PhD Position: Simulation and Modeling

3 weken geleden


Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, Nederland Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam Voltijd
About the Project

The WHAT-IF project is a European research initiative aimed at creating a digital twin of the social media environment. This digital twin will be used to test possible interventions at the individual and societal level, examining the role of misinformation and hate speech, among others, as well as developing solutions to counter their negative effects.

The project considers the legal and ethical implications of datafying and simulating individual media usage. As a researcher in this project, you will assist in the development of the methodology and software for running virtual field experiments using the WHAT-IF simulation.

Your Role

You will lead one of the experimental studies and collaborate on others, answering questions on the role of media diets and their effects on democratic outcomes. Additionally, you can be involved in improving the data donation infrastructure, helping with the development and validation of the simulation, and/or collaborating with researchers across 10 European countries.

Requirements
  • Completed (Research) Master degree in Political or Computational Communication Science or a related discipline
  • Strong interest in social media usage and its effects on democratic citizenship
  • Strong computational background (Python, R and/or simulation or front-end development)
  • Knowledge of and experience with empirical (field or experimental) studies and research designs
  • Good cross-disciplinary team collaboration and oral and written communication skills
  • Interest in working in an interdisciplinary and international project in collaboration with experts in computational social science, political science, communication science, simulations, and ethics
About Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam is a socially involved and highly interdisciplinary organization. We are open-minded experts with the ability to think freely - a broader mind. Maintaining an entrepreneurial perspective and concentrating on diversity, significance, and humanity, we work on sustainable solutions with social impact.

We are located on one physical campus, in the heart of Amsterdam's Zuidas business district, with excellent location and accessibility. Over 6,150 staff work at the VU and over 31,000 students attend academic education.

What We Offer
  • A challenging position in a socially involved and highly interdisciplinary organization
  • A salary of € 2.872,00 (PhD) and maximum € 3.670,00 (PhD) gross per month in the fourth year, for a full-time employment
  • An employment contract of initially 1 year. After a satisfactory evaluation of the initial appointment, the contract will be extended for a total duration of 4 years

We also offer you attractive fringe benefits and arrangements, such as a full-time 38-hour working week, 8% holiday allowance, 8.3% end-of-year bonus, contribution to commuting expenses, and a wide range of sports facilities which staff may use at a modest charge.



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    About the ProjectThe Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam is seeking a highly motivated PhD candidate to join the WHAT-IF project, a European research initiative focused on creating a digital twin of the social media environment. This innovative project aims to develop a simulation-based approach to test possible interventions at the individual and societal level,...


  • Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, Nederland Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam Voltijd

    About the ProjectThe Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam is seeking a highly motivated PhD candidate to join the WHAT-IF project, a European research initiative focused on creating a digital twin of the social media environment. This innovative project aims to test possible interventions at the individual and societal level, examining the role of misinformation and...


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