Postdoc in AI democracy

The Department of Communication and Arts (DCA), Roskilde University, invites applications for a position as postdoc from 1st of March 2026 or as soon as possible thereafter. The postdoc is a 24 months’ full-time position. The purpose of the position is to study sociotechnical developments of (generative) AI in relation to democratic public debate.

The project
The postdoc is part of the research project Algorithms, Data and Democracy (the ADD-project) funded by the Villum Foundation and the Velux Foundation. The postdoc position is located at Roskilde University, and the successful candidate will be associated with several interrelated research environments: the section Technology and Publics, the research group AI and Datafied Communication, the Centre for Digital Citizenship and the Digital Media Lab at the Department of Communication and Arts. The successful applicant will work in close collaboration with the project leader, Professor Sine Nørholm Just, as well as the other members of the ADD-project at Roskilde University and at the five other partner universities.

The ADD-project studies the increasing datafication and digitalization of public opinion formation and decision-making, focusing on two interrelated consequences of these developments: Data and algorithms are foundational to the infrastructure of public debate, but they are also issues of public concern. In other words, current technological developments are becoming controversial. With the ADD-project, we diagnose current developments and ask how they can be turned to the better: how can algorithms and data be used to enlighten and engage citizens and to strengthen democratic institutions? We search for digital solutions to digital problems by studying controversies about digitalization as they play out on digital platforms and are shaped by digital technologies. More information can be found on the project’s websites https://algorithms.dk and https://algoritmer.org (in Danish).

The ADD-project is conducted in close cooperation with five partners from other Danish Universities and collaborates with Mandag Morgen to enhance outreach and ensure impact. Within the project, the successful candidate will have the opportunity for close collaboration with researchers from very different disciplinary backgrounds and will partake in the development of new interdisciplinary perspectives. Further, the project offers the possibility to be actively involved in public communication and outreach. Finally, there will be opportunities to attend international conferences and workshops as well as to participate in media and methods training.

The postdoc will contribute to the overall aim of the ADD-project by designing and conducting an original study on the interrelations between ongoing developments of generative AI are interrelating and current societal transformations. The project should focus on how AI is changing conditions of possibility for and practices of democratic public debate. Specifically, the successful candidate will propose experiments with democratically beneficial uses of (generative) AI. And, more broadly, the project will discuss the conceptual and methodological consequences of (generative) AI in a communicative context; what does AI mean for meaning formation? And how can we study communicative human-AI relations? The postdoc will, in collaboration with the other members of the project team, use digital and other methods (qualitative/quantitative) to collect relevant data and design practically feasible tests of sociotechnical developments.

Qualifications
Applicants must hold a PhD or the equivalent thereof within communication studies, organization studies, science and technology studies or an adjacent field in the humanities, social sciences or data sciences.

The ideal candidate is an excellent scholar with expertise in qualitative and/or mixed methods and with experience/interest in the collection and analysis of digital data. The ideal candidate should be familiar with current developments in the literatures on digital transformation of public debate and be able to connect these literatures to empirical case studies.

The candidate is furthermore expected to demonstrate:

• A background in one or more of the following fields: organization studies, communication studies, media studies, science and technology studies.
• Good command of English is necessary, and experience in publishing in English is considered an asset.
Good command of Danish is considered an asset.

Responsibilities and tasks
The ideal candidate possesses good communication skills; works independently but is visible and involved in the department’s daily activities; is willing to engage in disciplinary and interdisciplinary collaboration across the department and with all partners in the ADD-project.

The candidate is expected to:

• Be an active collaborative partner in the research project.
• Conduct and complete an independent research project in collaboration with the group.
• Publish independently and in collaboration with the PI and other ADD-researchers in relevant peer reviewed journals.
• Plan and contribute to panels at relevant international conferences.
• Plan and participate in research seminars and network meetings.
• Contribute to popular dissemination of research findings
• Be an active and present colleague in the Department of Communication and Arts

Assessment
In the assessment of candidates, consideration will be given to:

• Scientific production and research prospective (including an individual research plan based in the existing project to be submitted with the application)
• Ability to promote and utilize research results
• Ability to collaborate closely with research partners
• Ability to contribute to the development of the department’s internal and external cooperation

We expect job interviews to be held in week 2, 2026.

Questions
For further information about the postdoc position, and to obtain a full academic description of the project, please contact PI Sine Nørholm Just on tel. (+45) 20774039 or e-mail: [email protected].

Terms of employment
The employment is full time, 37 hours per week, and refers to Head of Section Ib T. Gulbrandsen.

The position will be filled according to the Agreement between the Danish Ministry of Finance and the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations (AC) and Job Structure for Academic Staff at Universities.

Application procedure
After the deadline for applications the Dean will shortlist applicants for assessment with assistance from the recruitment committee including the chairperson of the assessment committee.

Shortly after the application deadline all applicants will be notified whether or not their application has been selected for assessment.

The shortlisted applicants will be informed about the composition of the assessment committee, and each applicant will be given the opportunity to comment on the composition of the committee and - later on - their assessment.

Once the recruitment process is completed, all applicants will be informed of the outcome of their application.

Application
To apply for the position go to www.ruc.dk/en/job/

Only applications in English are accepted.

Applications must include:

1. Cover letter

2. Research prospective

3. CV

4. Documentation of education

5. A complete list of publications

6. A maximum of 5 relevant scientific works that you want included in the assessment . If any of the publications that you want included in the assessment are the result of a joint effort, the extent and the nature of your contribution to each individual work must then be clarified in a co-author statement

7. If relevant: Documentation for any additional research and/or teaching qualification

Please submit your application no later than 01-11-2025.

Material received after this date will not be taken into consideration.

Roskilde University wishes to reflect the diversity of society and welcomes applications from all qualified candidates regardless of personal background.