[Air-L] Call for applications: Postdoctoral Fellowships 2021-2022

Marie Santini marie.santini at eco.ufrj.br
Mon Mar 22 11:01:34 PDT 2021


Call for applications
Postdoctoral researcher vacancy
Netlab - Internet Studies and Social Media Lab
School of Communication, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro - UFRJ, Brazil

*****
*Post-Doctoral Research Fellowship *
*on Misinformation and Disinformation Campaigns at Netlab/UFRJ*

*Our Project*
Netlab is a research laboratory on Internet Studies and Social Media at the
School of Communication (ECO), Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ)
- Brazil, specialized in Online Disinformation Campaigns. We combine
traditional social science methods and computational communication
approaches. We understand that research into computational communication
requires seamless integration of meaningful theoretical questions and
background, powerful statistical tools and efficient computing algorithms.
Researchers in our lab are working to unravel the intricate mechanisms
behind burgeoning computational communication phenomena by collecting and
analyzing online data on an unprecedented scale, bringing new life to old
ideas, and new ideas to social life.

*Main Research Topics*
Netlab is seeking to appoint Post-doctoral Research Fellows to work on the
interplay between misinformation, disinformation, news, and social media,
with an emphasis on public opinion on at least one of these topics:

1. Civil society and social movements
2. Politics and elections
3. Climate change, land use, and environmental issues
4. Science and health

We welcome postdoctoral submissions that further the understanding,
development, and application of computational methods in disinformation
research. Computational methods include (but are not limited to) methods
such as text analysis, topic modeling, social/semantic network analysis,
online experiments, machine learning, visual analysis and agent-based
modeling and simulations. Computational methods can be applied to “big
data” and social media, or online behavior data, but can also be used to
provide a more sophisticated understanding of “small data” or for
theoretical explorations.

*Selection Criteria*
The successful candidates must have a completed doctorate degree in any
area but with experience in a substantive field of social science,
including communication and media studies, sociology, statistics, political
science, economy and/or social data science. The ideal candidate must also
have familiarity with existing academic work on misinformation,
disinformation, public understanding of politics, science and technology,
media manipulation and propaganda, news media, online platforms, and
digital media.

Excellent written, editing, and verbal communication skills in English
which demonstrate a potential to write and present at an international
level are required. Portuguese and/or Spanish language skills are
desirable. A record of published work on misinformation, disinformation and
social media are very desirable, as well as a detailed knowledge of
existing research on misinformation, public understanding of news,
politics, elections, environmental issues and its relation to digital media.

*How to Apply?*
We have opened three postdoctoral positions. These are full-time,
fixed-term appointments with a desired start date as soon as possible and
no later than April 2021 for a one-year research fellowship. The individual
appointed will be working with other researchers; postdoctoral fellows;
Ph.D., master, and undergraduate students; and with the principal
investigator behind the project, Professor R. Marie Santini, Head of the
Netlab research team.

Grant: R$4.100,00 per month (one-year fellow). This is a full-time,
one-year position with the option of a second-year extension based on
demonstrated performance.

The closing date for applications is 11 pm on Monday, 12th April 2021 (GMT
-3, Brazilian Standard Time). Candidates are required to send an email to
netlab at eco.ufrj.br. All emails must use the subject title “Netlab
Post-Doctoral Research Fellow” with the following documents attached (files
in PDF format):

   - A supporting statement: a cover letter explaining your interest in,
   and experience with, the Netlab research agenda (written in English). The
   candidate must choose and indicate in the letter one of the areas below to
   work with: 1) civil society and social movements; 2) politics and
   elections; 3) climate change, land use and environmental issues; 4) science
   and health.
   - A Research Proposal (written in English) as part of your application
   in a 2- or 3-page project. This proposal is not necessarily a commitment to
   what you will work on at Netlab, but serves as a way for the application
   committee to assess your ability to plan a research project.
   - An up-to-date Curriculum Vitae with full academic records (in English).
   - A writing sample of a research paper or working paper (preferably in
   English but can be in Portuguese or in Spanish).
   - Reference letter (with contact information), preferably from an
   academic advisor, co-author, or research peer.


*Postdoctoral Researchers Responsibilities*
The duties of the researchers will be:

   - To work with other team members and the PI on developing
   methodological approaches.
   - To arrange and conduct empirical research and data collection.
   - To work with colleagues on analyzing and interpreting the data.
   - To interpret the results in light of contextual background provided by
   the wider project and other people’s research.
   - To liaise with other team members, the PI, and other partners on
   getting advice and input on the research design, data analysis, and
   conclusions.
   - To develop academic publications and other project output based on the
   research done, working closely with other postdoctoral researchers and the
   PI to finalize output.
   - To prepare a range of presentation materials suitable for external
   events, conferences, meetings, and workshops.
   - To represent the project at external events/conferences, either with
   the PI, postdoctoral researchers, or alone.
   - To develop ideas for further research (including ideas for generating
   research funds) and to present detailed research proposals to the principal
   investigator for future work in the Netlab area.
   - To work with other team members, the project coordinators, the
   principal investigator and Netlab partners (such as technology developers,
   companies, start-up partners, etc.) on other aspects of the wider project,
   to develop innovation and technology, and work with the rest of the Netlab
   staff as part of the everyday life of the laboratory.
   - To teach undergraduate and graduate classes under the PI’s supervision
   and coordinate internal workshops and study groups with Netlab staff.
   - To organize and coordinate Netlab external events, workshops, Summer
   and Winter Schools (2021-2022).


*Summary*

*Job title *

Postdoctoral Research Fellow

*University*

Federal University of Rio de Janeiro

*Division *

School of Communication and The Brazilian Institute of Information, Science
and Technology

*Graduate Program*

PPGCI - Graduate Program in Information Science -

*Location *

Netlab - Internet and Social Media Research Lab

*Position modality*

Remote work

*Grant*

R$4.100,00 per month (one-year fellow).

*Hours *

Full time (40 hours per week)

*Contract type *

Fellowship

*Reporting to *

Dr. R. Marie Santini (ECO/UFRJ)

*Research topics*

1) civil society and social movements; OR  2) politics and elections; OR 3)
climate change, land use, and environmental issues; OR 4) science and
health.

*Principal Investigator and Supervisor*

Dr. R. Marie Santini (ECO/UFRJ). http://lattes.cnpq.br/8757803805826489

*Laboratory website*

www.netlab.eco.ufrj.br

_______________

Contact: netlab at eco.ufrj.br



-- 
Dr. R. Marie Santini
Associate Professor at the School of Communication
Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Brazil
Av. Pasteur, 250 – fundos, Urca, 22290902 - Rio de Janeiro, RJ - Brazil
Founding member and Research Director of NetLab / UFRJ
Orcid: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0657-7217
Website: http://www.netlab.eco.ufrj.br
<http://www.netlab.eco.ufrj.br/home-en>



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