Assistant professorship with tenure track in computational social science with a focus on communication

Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences

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The University of Zurich invites applications for an

assistant professorship with tenure track in computational social science with a focus on communication

The position should be filled by 1 August, 2024. After two employment periods of three years each, promotion to a permanent professorship will take place in the event of a positive evaluation within a tenure procedure. Candidates should demonstrate outstanding, internationally visible research in the field of computational social science. The focus is on developing and applying methods for analyzing communication processes in the context of digital and social media. The position is based in the Department of Communication and Media Research (IKMZ) and is intended to investigate communication processes from an interdisciplinary social science perspective. Possible methodological approaches include agent-based or other computer-based modeling, simulations, network analysis, machine learning, artificial intelligence, natural language processing, analysis of large audio and/or video datasets, gathering and analysis of digital trace data, and the use of lab or field experiments. In teaching, the candidate should enable students to use innovative computer-based methods independently and in a research-oriented manner. Initially, the professorship will teach one to two courses per semester, mainly in communication science programs. Later, the teaching opportunities will expand. Candidates must hold a PhD degree in communication science (or related subjects such as computer science, statistics, political science or sociology) by the time of application and have excellent relevant publications. While courses may be taught in English, the administrative language of the University of Zurich is still German. Therefore, non-German speaking candidates are expected to acquire a working knowledge of German within the first years of their appointment. The Department of Communication and Media Research and the University of Zurich offer a stimulating research and teaching environment with a wide range of opportunities for professional exchange and cooperation. The University of Zurich is an equal opportunities employer and in particular strives to increase the gender diversity in leading positions. Therefore, qualified female researchers are encouraged to apply. Please submit an academic CV, including research plan for the next three years (two to three pages), publications, teaching experience, copies of academic transcripts, and contact details of two references.

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For further information

please contact Prof. Dr. Frank Esser (f.esser@ikmz.uzh.ch)

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The closing date for applications is 1 March 2023. Details on the application procedure are available on www.phil.uzh.ch/jobs.html.