Visiting Postdoctoral Fellowships, “Algorithmed Public Spheres” – Leibniz Institue for Media Research

The Leibniz Institute for Media Research | Hans-Bredow-Institut (HBI) is a publicly funded research institute and member institute of the Leibniz Association that focuses on the study of mediated public communication. Its research encompasses both broadcast and digital communication from an interdisciplinary and comparative perspective.

The members of the postdoctoral research network Algorithmed Public Spheres (http://aps.leibniz-hbi.de/) study the relevance of algorithms for the constitution of the public sphere. We emphasize in particular the importance of algorithms for filtering, ranking and selecting media content and for structuring digital communication. In contrast to the use of data mining in areas such as healthcare, credit scoring and general business analytics, where such techniques have a long tradition, the impact of algorithms on the public sphere poses novel challenges. How are communication, media, and public discourse impacted by transferring the dominant logics of consumption from other industries to news, information, and political deliberation, implemented in social media platforms, search engines, and on news websites? How do we adapt as individuals as well as as a society to the growing prevalence of algorithmic systems?

Research in this area could include:

– Algorithms and political polarization

– Reverse engineering of platform mechanics

– (Big) social data mining

– Fragmentation of the public sphere

– Governance of and by algorithms

– Algorithm awareness and algorithm literacy

– Measurement of algorithmic bias and discrimination

– Algorithms in news production, distribution and consumption processes

– User interaction with and rationalization of algorithms

Requirements:

We invite applications for international postdoctoral research fellows from fields including, but not restricted to, computer and information science, communication and media studies, law, political science, sociology and philosophy, who will conduct innovative research on the social and cultural impact of algorithms during stays of 2-12 months in Hamburg in the academic year 2019/2020. We particularly welcome cross-cutting research proposals that integrate technical and social perspectives and result in concrete outcomes, for example in the form of peer-reviewed research articles or proposals for externally funded projects.

Up to two funded fellowships will be awarded as result of this call. The fellowships cover airfare and a contribution to the accommodation and subsistence in Hamburg. In specific cases, we may offer a temporary employment contract instead of a scholarship.

Application Info:To apply, please send a cover letter (one page), a project proposal (up to three pages) and your CV (up to four pages), including a list of your most relevant publications (maximum of five), to Cornelius Puschmann (c.puschmann@leibniz-hbi.de). Please note that applications submitted after the deadline will not be considered.