[Air-L] Postdoc position in Digital Russian Studies, University of Helsinki

[Mariëlle W.]

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

POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCHER IN (DIGITAL) RUSSIAN STUDIES (18 MONTHS)

for a fixed term of 18 months from 1 May 2019, or as soon as possible
thereafter. The position is associated with the University of Helsinki
Three-Year Project Strategies of Persuasion: Russian Propaganda in the
Algorithmic Age (2019-2021) led by dr. Mariëlle Wijermars.

The project examines what strategies of persuasion are employed by Russian
state-aligned media and other relevant actors to frame and disseminate
strategic communications within traditional and digital media environments.
It investigates how these strategies have evolved in response to the
changing technological environment in the current algorithmic age. How does
propaganda work in the age of social media, recommender systems and
botnets? The project is based at the Aleksanteri Institute and associated
with the Digital Russia Studies initiative. For more information, see
https://blogs.helsinki.fi/digital-russia-studies/projects/strategies-of-persuasion
.

QUALIFICATIONS

The appointee will study social media platforms (e.g. VKontakte,
Odnoklassniki, Facebook) and YouTube to examine how disinformation
campaigns use structural affordances of online news dissemination, such as
algorithmic ranking and recommender systems, to amplify their reach. Using
computational methods, the research conducted by the appointee will help
gain a better understanding of how disinformation spreads, how an item is
made to go viral, and how users engage with this type of information.

Candidates must hold a doctoral degree and be able to conduct independent
scholarly work. Solid knowledge of social network analysis and quantitative
research methods is a requisite; proven ability to employ advanced digital
research methods, such as machine learning approaches, or the capacity and
willingness to acquire skills in this domain, will be a great advantage.
The candidate is expected to have excellent command of Russian; proficiency
in other Central and/or East European languages would be an asset. The
appointee is expected to contribute c. 3 peer-reviewed articles. Precise
research tasks will be defined in collaboration with the project leader.
The appointee will also contribute to the activities of the research
project, such as coordinating collaboration with (inter)national network
partners, teaching and organizing project workshops and seminars. Good
social skills and a pro-active attitude are naturally assets. The working
language is English. The appointee will be based in Helsinki for the entire
duration of the appointment. If needed, the starting date, 1 May 2019, is
negotiable.

SALARY AND TRIAL PERIOD

Monthly gross salary for the position varies between 3150 and 3550 euros,
depending on the appointee’s qualifications and experience. The contract
will include a six-month trial period.

Health care services and standard Finnish pension benefits are provided for
the University employees.

HOW TO APPLY

Please submit your application, together with the required documents,
through the University of Helsinki Recruitment System via
https://www.helsinki.fi/en/open-positions/postdoctoral-researcher-in-digital-russian-studies.
Applicants who are employees of the University of Helsinki are requested to
submit their application via the SAP HR portal.

Applicants are requested to enclose with their applications the following
documents as a single pdf file:

1) a curriculum vitae (max. 2 pages) with a separate list of publications,
2) a short description (max. 2 pages) of the applicant’s relevant
methodological skills and how her or his research interests match the
Strategies of Persuasion research project,
3) a writing sample of the applicant’s research (e.g. published article,
doctoral dissertation),
4) the contact information of two referees,
5) and optionally other relevant documents.

The deadline for applications is February 15, 2019.

Technical support for using the University’s electronic recruitment system
or the SAP HR portal: rekrytointi at helsinki.fi.

FURTHER INFORMATION

For further information please contact project leader dr. Mariëlle
Wijermars, marielle.wijermars at helsinki.fi. The decision will be
communicated in early March.

DUE DATE

15.02.2019 23:59 EET

The University of Helsinki is the oldest and largest institution of
academic education in Finland, an international scientific community of
40,000 students and researchers. In international university rankings, the
University of Helsinki typically ranks among the top 100. The University of
Helsinki seeks solutions for global challenges and creates new ways of
thinking for the best of humanity.

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/.