PostDoc (Computational) Communication Science – TWON Project
Postdoc @University of Amsterdam posted 4 hours agoJob Description
hen the job as a Postdoctoral Researcher in our Horizon Europe project TWON (Twin of Online Social Network) is perfect for you. You will become a member of the Political Communication & Journalism group part of the Amsterdam School of Communication Research, as well as the Computational Communication Science Amsterdam Lab.
TWON is an EU-funded project that sets out to study the potentially harmful effects of online social networks (OSNs) on democratic debates. By creating a digital twin of an OSN and populating it using generative artificial intelligence, the TWON-team is spearheading a unique approach to studying democratic debates online that is independent from the good will of companies like Twitter, Meta, or TikTok.
Within TWON, you will participate in WP5 (Case Studies). Together with our academic and societal partners, you will contribute to studies on discussions around the conflict in Ukraine and COVID-19. Note that some of the studies, involving hybrid simulations in which human participants interact with LLM-based agents, already have been conducted. Your main tasks are to finalize a report on these studies, and to conduct additional case studies in consultation with the PI, to extend the previous work. It is important to note that our partners can contribute to the technical implementation.
We expect thorough theoretical knowledge on the usage of social media in a political context, as well as the methodological expertise on to conduct advanced statistical analyses on large and complex datasets. We advise you to have a look at the project website, https://twon-project.eu, for additional background information on the project.
What are you going to do
You will:
- Develop, conduct, and publish research as described in the project descriptions above;
- Attend national and international conferences to present our research;
- Contribute to outreach activities;
- Collaborate with other consortium members from different disciplines and geographical origin, as well as with researchers in related projects;
- Prepare a report that summarizes the case studies conducted in the project.
What do you have to offer
• You are a team player who can work independently;
• You have a clear research interest in the topic of the position (documented by publications and/or grant applications);
• You have strong communication skills;
• You are interested in the methods applicable to TWON as witnessed by relevant publications.
Your application & contact
Do you recognize yourself in the job profile? Then we look forward to receiving your application by 28 July 2025 via the red button.
Applications (bundled in one single .pdf file!) should include:
- a letter of motivation;
- a curriculum vitae;
- preferably also a code example that you are particularly proud of (can be a Github link or similar; can be related to an assignment, research project, hobby project, etc.).
In case of equal qualifications, internal candidates will be given preference over external candidates.
The UvA is an equal-opportunity employer. We prioritize diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for everyone. We value a spirit of enquiry and perseverance, provide the space to keep asking questions, and promote a culture of curiosity and creativity.
If you encounter Error GBB451/ GBC451, please try using a VPN connection when outside of the European Union. Please reach out directly to our to our HR Department directly. They will gladly help you continue your application.
