Postdoctoral Researcher in Monetisation, Governance, and the Creator Economy at the Department of Media and Journalism Studies

The Department of Media and Journalism Studies within the School of Communication and Culture at Aarhus University invites applications for a postdoctoral position in monetisation, governance, and the creator economy. The postdoctoral position is part of the research project ‘New Media Monetisation’ funded by the Aarhus University Research Foundation (AUFF).

The postdoc is a full-time, 2.5-year fixed-term position. It begins on 1 March 2026 or as soon as possible thereafter.

The School of Communication and Culture is committed to diversity and encourages all qualified applicants to apply regardless of their personal background.        

Project

The New Media Monetisation project investigates the governance of new funding models for creators and influencers, including subscriptions, donations, and the purchase of products and services. The project approaches governance holistically, encompassing the social norms around fan-creator interactions, the rules codified in platform policies, the expectations built into the design of platform tools, and state regulatory initiatives. Subscription platforms like Patreon or OnlyFans, fundraising platforms like Kickstarter, or donation tools built into video platforms like YouTube or TikTok reconfigure the relationship between creators, audiences, and platforms. Creators are less dependent on traditional intermediaries but must engage in significant audience management. Audiences have unprecedented influence on cultural production but struggle to define appropriate boundaries around parasocial relationships. Platforms draw significant revenue from transactions but face growing pressure from regulators, venture capital, and competitors. Together, these factors monetisation an ideal site to investigate and shape the future of work, cultural production, and the platform society.

The New Media Monetisation position is situated within the CREATOR:GOV Lab, providing opportunities for collaboration, and the working language is English. The postdoc will develop their own project within the framework of New Media Monetisation and collaborate with the PI on related studies. While the postdoctoral project needs to address issues related to creators, monetisation, and governance, the context, methods, and disciplinary orientation are relatively open. Regarding context, projects can address any industrial sector or geographic region of the creator economy. Regarding methods, projects must involve empirical research but can employ qualitative, quantitative, or mixed methods. Regarding disciplinary orientation, the postdoctoral researcher should be comfortable working in an interdisciplinary environment but can target the research they lead toward relevant disciplinary audiences, conferences, and publication venues. The flexibility in focus is meant to attract innovative and impactful research proposals.

Postdoctoral position

The postdoc position involves 80% research, 20% teaching and departmental service, following the principles formulated in relation to the Independent Research Foundation of Denmark. The working hours (excluding holidays) are 1643 hours, which means that 20% of working hours corresponds to 328 hours annually. This typically means that the postdoctoral fellow will teach one major course annually, as well as perform other work tasks related to teaching, including supervision and exams.
Regarding research, the successful applicant will be expected to:

• Design research, in coordination with PI, that investigates the governance of new funding models for creators and influencers,
• Collect and analyse empirical data (flexible, but please specify),
• Present research at national and/or international events,
• Lead the publication of at least two articles for international journals or conference proceedings.

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