Postdoc for project Striking a Balance: Motivating Green Behaviour Through Solution-Oriented Journalism

The Centre for Journalism, Department of Political Science and Public Management, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, invites application for one or more full-time postdoctoral fellowships for a 24-month period for the project Striking a Balance: Motivating Green Behaviour Through Solution-Oriented Journalism (SoJOUR), with employment starting from November 1, 2024, or as soon as possible thereafter. The place of employment will be in Odense.

The project—funded by the Danish Research Council—examines how potential solutions can be integrated into climate change news coverage in a way that motivates people to engage in green behaviour. Based on interviews with climate journalists and editors, the project will explore barriers and facilitating factors for integrating potential solutions into climate news coverage, and based on a longitudinal experimental approach, the project will explore how different types of solutions journalism impact people’s sense of efficacy and, in turn, their behaviour in relation to climate change. Thus, the project contributes to an underdeveloped aspect of the growing research agenda on climate change as well as to the emerging research agenda on solutions and constructive journalism. The project is led by Professor MSO Morten Skovsgaard and Associate Professor Kim Andersen both from the Centre for Journalism, University of Southern Denmark. 

Expectations and key responsibilities

The successful candidate(s) will ideally have experience in research in journalism or communication more broadly. The postdoc(s) will be involved in all aspects of the project, and while a good grasp of methods more broadly is necessary, knowledge of and with quantitative methods and experimental designs is particularly useful.

Candidates are 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.

Candidates are expected to:

• be capable of working independently and in a team, for example in data collection, writing scientific articles, and knowledge dissemination,
• contribute both academically and socially to the research environment at the Centre for Journalism,
• be able to communicate project results in English both in writing and orally in academic contexts and to the broader public,
• present research results at international conferences,
• work and be present at the Centre in Odense.

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 Morten Skovsgaard, [email protected]. For further information about the Centre for Journalism and the Department of Political Science and Public Management, please contact Head of Centre Peter Bro, [email protected].

Application and assessment process

Appointment to the position requires a PhD or equivalent and will be in accordance with the collective agreement between the Ministry of Finance and the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations for academics in the Danish state with the associated circular on the protocol on job structure for academic staff at Danish universities and the provisions for the position of postdocs as described herein.

An application must include:

• A cover letter displaying qualifications and motivation,
• A detailed CV,
• Certificates/Diplomas (MA and PhD degree),
• A 1-page description outlining the design of a longitudinal experimental study testing the effects of solutions journalism on participants’ efficacy and engagement in behaviour mitigating climate change (with research questions, design/methods, and analysis plan),
• A complete list of publications indicating which publications are most relevant for the position.
• The 3 most relevant publications or unpublished chapters of the PhD thesis. NOTE: If publications have been co-authored, co-author statements must be included and contain information like in this example. The statement is just for your inspiration,
• A teaching portfolio as documentation for teaching experience, and, if relevant, supervision qualifications. Formal application instructions and guide for teaching portfolio may be found here.

All non-Danish documents must be translated into English.

Documents should not contain a CPR number (civil registration number) – in this case, the CPR number must be crossed out.

Applications that are incomplete may be rejected without any substantive evaluation.

Assessment of applications will be done under the existing Appointment Order for universities. Applications will be assessed by an academic assessment committee that determines whether applicants are qualified to be a postdoctoral fellow according to the Scholarly Qualification Matrix. The committee may request additional information, and if so, it is the responsibility of the applicant to provide the necessary material. The committee reserves the right to arrive at a decision solely based on the material submitted.

Shortlisting may be used in the assessment process.

When the assessment committee has submitted its report, the applicants will receive the part of the evaluation that concerns them. The assessment report will subsequently be forwarded to the Head of Department who will assemble an appointment committee. The appointment committee will manage and complete a series of job interviews with especially promising applicants. On the basis of the applications, the written assessments, the job interviews, and a deliberation within the appointment committee, the head of department determines which candidate(s) will be offered the position.

Applications must be submitted electronically using the link "Apply now" on our website.

Uploaded files must be in Adobe PDF (unlocked). The application and CV must not exceed 10 MB. 

Application deadline: September 1, 2024.

Read the guideline for applicants