Employment
0.8 - 1.0 FTE
Gross monthly salary
€ 2,770 - € 3,539
Required background
Research University Degree
Organizational unit
Faculty of Arts
Application deadline
04 October 2023
How do smart technologies influence us in online settings, and should we worry about this? In this project you are going to analyse misinformation and persuasion on the web, and you will do as part of an interdisciplinary research team.
Smart technologies influence and 'nudge' human behaviour in ways that users are unaware of, for example when they use Chat GPT without knowing what sources the information is based on, when they believe these systems have meaning and agency, or when they are not aware of the algorithms that underlie recommender systems used by, for example, YouTube or Amazon. In most cases, smart technologies are developed to make users' life easier, by doing much of the information searching and filtering for the user. Potential downside of the ease of use of these technologies is, however, that citizens increasingly use information without reflecting on its accuracy, representativeness, or authenticity, because they are no longer required to think. This could represent a danger for modern democracy, for example by making citizens vulnerable to filter bubbles, micro-targeting and fake news about societally relevant themes, and by making them lose sight of, and interest in, the distinction between what is real and what is not. They might assume, for example, that if nobody can discern the difference between authentic and non- authentic information, this difference is trivial.
In the present project you will join forces with iHub and the Centre for Language Studies to explore these, and related, questions in an interdisciplinary team to better understand current information ecosystems and conceive of interventions to counter pernicious persuasion and manipulation in digital contexts.
Together with your supervisors, you will develop your own research proposal and test it in a series of empirical studies. You will present the research outcomes at national and international conferences, and you will write at least three articles for international high-impact journals, to be included in your dissertation. You will be part of a research school and take academic courses to increase your knowledge and skills. Furthermore, you will contribute to teaching or academic services (approximately 10% of your time). You will write a doctoral dissertation and publicly defend it to obtain the degree of doctor.
ProfileYou will be a member of an interdisciplinary working group on persuasion and manipulation in digital contexts, a collaboration between the Centre for Language Studies and iHub, which includes junior and senior researchers from both institutes. You will have a workplace at both institutes, to foster collaboration from the bottom up. iHub's mission is to better understand the effects of digitalisation on our society and to help steer digital transformations in ways where public values are central. We seek to do this by 1) bringing the Humanities, Computer Science and Social Sciences together to address challenges raised by digitalisation, 2) by focusing on the core values that are destabilised and need protection in digitalisation processes, and 3) by adopting a critical and constructive approach. The Centre for Language Studies (CLS) aims to achieve a deeper understanding of the cognitive and social processes underlying language systems, language processing and language use. We aspire to optimise human communicative interaction. Our approach is to investigate language from single sounds to discourse, including modalities from speech and text to gestures, signs and images.
Both institutes aim to contribute to a sustainable and inclusive society. We therefore specifically seek candidates with diverse backgrounds, perspectives and skills, to bring added value to our study programmes and research profiles.
Radboud University
We are keen to meet critical thinkers who want to look closer at what really matters. People who, from their expertise, wish to contribute to a healthy, free world with equal opportunities for all. This ambition unites more than 24,000 students and 5,600 employees at Radboud University and requires even more talent, collaboration and lifelong learning. You have a part to play!
We offerWork and science require good employment practices. This is reflected in Radboud University's primary and secondary employment conditions. You can make arrangements for the best possible work-life balance with flexible working hours, various leave arrangements and working from home. You are also able to compose part of your employment conditions yourself, for example, exchange income for extra leave days and receive a reimbursement for your sports subscription. And of course, we offer a good pension plan. You are given plenty of room and responsibility to develop your talents and realise your ambitions. Therefore, we provide various training and development schemes.
You have not yet given permission to place the required cookies. Accept the required cookies to view this content.
Show content
Would you like more information?For questions about the position, please contact Enny Das, research director CLS at [email protected]. Alternatively, you can contact Tamar Sharon, co- director iHub at [email protected].
Practical information and applyingYou can apply until 4 October 2023, exclusively using the button below. Kindly address your application to Enny Das. Please fill in the application form and attach the following documents:
The first round of interviews will take place on Monday 18 October. The second round of interviews will take place on Thursday 26 October. You would preferably begin employment on 1 January 2024.
We can imagine you're curious about our application procedure. It offers a rough outline of what you can expect during the application process, how we handle your personal data and how we deal with internal and external candidates.
Apply now Application deadline 04 October 2023
We would like to recruit our new colleague ourselves. Acquisition in response to this vacancy will not be appreciated.
Prof. Das, H.H.J. (Enny)research director CLS
Job application form
You must have JavaScript enabled to use this form.
