PhD candidate in Persuasive Communication | University of Amsterdam School of Communication Research

The Amsterdam School of Communication Research ASCoR is the research institute in Communication Science at the University of Amsterdam. It is the largest research institute of its kind in Europe and is among the largest worldwide. More than 50 senior researchers are permanently associated with ASCoR, and its English-language PhD program has more than 35 students.

ASCoR is looking for a PhD candidate for the project ‘Understanding Selective and Interactive Use and Effects of Digital Newspapers and Magazines’. The project will be supervised by Prof. dr. Peter Neijens and Dr. Hilde Voorveld.

Project description

Digital adoption is transforming media worldwide. Also print media, such as newspapers and magazines, are increasingly produced for, and published and consumed on digital platforms such as laptop, tablet and smart phone. Questions bothering academia and industry alike are how two defining characteristics of digital media -selectivity and interactivity- influence use of digital print platforms and what the effects are on attention, recall, and persuasion of media content and advertising.

This study aims to answer these questions and focuses on the reading of newspapers and magazines on tablets. Theoretically, the study aims at developing and testing hypotheses that specify factors influencing selective and interactive use and effects of digital print media. Practically, the project aims at contributing insight for publishers and journalists who are interested in success factors for their digital publications, and for (profit and non-profit) advertisers and their agencies who want to get insight into the impact of advertising on the new platforms.

The project makes use of a combination of data collection techniques, such as (in-app) surveys, experiments, and registration (eye tracking and in-app analytics). The novelty of the project consists of providing theoretical and practical insight into selective and interactive use and effects of new digital communication platforms for print media based on the application of advanced data collection techniques.

The candidate is expected to do research and publish on the basis of the research, culminating in a PhD dissertation.

Requirements

The PhD candidate should:

- hold a Research Master’s degree in communication science or equivalent qualifications. Candidates who are due to graduate before February 2014 are also welcome to apply. Research Masters from related fields such as psychology, marketing, or social sciences are also welcome to apply, but will have to do some extra coursework to get acquainted with the field of communication science. Candidates who do not hold a Research Master degree or equivalent will be required to complete a transfer program prior to the project start date. A Research Master is a 2-year Master program with 30 EC of methodological coursework;

- excel academically, as shown in the grade transcripts and curriculum vitae;

- have a firm basis in quantitative (experimental) research;

- have an excellent written and spoken command of English;

- have excellent organizational skills;

have the ability and interest to work in a team;

- wish to pursue an academic career.

Further information

A detailed project description may be obtained from the:

- ASCoR Secretariat, Αυτή η διεύθυνση Email προστατεύεται από τους αυτοματισμούς αποστολέων ανεπιθύμητων μηνυμάτων. Χρειάζεται να ενεργοποιήσετε τη JavaScript για να μπορέσετε να τη δείτε.

Questions about the project content should be addressed to:

- Dr. Hilde Voorveld, Αυτή η διεύθυνση Email προστατεύεται από τους αυτοματισμούς αποστολέων ανεπιθύμητων μηνυμάτων. Χρειάζεται να ενεργοποιήσετε τη JavaScript για να μπορέσετε να τη δείτε.

Questions about the application procedure and other general questions should be addressed to:

- Ms. Kathleen Hair, Αυτή η διεύθυνση Email προστατεύεται από τους αυτοματισμούς αποστολέων ανεπιθύμητων μηνυμάτων. Χρειάζεται να ενεργοποιήσετε τη JavaScript για να μπορέσετε να τη δείτε.

Appointment

Extension of the contract after the first year to a total of three years is subject to satisfactory performance.

The gross monthly salary will be in accordance with the salary scales for PhD candidates at Dutch universities, i.e., ranging from €2,083 in the first year to €2,664 in the final year.

Job application

The deadline for applications is Sunday 20 October. Please state the vacancy number in the subject line of your application, as we have multiple vacancies. To apply for this position, please send all your documents in a single PDF file by e-mail to Αυτή η διεύθυνση Email προστατεύεται από τους αυτοματισμούς αποστολέων ανεπιθύμητων μηνυμάτων. Χρειάζεται να ενεργοποιήσετε τη JavaScript για να μπορέσετε να τη δείτε..

N.B. A complete application contains at least the following documents in English:

- ASCoR PhD application form;

- motivation letter;

- curriculum vitae;

- proof of your Master's degree, including grade transcripts. If you have not completed your degree at the time of application, please provide a statement from your supervisor confirming the expected date of completion of your degree;

- an academic writing sample in English (e.g., journal article, Master's thesis).