项目介绍

2026年8月6日

The Centre for Journalism, Department of Political Science and Public Management, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, invites applications with a strong computational profile for a three-year full-time PhD scholarship in the project Navigating Negativity: What is a Healthy News Diet? (HEALTHY NEWS), with employment starting from 1 November 2026, or as soon as possible thereafter. The place of employment will be in Odense. 

The research project—funded by the Velux Foundation—examines when exposure to negative news informs people about important societal issues and when it negatively affects mental well-being and leads to news avoidance. The overall aim is to identify barriers and opportunities for healthy news diets and to assess how the benefits and drawbacks of negative news can be balanced in today’s individualized media environment.

The project consists of three subprojects addressing the content (SP1), consumption (SP2), and consequences (SP3) of negative news. SP1 will analyse how the amount and character of negativity differ across news outlets, social media platforms, and individual news diets, drawing on, among other data sources, data donations from individuals and automated content analyses. SP2 will examine how people perceive and navigate negative news using in-depth interviews. SP3 will examine how exposure to negative news affects societal beliefs and mental well-being based on panel survey data. All data will be collected in Denmark.

The PhD student will be connected to SP1, conducting analyses of content from news outlets and data donations from individuals’ social media feeds to identify the amount and character of negative news. A crucial task for the PhD student will be to manage the infrastructure of the so-called data donation hubs where individuals will be able to donate their social media data at public spaces.

The project is led by Associate Professor Kim Andersen and further includes Associate Professor Lene Heiselberg, Professor David Nicolas Hopmann, and Postdoc Miriam Brems. The PhD student will work closely with the whole project team but will focus on SP1.

While the overall focus, structure, and methodological approaches are given for the project, the PhD student will also be able to affect the direction of the research. Applications must therefore include a research proposal of no more than two pages outlining how to examine the amount and character of negative news in news outlets and individual social media feeds. The proposal should be anchored in SP1 and utilize data donations and automated content analyses but may also draw on methods from the other subprojects. It is expected to describe the theoretical, methodological, and analytical approach.

Expectations and key responsibilities

Motivated applications are invited from candidates holding a master’s degree in relevant fields, such as computational social science, computer science, communication, political science, or journalism/media studies.

The PhD student will be involved in all aspects of the research, from conception, execution, analysis, publishing to public dissemination. The ideal candidate therefore has a high academic level and a good grasp of research designs and methods. Strong computational skills are necessary.

The PhD student is expected to be willing and able to contribute to the Centre for Journalism achieving two strategic goals: 1) To produce original research of high international quality, and 2) to exchange knowledge with relevant societal actors, including news media, the public, and policymakers. See the entire strategy here.

The PhD student is expected to (please also consult the Scholarly Qualification Matrix):

• Be able to work independently and, in consultation with the PhD supervisor, prioritize the different aspects of the PhD plan, including participation in PhD courses, research, and teaching. 
• Be interested in engaging with the national and international research community (your supervisor and the department will support you in this), i.e., participate in conferences and present own work.
• Be interested in engaging with relevant societal actors including news media and the public.
• Prioritize being present and taking part in the daily academic and social environments at the department.

The Centre for Journalism is a part of the Department of Political Science and Public Management. The department believes in fostering a stimulating and inspiring environment for both faculty members and students. The department’s ambition is therefore to recruit, develop, and retain talented scholars committed to both academic excellence and departmental development. Furthermore, the department wishes our staff to reflect the diversity of society and thus welcomes applications from all qualified candidates regardless of personal background.

Enquiries about the project and the position can be addressed to the Principal Investigator, Associate Professor Kim Andersen, kand@journalism.sdu.dk. 

For further information about the Centre for Journalism and the Department of Political Science and Public Management, please contact Head of Centre, Professor Peter Bro, ppe@journalism.sdu.dk.

For further information about the PhD program, please contact PhD coordinator, Associate Professor Romana Careja, e-mail rca@sam.sdu.dk.

Conditions of employment

Appointment as a PhD fellow is a 3-year salaried position. Applicants must hold (or document that they will complete) a master’s degree of 120 ECTS or equivalent documented qualifications corresponding to, by the start of enrolment in the PhD programme. Employment of a PhD fellow can only take place after the PhD School under the Faculty of Business and Social Sciences has approved the candidate for admission. 

Employment will be in accordance with the collective agreement between the Ministry of Finance and the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations for academics in the state with the associated circular on the job structure for academic staff at Danish universities and the provisions for PhD fellows as described herein as well as the Protocol on PhD fellows signed by the Danish Ministry of Finance and the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations (AC). 

If selected for the position, you will be enrolled in the PhD program in Journalism. Applications are invited from candidates who have obtained a master’s degree by the starting date of the position. 

As a PhD fellow you will follow an individual PhD plan including course work, conference participation, and teaching. PhD fellows typically spend one semester at another research institution, often abroad. The scholarship carries a monthly salary including pension plus office facilities and financial support for conference travels and research visits abroad. 

Employment as a paid PhD fellow entails a work commitment of 840 hours spread throughout the entire duration of the PhD. 

For a detailed description of the entry criteria and a job description for a PhD fellowship, as well as a descriptions of the assessment and hiring processes at the Department of Political Science and Public Management, please consult the department’s Scholarly Qualification Matrix – REEAD.

The person employed in the position may, based on a specific individual managerial assessment, be exempted from time registration, also known as a “self-organiser”.

SDU recommends that international applicants take the time to visit Work in Denmark, where there is information and facts about moving to, working and living in Denmark, as well as the International Staff Office at SDU.

Salary

Salary is determined in accordance with the applicable collective agreement and based on objective and gender-neutral criteria, including the content of the position, responsibilities, and qualification requirements.

As an applicant, you are entitled to information about the starting salary and salary range for the position. This information will be provided during the recruitment process.

SDU does not collect information on applicants’ previous salary.

Application 
An application must include:

• A motivated application
• Application form
• A maximum two-page research proposal (see above)
• A detailed CV (max 2 pages)
• A copy of your master’s degree certificate including all examination results
• Information on experience with teaching, dissemination, or scientific publication, if applicable