项目介绍

2025年4月10日

The importance of influence operations in the information environment (a.k.a. information warfare) is evident not only in the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, but also as an central part of hybrid conflict – confrontation that takes place below the threshold of open war. In this context, the high-paced development (and shut-down) of communications technologies and social media, with its highly distributed and interactive nature, has increased the complexity of pinpointing which messages were seen by whom, in which channel, and to what effect. To further complicate this already complex situation, there are non-state actors involved that may not even be directly supported by the government (e.g., hackers, citizen journalists). Due to the inherent complexity, the current scientific literature and methods are not able to provide the knowledge necessary to make informed decisions.

To date it remains unclear how the effects and effectiveness of cognitive warfare via, for example, disinformation campaigns can be assessed. The goal of this project is to develop knowledge, models and methods that provide a more fine-grained understanding of the effects of influence campaigns in today’s complex information environment. If guidelines on how to measure the effectiveness of cognitive warfare campaigns can be established then these effectiveness measurements can be used to judge the effect of own campaigns, but also establish warning systems to safeguard the own population.

Although the exact project development plan may change in the duration of the project, generally the research will be carried out in three phases: In a first phase of the project, the effect of different cognitive warfare campaigns in the past on the individual, on social groups and the society at large will be evaluated. This investigation will be enriched by a close investigation of existing literature on disinformation effects in general as well as research on behaviour-change and belief-system-change. In a second phase we will investigate whether or not it is possible to track the changes and effects of those campaigns throughout the virtual space. Furthermore it will be necessary to find behavioral or experiential proxies that may be indicative of a change happening or being likely to happen. The third phase will involve an experimental investigation, which carries forward the lessons learned from the previous phases to uncover if these effects can be measured in a controlled environment. To conclude the project, the goal is to establish a framework that can help measure and recognize effects of disinformation campaigns.

Your profile

• You are enthusiastic to make this project your own and able to work independently and collaboratively within a research team
• Within the project, creativity is greatly appreciated
• You have a Master’s degree in a relevant field (e.g., Communication Science, Psychology, Sociology, Media studies, or Human-Computer-Interaction, Political Science, Computer Science)
• Strong research skills, including experience with empirical research methods, and a proficiency in data analysis tools and techniques are required for this PhD project.
• You have excellent written and oral communication skills in English (speaking Dutch is a plus)

Our offer

We encourage high responsibility and independence, while collaborating with colleagues, researchers, other university staff and partners. We follow the terms of employment by the Dutch Collective Labour Agreement for Universities (CAO). Our offer contains: a fulltime 4-year PhD position in close colloboration with TNO (Nederlandse Organiatie voor toegepast-natuurwetenschappelijk onderzoek) with a qualifier in the first year; excellent mentorship in a stimulating research environment with excellent facilities; and a personal development program within the Twente Graduate School. It also includes:

• Gross monthly salary of € 2.901 in the first year, increasing each year up to € 3.707 in the fourth year;
• Excellent benefits including a holiday allowance of 8% of the gross annual salary, an end-of-year bonus of 8.3%, and a solid pension scheme;
• 29 holidays per year in case of full-time employment;
• A training programme as part of the Twente Graduate School where you and your supervisors will determine a plan for a suitable education and supervision;
• A green campus with free access to sports facilities and an international scientific community;
• A family-friendly institution that offers parental leave (both paid and unpaid);
• A full status as an employee at the UT, including pension, health care benefits and good secondary conditions are part of our collective labour agreement CAO-NU for Dutch universities.

Information and application

Applications should be submitted before 16 May 2025. With your application, please include a Curriculum Vitae, a Cover Letter explaining your interest and qualifications, and optionally you may add one reference. Additionally, please include a summary/abstract of your master thesis or another project you are enthusiastic about.

Please note that a successful applicant will need a VOG. A certificate of conduct may be available to you via your municipality, online or through the Integrity and Screening Agency (Justis).

Interviews will be held in week 23 & 24.

For further information about this position, please contact José Kerstholt (jose.kerstholt@tno.nl) and Maximilian A. Friehs (m.a.friehs@utwente.nl).

More information about TNO and the Psychology of Conflict Risk and Safety section visit: https://www.tno.nl/en/ and https://www.utwente.nl/en/bms/pcrv/ respectively.