Mandatory field
First name
Surname
Gender
Female
Male
Other
Country
- Select -AfghanistanAland IslandsAlbaniaAlgeriaAmerican SamoaAndorraAngolaAnguillaAntarcticaAntigua and BarbudaArgentinaArmeniaArubaAustraliaAustriaAzerbaijanBahamasBahrainBangladeshBarbadosBelarusBelgiumBelizeBeninBermudaBhutanBolivia, Plurinational State ofBonaire, Sint Eustatius and SabaBosnia and HerzegovinaBotswanaBouvet IslandBrazilBritish Indian Ocean TerritoryBrunei DarussalamBulgariaBurkina FasoBurundiCambodiaCameroonCanadaCape VerdeCayman IslandsCentral African RepublicChadChileChinaChristmas IslandCocos (Keeling) IslandsColombiaComorosCongoCongo, The Democratic Republic of theCook IslandsCosta RicaCote d'IvoireCroatiaCubaCuracaoCyprusCzech RepublicDenmarkDjiboutiDominicaDominican RepublicEcuadorEgyptEl SalvadorEquatorial GuineaEritreaEstoniaEthiopiaFalkland Islands (Malvinas)Faroe IslandsFijiFinlandFranceFrench GuianaFrench PolynesiaFrench Southern TerritoriesGabonGambiaGeorgiaGermanyGhanaGibraltarGreeceGreenlandGrenadaGuadeloupeGuamGuatemalaGuernseyGuineeGuinee- BissauGuyanaHaitiHeard Island and McDonald IslandsHoly See (Vatican City State)HondurasHong KongHungaryIcelandIndiaIndonesiaIran, Islamic Republic ofIraqIrelandIsle of ManIsraelItalyJamaicaJapanJerseyJordanKazakhstanKenyaKiribatiKorea, Democratic People's Republic ofKorea, Republic ofKuwaitKyrgyzstanLao People's Democratic RepublicLatviaLebanonLesothoLiberiaLibyan Arab JamahiriyaLiechtensteinLithuaniaLuxembourgMacaoMacedonia, The Former Yugoslav Republic ofMadagascarMalawiMalaysiaMaldivesMaliMaltaMarshall IslandsMartiniqueMauritaniaMauritiusMayotteMexicoMicronesia, Federated States ofMoldova, Republic ofMonacoMongoliaMontenegroMontserratMoroccoMozambiqueMyanmarNamibiaNauruNepalNetherlandsNew CaledoniaNew ZealandNicaraguaNigerNigeriaNiueNorfolk IslandNorthern Mariana IslandsNorwayOmanPakistanPalauPalestinian Territory, OccupiedPanamaPapua New GuineaParaguayPeruPhilippinesPitcairnPolandPortugalPuerto RicoQatarReunionRomaniaRuandaRussian FederationSaint BarthelemySaint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da CunhaSaint Kitts and NevisSaint LuciaSaint Martin (Dutch part)Saint Martin (French part)Saint Pierre and MiquelonSaint Vincent and the GrenadinesSamoaSan MarinoSao Tome and PrincipeSaudi ArabiaSenegalSerbiaSeychellesSierra LeoneSingaporeSlovakiaSloveniaSolomon IslandsSomaliaSouth AfricaSouth Georgia and the South Sandwich IslandsSouth SudanSpainSri LankaSudanSurinameSvalbard and Jan MayenSwazilandSwedenSwitzerlandSyrian Arab RepublicTaiwanTajikistanTanzania, United Republic ofThailandTimor-LesteTogoTokelauTongaTrinidad and TobagoTunisiaTurkeyTurkmenistanTurks and Caicos IslandsTuvaluUgandaUkraineUnited Arab EmiratesUnited KingdomUnited StatesUnited States Minor Outlying IslandsUruguayUzbekistanVanuatuVenezuela, Bolivarian Republic ofVietnamVirgin Islands, BritishVirgin Islands, U.S.Wallis and FutunaWestern SaharaYemenZambiaZimbabwe
Email address
Email address
Confirm email address
Phone number
Are you an internal candidate at Radboud University?
No
Yes
When are you an internal candidate?
You are an internal candidate if you:
Please indicate how you came across this job opening?
- -Academic PositionsAcademicTransferAcademics.deColleague/professional networkEuraxessFacebook/InstagramFamily/FriendsGoogle (or other search engine)IndeedIntermediairJob alertJournal/magazineLinkedInNRCcarriereNatureJobsOther jobboardsRedditResearchGateTwitterUWV (werk.nl)Website Radboud University
Letter of motivation
One file only. 5 MB limit.
CV
One file only. 6 MB limit.
Attachment 1
One file only. 4 MB limit.
Attachment 2
One file only. 2 MB limit.
Attachment 3
One file only. 1 MB limit.
Attachment 4
One file only. 1 MB limit.
I give permission to store and use my data in light of my application and in accordance with the personal data processing policy.
Read our data processing policy.
Last modified: 31 August 2023