A PhD in journalism studies, media studies, communication, digital
culture or similar. It is a condition of employment that the PhD has
been awarded prior to commencement of the position.

– Scientific publications in (international) journals and conference
presentations

– Experience in participating in research projects

– Very good methods expertise. Experience with audience research, media
use research, and qualitative methods including interviews and focus
groups is preferred. Quantitative (survey) methods knowledge is
advantageous (but not required). Applicants are encouraged to outline
the relevance of their experience and expertise to the position.

– Knowledge of university procedures and structures

– High level of written and oral expression

– Excellent skills in specialized software for data analysis (e.g.
MaxQDA, SPSS)

– Work independently as well as have the ability to cooperate with others

– Excellent written and spoken English

– Proficiency in German is desirable (but not required)

Remuneration

– Duration of employment: 3 years

– Extent of Employment: 40 hours/week

– Job grading in accordance with FWF standard personnel costs for
postdocs, available at
https://www.fwf.ac.at/en/research-funding/personnel-costs
<https://www.fwf.ac.at/en/research-funding/personnel-costs> .

Application documents

– A letter of motivation including a description of research interests

– Academic curriculum vitae (including a list of publications, past
research projects)

– Contact details for two academic referees. One of these must be your
main PhD supervisor.

– Transcripts and diplomas and official confirmation that the PhD has
been awarded.

– A digital copy of the dissertation, if available

The application must be submitted in English via email to Prof. Folker
Hanusch (folker.hanusch@univie.ac.at
<mailto:folker.hanusch@univie.ac.at>). For any questions or further
information about the position, please contact Professor Hanusch.

The closing date for applications is midnight, Vienna time, on October
1, 2021.

Potential candidates will be interviewed in early October.

The University pursues a non-discriminatory employment policy and values
equal opportunities, as well as diversity. The University lays special
emphasis on increasing the number of women in senior and in academic
positions. Given equal qualifications, preference will be given to
female applicants.