Call for Applications: 1 doctoral position (TVL-E13, 75%, 3 years, fixed term)

You can access this call for applications as .pdf here: CfA BIDT.pdf

The Digital Media Lab at the Munich Center for Technology in Society, Technische Universität München is seeking early-stage researchers for a position available immediately with a focus on MCTS & Digital Media as part of the Coding Public Value project (BIDT).

1 doctoral position (TV-L E13 75%, 3 years, fixed term)

About us: The Digital Media Lab at MCTS explores the ongoing digital transformation of our lives, our working environments and our institutions by focusing on the manifold entanglements between infrastructures, datafication and communication in digital societies. In approaching these questions, the digital media lab draws on insights from Science and Technology Studies (MCTS) and Media Studies. We pursue a number of empirical case studies and apply a wide variety of qualitative methods, taking a closer look at current ICT engineering projects reveals how contemporary digital societies are formed.

About the project: The project Coding Public Value focuses on the development and evaluation of methods for responsible software engineering for the common good and corresponding institutional, political and organizational frameworks for public-service media platforms. How can legal, political and user-oriented requirements of public media be translated into requirements, methods and quality assessment practices for the engineering of software and which institutional, political, and organizational requirements have to be implemented in order to operate public service media platforms on the foundation of such public service-oriented software engineering? The project combines Science & Technology Studies, Media and Communication Research, Legal Studies, and empirical Software Engineering in an interdisciplinary collaboration.

For more information see: https://www.bidt.digital/

Your tasks as a doctoral researcher:  As a doctoral researcher, you will be part of the Coding Public Values project, in which you will do qualitative empirical research in close cooperation with the project partners on software engineering practices. Further you will be responsible to prepare project results for publication and presentation for the scientific community. You will develop an innovative research question for your PhD thesis in collaboration with the project leader, PD Dr. Jan-Hendrik Passoth.

What we offer:

• An innovative and interdisciplinary working environment in one of Europe’s leading research institutions in the field of MCTS
• A lively and international research community at the MCTS and TUM, including many international visiting researchers and professors
• A structured PhD program and excellent supervision of your thesis
• a challenging position with a high degree of responsibility at the MCTS and the newly founded BIDT.

What we expect

• Applicants hold a Master’s degree in the social sciences, humanities, or computer science.
• Familiarity with MCTS concepts and experience with qualitative social science research methods.
• Interest in interdisciplinary work and engagement with other knowledge cultures.
• Capability of working both as part of a team and independently, including organizational skills
• Fluency in English (at least B2).
• First experiences in research management
• Social competence, communication skills, and team management

Application documents: Your complete application documents must include your CV, your Master’s degree certificate, a letter of motivation (max. 2 pages), 1-2 writing samples (e.g. thesis chapters), and names and contact details of 2 references, including a brief statement explaining your relationship to each of the named references.

Interested? Please send your complete application as a single pdf document to digital@mcts.tum.de

We will accept and review all applications received up until and including 28.2.20. We are committed to raising the number of women and gender-non-binary individuals in research and teaching, who are especially encouraged to apply. Applicants with disabilities are treated with preference given comparable qualification.

If you have questions about the application procedure or the work of the Digital Media Lab, please contact jan.passoth@tum.de or digital@mcts.tum.de.