[Air-L] Postdoc position Russian Media Lab - University of Helsinki

[Mariëlle W.]

The Aleksanteri Institute at the University of Helsinki invites
applications for an enthusiastic and creative

POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCHER
<https://www.helsinki.fi/en/open-positions/postdoctoral-researcher-russia-medialab>

for a fixed term from 3rd of September 2018 to 30th of June 2019, to work
within the project 'Russia MediaLab: Freedom of speech and critical
journalism in Russia'. The employment contract will include a trial period
of six months.

If measured according to conventional parameters, freedom of speech and
expression in Russia has deteriorated. However, such development is not
uncontested and without contradictions. Instead, actions and measures taken
can prove inefficient or have unintended outcomes, which can be either
negative or positive in terms of freedom of speech. Likewise, freedom of
speech can also unintentionally shrink due to reasons such as the strained
economic situation or increasing commercialization. To formulate a fuller
picture of freedom of speech in Russia today, it is therefore not enough to
study measures of control and questions of implementation, but also to
adopt the opposite perspective – that is, to study freedom of speech and
expression from the perspective of the areas of relative freedom. See:
http://blogs.helsinki.fi/russianmedialab.

Potential candidates can approach the subject matter from several different
perspectives:

- Media regulation and self-regulation
- Legislation and media
- Media culture and -politics
- Russia’s political culture and media
- Media economy
- Cultural institutions

The subject matter can be approached from the angle of different humanities
or social science disciplines. A strive for multidisciplinarity and
willingness to partake in interdisciplinary discussions are appreciated.

According to the Regulations of the University of Helsinki, the appointee
to the position of postdoctoral researcher must hold a doctoral degree in a
relevant field, have the ability to conduct independent scientific research
and possess the teaching skills required for the position. The candidate
should have a proven capability to publish in scientific journals, have
excellent analytical and methodological skills, and be able to work both
independently and as a part of a multidisciplinary scientific community.
The successful candidate is expected to have excellent skills in written
and oral English, as well as have a good command of Russian.

The salary for the position will be based on level 5 of the demands level
chart for teaching and research personnel in the salary system of Finnish
universities. In addition, a salary component based on personal performance
will be paid. The starting gross salary of a post-doctoral researcher is
around 3180 € per month, depending on the qualifications and experience of
the applicant.

Applications must be accompanied by the following English-language
documents submitted as a single pdf file:

- CV (max. 3 pages)
- list of publications (max. 3 pages)
- 1–2 page summary of the applicant’s motivation to join the Russia
MediaLab -project and the scientific community of the Aleksanteri Institute
- innovative research plan concerning freedom of speech and expression in
Russia (max. 5 pages)
- sample of academic writing (max. 10 000 words)
- contact information of 2– 3 referees

Please submit your application through the University of Helsinki
Recruitment System
<https://www.helsinki.fi/en/open-positions/postdoctoral-researcher-russia-medialab>.
Applicants who are employees of the University of Helsinki are requested to
submit their application via the SAP HR portal. The deadline for
applications is June 18th 2018.

Applications will be evaluated by a preparatory commission, consisting of
representatives of different disciplines. The applicants will be informed
about the choices by e-mail within two months from the application deadline.

Further information about the position may be obtained from Director of the
Project, Professor Markku Kangaspuro, tel. +358 50 5223393,
markku.kangaspuro at helsinki.fi.

Apply at latest 18.06.2018

https://www.helsinki.fi/en/open-positions/postdoctoral-
researcher-russia-medialab

The University of Helsinki – among the best in the world

Founded in 1640, the University of Helsinki is one of the best
multidisciplinary research universities in the world. The University of
Helsinki is an international academic community of 40,000 students and
staff members. It operates on four campuses in Helsinki and at 15 other
locations. The high-quality research carried out by the university creates
new knowledge for educating diverse specialists in various fields, and for
utilisation in social decision-making and the business sector.

The Aleksanteri Institute functions as a national centre of research, study
and expertise pertaining to Russia and Eastern Europe, particularly in the
social sciences and humanities. We offer our researchers an international
and inspiring research environment in the centre of Helsinki, with
excellent research infrastructure (including Integrum-database, diverse
electronic resources of the University of Helsinki and the world-famous
Slavonic library). The Centre of Excellence in Russian studies funded by
the Academy of Finland, a visiting scholars programme and a wide network of
scholars conducting research on Russia are also part of our dynamic
research community. More information on the Aleksanteri Institute is
available on the webpage http://www.helsinki.fi/aleksanteri/english/.

For information on the University of Helsinki as an employer please see
https://www.helsinki.fi/en/university/working-at-the-university