Postdoctoral position in the research project ‘Infrastructural Power in Digital Societies’ (IP) at the Faculty of Humanities,...
The Department of Communication, Faculty of Humanities, University of Copenhagen (UCPH), invites applications for a postdoctoral position in digital infrastructure studies from August 2025.
The position is a fixed term position for 2 full year.
Introduction
As a postdoctoral researcher in the DFF/Inge Lehmann-funded research project ‘Infrastructural Power in Digital Societies’ (IP), you will join the Center for Tracking and Society (CTS) in the Department of Communication. CTS is an interdisciplinary center that undertakes critical and empirical research into digital tracking and its societal consequences.
Proposing a (re)turn to power in contemporary infrastructure studies, Infrastructural Power in Digital Societies links classic theories of power to state-of-the-art research on how Internet infrastructures are organized and controlled. In creating a conceptual backdrop for investigating the long-term societal consequences of historical shifts in infrastructural power (a)symmetries, the IP project’s fundamental question is: What forms of power are obtained and exerted through the ownership and control of internet technologies as critical infrastructures in and for digital societies?Read more about the project here.
Duties and Responsibilities
The postdoctoral researcher will join the project’s team in first reviewing and mapping existing ideas around and operationalizations of the concept of power in relation to studies of digital infrastructures. Further, the candidate will explore analytical and empirical avenues for critical studies of internet technologies and their political economies.Within the broad scope of the project, the postdoctoral researcher will pursue independent research questions following their respective research interest. We invite candidates, as part of their application, to develop an idea for a smaller case study that interrogates digital infrastructural power in the context of their own work.
Qualification requirements and assessment criteriaEmployment as a postdoc requires academic qualifications at PhD level.
More information on careers at UCPH and the requirement for the different academic positions is available on: Career at The University of Copenhagen – University of Copenhagen (ku.dk)
For more about postdoc positions and qualification requirements, see the Job Structure for Academic Staff at Universities: Ministerial Order on Job Structure for Academic Staff at Universities (ufm.dk)
The candidate is expected to have insight into and understandings of the basic workings of computer systems and digital networks.
Applicants will primarily be assessed in relation to their research qualifications, including their publications, ability to conduct independent research and participate in research collaborations, and their experience of research management.In addition, the applicant’s research plan and research potential will be assessed in relation to the overall motivations and aims of the research project described above.
Application
Applications must be submitted online in PDF or Word format. Click on the “Apply now” button at the bottom of this advertisement to apply.
Applications may be written in English and must include the following attachments:
- Letter of motivation
- CV
- Documentation of qualifications (exam certificates and PhD diploma)
- Complete publication list (attached publications must be marked with an asterisk). The list must be structured systematically and divided into the following categories:
- Peer-reviewed publications:
- Monographs and anthologies
- Articles in journals
- Book chapters/anthology contributions, etc.
- Non-peer-reviewed publications:
- Publications disseminating research findings, etc.
- Research plan.
Applicants are invited to familiarize themselves with the faculty's strategic landmarks here: Strategic landmarks – University of Copenhagen (ku.dk)
Salary and terms of employment
Terms of appointment and salary will be in accordance with an agreement between the Ministry of Finance and The Danish Confederation of Professional Associations (AC). The salary range starts at DKK 38,700 (EUR 5,100) + a 17,1 % contribution to the pension scheme.It is possible to negotiate salary supplements on an annual basis.
The recruitment process
Once the deadline for applications has expired, the Head of Department will consider advice from the appointment committee and select applicants for assessment. All applicants will be notified whether they have been shortlisted. The Head of Department will then set up an expert assessment committee to consider the applications.The selected applicants will be informed who is serving on the committee. They will be offered the opportunity to comment on the committee’s assessment of their application before the appointment is announced.
Further information on the recruitment process at University of Copenhagen can be found here: Recruitment process – University of Copenhagen (ku.dk)
An Equal Opportunity Workplace
The University of Copenhagen is committed in its pursuit of academic excellence to equality of opportunity and to creating an inclusive working environment and therefore encourages all qualified candidates to apply, regardless of personal background, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability, ethnicity etc.For more on the diverse working place environment at the University and the University’s participation in the HRS4R HR Excellence in Research, see HR Excellence in Research – University of Copenhagen (ku.dk)
International applicant?The University of Copenhagen offers a broad variety of services for international researchers and accompanying families, including support before and during your relocation and career counselling to expat partners. Please find more information about these services as well as information on entering and working in Denmark here: For international researchers at the University of Copenhagen – University of Copenhagen (ku.dk)
Contact information
Information about the recruitment process is available from HR, email: hr-soendre@adm.ku.dk, please refer to ID number: 211-2150/25-2I #2.
Additional information about the position can be obtained from Signe Sophus Lai, email: signe.lai@hum.ku.dk.
The deadline for applications is 23:59 [CEST] on 28 April 2025.
Any applications or additional material submitted after the deadline will not be considered.
Please note in your application that you found the job at Jobindex