Senior Scientist (Postdoc), Social Sciences

University of Vienna; Wien; Hybrid; EUR 51.000 - 61.000; Vollzeit

Benefits dieser Stelle

Internal training & coaching

Good public transport connections

Remote work option (part‑time by Arr.)

Zusammenfassung

University of Vienna invites applications for a postdoctoral researcher in Journalism and Communication Studies. The role focuses on building and coordinating research infrastructures for political communication and elections, with emphasis on content analysis and reproducible data pipelines.

You will contribute to national and international research networks, publish in international journals, supervise assistants, and teach according to university policies.

Qualifikationen

• PhD in Political Science or Communication Studies is required.
• Experience in managing quantitative social science data is required.
• Proven research output in peer‑reviewed journals or publications is expected.

Aufgaben

• Contribute to development and coordination of MEDem, a national/international research infrastructure for political communication and election research.
• Coordinate and integrate international research networks in political communication and election research.
• Organize data collection and linking activities in political communication and electoral research (panel surveys, content analyses, experiments).
• Standardize and improve methods in manual and automated content analysis.
• Publish and present internationally on media, elections, and democracies with a focus on content analysis.
• Supervise student assistants and provide teaching as required under the collective agreement.
• Engage in supervision of PhD students and participate in science communication activities.
• Participate in evaluation measures and quality assurance.

Kenntnisse

Computational social sciences

German and English

Ausbildung

PhD in Political Science or Communication Studies

Tools

R

Python

Jobbeschreibung

If You Have Any Questions, Please Contact
Hajo Boomgaarden

The University of Vienna is a community of almost 11,000 individuals, including approximately 7,700 academic staff members, who passionately pursue answers to the profound questions that shape our future. Fueled by curiosity and a deep sense of duty, they contribute invaluable insights to research and teaching, enriching our society. Are you inspired and driven by the desire to make a meaningful impact? We are currently seeking a/an

Senior Scientist (Postdoc)

49 Faculty of Social Sciences

Startdate: 01.10.2026 | Working hours: 40 | Collective bargaining agreement:

• 48 VwGr. B1 lit. b (postdoc) Limited until: 30.09.2030 Reference no.: 6083

Explore and teach at the University of Vienna, where over 7,500 brilliant minds have found a unique balance of freedom and support. Join us if you’re passionate about groundbreaking international research and academic excellence. Ready to be part of our team? Let’s shape the future together!

Your Working Environment

Journalism and communication studies is a social and integrative science characterised by methodological diversity, at the centre of which is indirect public communication mediated by mass media. The Department of Communication, a sub‑unit of the Faculty of Social Sciences, is seeking to fill a postdoctoral position under Prof. Hajo Boomgaarden.

We are looking for a postdoctoral researcher with several years of experience in social science research management, particularly in the establishment, operation, and further development of research infrastructures, as well as with outstanding research expertise in manual and computer‑assisted content analysis. The position is focused on building national and international data infrastructures in the research area of media, elections, and democracy.

The post is initially a fixed‑term contract for four years, with the possibility of it becoming permanent.

Your Tasks

• Contributed to the development and coordination of Monitoring Electoral Democracy (MEDem), a (inter)national research infrastructure for political communication and election research, particularly at the headquarters and in the Service Centre for text and multimedia data
• Coordinated and integrated (inter)national research networks in political communication and election research, with a focus on manual and automated content analysis
• Organization, coordination, and implementation of various data collection and linking activities in the field of political communication and electoral research (e.g., panel surveys, content analyses, experiments)
• Standardization, validation, and further development of methods in the field of manual and automated content analysis
• International publication and presentation activities on the topics of media, elections, and democracies, with a focus on manual and automated content analysis
• Supervision of student assistants
• Independent teaching of courses in accordance with the provisions of the collective bargaining agreement
• Engage in supervision activities (including PhD students)
• Activities in the area of the Third Mission and science communication
• Participation in evaluation measures and quality assurance
• Participation in research, teaching and institute administration

Your Profile

• PhD in Political Science or Communication Studies (preferably with a focus on methods of automated content analysis in the field of political communication)
• Several years of experience in research management of quantitative social science data, such as the development, processing, analysis, and archiving of survey data, experimental data, or text data
• Publications in international peer‑reviewed journals and/or publications
• Excellent knowledge of computational social sciences
• Excellent knowledge of the following statistical software programs: R and Python
• Experience in science communication and knowledge transfer (preferably with a focus on teaching scientific methods)
• Experience in submitting project proposals and participating in projects (preferably international projects)
• Experience in establishing, operating, and further developing research infrastructure (e.g., data pipelines, repositories, analysis and reproducibility environments)
• In‑depth knowledge of reproducibility and the FAIR principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable), including data management plans and data curation processes
• Development and operation of data collection and processing infrastructure for text/media data (scraping, API integration)
• Teaching and supervision experience
• Excellent command of German and English

What We Offer

Work‑life balance: You have flexible working hours and can also work remotely (part‑time if necessary by arrangement).

Inspiring working atmosphere: You will be part of an international team with excellent research infrastructure in a relaxed working environment.

Good public transport connections: Your new workplace is easily accessible by public transport.

Internal further training & Coaching: We offer you the opportunity to develop your skills on an ongoing basis.

Equal opportunities for all: We welcome every new personality to the team!

The basic salary corresponds to the collective agreement for university employees according to

• 48 VwGr. B1 lit. b basic level (postdoc): EUR 5014,30€ gross on a full‑time basis (14 times a year).

If You Have Any Questions, Please Contact
Hajo Boomgaarden
[e-mail]

We look forward to new personalities in our team!

The University of Vienna has an anti‑discriminatory employment policy and attaches great importance to equal opportunities, the advancement of women and diversity. We place particular emphasis on enhancing women’s representation among the academic and general university staff, particularly in leadership roles, and therefore expressly encourage qualified women to apply. Given equal qualifications, preference will be given to female candidates.

University of Vienna. Space for personalities. Since 1365.

Data protection

Application deadline: 09/11/2026

Post Doc