PhD position ‘Tracing sociotechnical imaginaries of digital journalism, 1995-2025’ (1.0 FTE) (V25.0445)

Fully funded PhD position (1.0 FTE) with the Centre for Media and Journalism Studies at the Faculty of Arts, University of Groningen, in the project “Tracing sociotechnical imaginaries of digital journalism, 1995-2025”.

This PhD project offers a unique opportunity to work in an internationally recognized research centre and gain valuable research experience at a top-ranked European university. As a PhD candidate, you will develop your own research project in consultation with the supervisory team. You will conduct independent and original academic research and report results via peer-reviewed publications, conference presentations, and ultimately a PhD dissertation. The PhD thesis is to be completed within four years. You are also requested to teach.

You will work with the following supervisory team:

• Dr. Frank Harbers (co-promoter)
• Dr. Rik Smit (co-promoter)
• Dr. Scott A. Eldridge II (promoter)

The PhD Project
Digital technologies have long shaped the debates on journalism’s future. These debates often emphasize technology as a solution for journalism’s struggles. In doing so, they have also limited the directions in which journalism could actually develop, and elided critical reflections on the complex relationship between journalism and technology. This project addresses these issues by studying sociotechnical imaginaries constructed in the debates about journalism and technology between 1995 and 2025 within the geographical context of Northern Europe. From the introduction of the web, through to our current debates around AI, it studies how journalists, technologists, and other actors have engaged in the introduction, negotiation, and normalization of new technologies. As different actors with diverging interests shape the debate over journalism and technology, the project scrutinizes their competing norms and values concerning journalism and technology. By critically examining how technology has been presented as a necessary and self-evident driver of journalistic change, this research offers a critical history of journalism’s recent past.

Methodologically, the project employs a digital humanities approach, combining computational analyses of metajournalistic discourses with qualitative analyses of debates at critical discourse moments, as well as interviews reconstructing first-person experiences and social networks. The project scrutinizes the blurred boundaries and competing aims we now see between journalism, as a public service institution guided by civic values and democratic norms, and the entrepreneurial and commercial logic of the big tech corporations that journalism has become so reliant on.

At a time when public sector institutions (e.g., universities and governments) embrace technological solutions for social problems, there is an urgent need to better understand the social, historical, and organizational dynamics that got us here. Moreover, we need to understand the tensions between journalism’s public values and functions, especially in the Northern European context, and the futures imagined and promised by ‘Big Tech’. Situated at the intersection of journalism studies, critical historical studies of journalism, and science and technology studies, this project therefore looks critically and closely at journalism’s long-term relationship with technology and how, over time, different actors have shaped the debate on journalism and its future. It explores journalism’s recent past, beginning with the introduction of the web as a decentralized media platform, extending through to our contemporary moment, as news industries wrestle with the role of AI technologies.

You will be asked to:

• Develop your own research project in consultation with the associated supervisors.
• Conduct independent and original academic research.
• Report results via peer-reviewed publications, conference presentations, and ultimately a PhD dissertation.
• Conduct a total of 0.4 FTE teaching spread over the second, third, and fourth years of your appointment.
• Complete the PhD in the specified timeframe, namely four years.
• Contribute to scientific and public engagement.

Note: The final focus of empirical work will be decided based on the expertise and interest of the PhD candidate in consultation with the supervisory team. Consider this when preparing your research proposal (for further guidance, see the section “Apply”).

Organisation
The University of Groningen
Since its foundation in 1614, the University of Groningen has established an international reputation as a dynamic and innovative university offering high-quality teaching and research. Its 34,000 students are encouraged to develop their own individual talents through challenging study- and career paths. The University of Groningen is an international centre of knowledge: It belongs to the best research universities in Europe and is allied with prestigious partner universities and networks worldwide.

The Faculty of Arts
The Faculty of Arts is a large, dynamic faculty in the heart of the city of Groningen. It has more than 5000 students and 700 staff members, who are working at the frontiers of knowledge every day. The Faculty offers a wide range of degree programmes: 15 Bachelor's programmes and over 35 Master's specialisations. Our research, which is internationally widely acclaimed, covers Archaeology, Cultural Studies, History, International Relations, Language and Literary Studies, Linguistics, and Media and Journalism Studies.

Centre for Media and Journalism Studies
The Groningen Centre for Media and Journalism Studies is a internationally recognized research centre, which conducts cutting edge interdisciplinary research in the field of media and journalism studies. It consists of a highly international staff, addressing issues that are essential to understand processes of communication in an increasingly mediatized society.

