Postdoc researcher in Law University of Amsterdam (UvA) - Amsterdam — AcademicTransfer

Postdoc researcher in Law University of Amsterdam (UvA) - Amsterdam — AcademicTransfer

Job description

The Amsterdam School of Communication Research (ASCoR) and the Institute for Information Law (IViR), part of the University of Amsterdam (UvA), have a vacancy for a Postdoc researcher in Law.

‘Personalised
Communication’ is a cooperation between two Research Priority Areas at
the University of Amsterdam: Communication and Information Law. This
project will make the University of Amsterdam a central place for
research, training, and public debate on personalised communication.

The
term personalised communication captures the fundamental change in, and
challenges of, communication today. Profiling and targeting users with
customised messages can offer a solution to “digital” challenges, such
as information overload, the resulting attention scarcity, and the
fierce competition for users’ loyalty. Personalised communication can
tailor information and generate citizen engagement but it can also lead
to manipulated or biased communication that, in the worst case, deprives
users from access to more meaningful or more diverse information.

This
project focuses specifically on the uses and implications of
personalized information and communication for individuals and the
society in the realm of politics. Given the shift from mass
communication to personalized communication, new theoretical approaches
are needed to advance existing communication theories, and novel
questions are waiting to be addressed. Does more choice in the
information environment lead to a disintegrated, self-centred public
sphere, extreme opinions, and polarized electorates? Or does
personalized communication enhance individual knowledge and citizen
engagement? What is the potential for abuse, manipulation and
discriminatory differentiation? And how do we negotiate the trade-off
between more personalized, more relevant communication and users’
autonomy, privacy, and right to equal treatment and impartial
information?

The postdoctoral researchers will conduct empirical
and normative research on the uses, effects, and implications of
personalised communication in the area of politics and influence of
personalisation on the public debate and the diversity of information
exposure. This project also has a strong outreach function, and the
researchers are expected to organize workshops, lectures and public
debates and foster engagement with groups and stakeholders within and
outside the University. Responsibilities will also include the
acquisition of grants and (limited) teaching and mentoring obligations.

Requirements

The legal candidate should:

• have
  proven expertise in the following fields: Media law and policy;
  E-Commerce law; Unfair commercial practice law; Fundamental rights;
• preferably have knowledge of privacy and data protection regulation;
• have an interest in political theories of the media;
• have good knowledge of current developments in information markets and technology;
• have a creative mind and analytical intelligence;
• have proven experience with working in a multidisciplinary team;
• preferably have experience with writing grant applications and project proposals;
• preferably have experience with organising workshops, lecture series, and similar events;
• have strong communication skills;
• have
  an excellent written and spoken command of English, as demonstrated by
  publications in English-language journals and presentations at
  international conferences;
• have a PhD in law, or equivalent degree. 

Conditions of employment

The
position ideally starts 1 January 2015, and is initially for 2 years.
Depending on your knowledge and experience, your monthly gross salary
will range between €3,037 and €4,462 (scale 10 or 11 according to the
Collective Employment Agreement of the Dutch Universities) based on a
full-time appointment.

We offer a pension scheme, a holiday
allowance of 8% per year and flexible employment conditions. Conditions
are based on the Collective Labour Agreement of the Dutch Universities. 

Organisation

The Amsterdam School of Communication Research (ASCoR) is
the research institute in Communication Science at the University of
Amsterdam. It is the largest research institute of its kind in Europe
and is among the largest worldwide. More than 50 senior researchers are
permanently associated with ASCoR, and its English-language PhD program
has more than 35 students.

The postdoc will work together with the postdoc researcher in Law (Institute for Information Law (IViR)),
as part of a multidisciplinary team of legal scholars and communication
scientists, led by Prof. dr. Claes de Vreese and Prof. dr. Natali
Helberger.

The researchers will be charged with performing
empirical (postdoc researcher in Communication Science) and normative
(Legal postdoc) research on the  implications of the use of algorithmic
profiling and targeting strategies in relation to individual users and
society at large. The research will be part of a new and innovative
research initiative on ‘Personalised Communication’, to study the uses,
effects, and normative aspects of personalised communication.

‘Personalised
Communication’ is a cooperation between two Research Priority Areas at
the University of Amsterdam: Communication and Information Law.

Additional information

The project description may be obtained from the ASCoR Secretariat. Questions about the project content should be addressed to:

• Professor Claes de Vreese (ASCoR), or
• Professor Natali Helberger (IViR).

Questions about the application procedure and other general questions should be addressed to the ASCoR Secretariat.