Post- or Pre-Doctoral Researcher in Digital Technology, Governance, and Policy

The Path to Power: 2024 project utilises the unprecedented opportunity of more than four billion people voting in elections in 2024 to generate a comparative picture of the contemporary state of democracy, political communications, influence operations, and digital media through diverse case studies.  

We are seeking an excellent post- or pre-doctoral researcher with expertise in at least one less-frequently studied national context that votes in 2024 to expand the profile of our team. You will assist in conducting interviews, content analysis and secondary data analysis in elections during the 2024 cycle.   

This position is full-time and fixed term for a period of two years.   

This is an exciting and dynamic project which focuses on policy and media impact alongside academic publications, giving project members plenty of opportunities for skills acquisition, academic travel, network building, and advancement of their academic career.  

The Path to Power: 2024 project is housed within the Hasso Plattner Institute (HPI) at the University of Potsdam, within easy commuting distance of Berlin. However, this is an English-language team; no knowledge of German is required.   

Essential skills   

• For the post-doctoral position, a completed PhD or completed by the start of the position in a relevant social science field, such as politics, communications or Internet studies; 
• For the pre-doctoral position, an excellent MA in a relevant social science field, such as politics, communications or Internet studies; 
• Excellent proficiency in both academic and professional English, with the ability to write and present in a highly engaging and informative way for different audiences;  
• Linguistic and cultural skills to conduct research in one or more less studied national context that votes in 2024. We are particularly interested in candidates with skills and experience to conduct research in the Mexican, Indonesian or South African elections but also welcome candidates with experience in other Central or South American; Middle Eastern; African; Eastern European; or Central, South or East Asian contexts that will vote in 2024. (Note that we have another open position specifically recruiting a candidate with expertise in the Indian context);  
• For the post-doctoral position only, a record of publication in international, peer-reviewed journals; 
• Knowledge of critical political and/or communication theories such as authoritarian popularism, surveillance capitalism, and agonistic pluralism; 
• Confidence processing and implementing constructive written and oral feedback; 
• Ability to manage own working time and set internal milestones in order to adhere to wider project deadlines across multiple projects and tasks; 
• Commitment to producing research that addresses issues of political and economic power in society and aims to generate concrete political and policy recommendations.   

Desirable skills  

• Experience arranging, conducting and analysing interviews; 
• Experience searching for, collating and analysing diverse secondary data (such as media reports, company filings and congressional reports); 
• Experience with political economic critique; 
• Experience publicizing and disseminating academic research to social and traditional media audiences; 
• Experience working at the intersection of academia and policy; 
• Experience with innovative thinking on the use of technology to strengthen political systems.

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