• A Research Master’s (ReMa) or Master’s degree with a research component (including thesis) in Journalism or Media Studies or related areas, such as Contemporary History, Science and Technology Studies, Communications, or Digital Humanities with high academic merit—an average grade of 8.0 or above on the Dutch scale (or international equivalent) is preferred.
• Demonstrable methodological and analytical skills and the capacity to develop and conduct innovative research.
• A clear and well-articulated motivation for pursuing PhD research.
• High level of spoken command of English and academic writing skills (i.e., the equivalent of 7.0 IELTS overall; see ‘Apply’ below).
• Knowledge of the language and culture of the proposed geographic area-of-focus and willingness to pursue further language and cultural training if needed.
• A clear research interest in the topic of the project (e.g., is intrinsically motivated to pursue critical-historical research into digital journalism, journalistic innovation and the social construction of technology).
• Having experience with and/or knowledge in the proposed project area (ideally at master's level) is an asset.
• Comprehension of one or more Northern-European languages is an asset.
• Great interpersonal skills and ability to work in a team.

In accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities, the University of Groningen offers you:

• A salary of € 3,059 gross per month in the first year, up to a maximum of € 3,881 gross per month in the final year, based on a full-time position
• A holiday allowance of 8% gross annual income
• An 8.3% end-of-the-year allowance
• A temporary 1.0 FTE appointment for a specified period of four years. The candidate will first be appointed for twelve months. After 11 months, an assessment will take place of the candidate’s results and the progress of the PhD project, in order to decide whether employment will be continued.
• The PhD candidate is expected to conduct a total of 0.4 fte teaching spread over the second, third and fourth year of their appointment.
• Participation in a pension scheme for employees.
• Favourable tax agreements for non-Dutch applicants may be applicable.
• 232 holiday hours per calendar by full-time employment.
• Willingness to move to and reside in the Netherlands.

Applications should be made in English and contain the following materials:

• A short statement (c. 1,000 words) explaining your motivation for applying and how your skills and experience demonstrate your suitability for the position according to the criteria above.
• An outline of max 1,500 words (excluding reference list) of your own research proposal, demonstrating how it fits within the wider framework of this project. The applicant is encouraged to address which countries/media systems they propose to examine, including the rationale for this choice. This outline should contain a) an introduction with research question(s), b) a theoretical background, and c) a proposed methodological approach for data collection and analysis.
• A curriculum vitae no longer than three pages, including contact details of two academic referees. (No letters of recommendation are needed for the application process.)
• Copies of MA diploma (or equivalent) and list of grades.
• Copy of MA thesis (or equivalent). A language certificate is required if the thesis is not written in English. According to the Graduate School of the Humanities (GSH) regulations, the minimum overall score is 7.0 and 6.5 for specific sections (IELTS). See further information (e.g., TOEFL) on this webpage, https://www.rug.nl/research/gradschool-humanities/phd-programme/phd-admission/guidelinesexternalphds/3.-documentation. If the MA thesis is unavailable, the applicant should clarify why this is the case and attach a different writing sample (e.g., a copy of an article, book chapter, or other academic text that you feel best represents your work).

Note: Certificates and transcripts must be available in English. The candidate must submit a sworn translation if these documents were issued in non-English-speaking countries.

Please send in your application as two PDF files (one for the MA thesis and/or other publications that allow the supervisory team to assess your work, and one for all other documents). You may apply for this position until 12 October 2025 23:59 Dutch local time (CET) by means of the application form (click on "Apply" below on the advertisement on the university website).

Candidates will be notified by 17 October 2025, with interviews held on 27 October 2025.

The appointment is expected to commence on 1 February 2026. We allow 3 months from selection in case of VISA applications.

The University of Groningen strives to be a university in which students and staff are respected and feel at home, regardless of differences in background, experiences, perspectives, and identities. We believe that working on our core values of inclusion and equality are a joint responsibility and we are constructively working on creating a socially safe environment. Diversity among students and staff members enriches academic debate and contributes to the quality of our teaching and research. We therefore invite applicants from underrepresented groups in particular to apply. For more information, see also our diversity policy webpage: https://www.rug.nl/about-ug/policy-and-strategy/diversity-and-inclusion/
Our selection procedure follows the guidelines of the Recruitment code (NVP): https://www.nvp-hrnetwerk.nl/nl/sollicitatiecode and European Commission's European Code of Conduct for recruitment of researchers: https://euraxess.ec.europa.eu/jobs/charter/code
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