PhD position Media literacy as resilience for Ukrainian refugees

Job description

Applications are invited for a fully-funded four-year PhD position in the field of Media Studies. This PhD project will study how Ukrainian refugee families in The Netherlands use and co-develop media literacy skills to cope with wartime information challenges.

The project will involve ethnographic (including traditional and digital ethnography) work with Ukrainian refugees in The Netherlands, following their daily media use practices to develop a theoretical framework and practical tools for building resilience against disinformation and mediated trauma during war. In addition to publishing conceptual and empirical peer-reviewed articles, the PhD candidate will co-organise a participatory digital storytelling workshop together with their supervisors, and refugee families.

This PhD project offers a unique opportunity to work in an international environment and to acquire valuable research experience.

The PhD Project

This PhD project aims to develop and test a theoretical framework of media literacy education as a method of building resilience in a distorted information environment. It will do so by exploring the application of media literacy knowledge and skills by Ukrainian refugees in the Northern region of the Netherlands. The project will take an intergenerational approach to media literacy and media use, studying Ukrainian families that migrated to the Netherlands from 2022 onwards, after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. This approach allows for exploring diverse perspectives related to participants' lived experiences and skills while fostering connections between generational viewpoints on shared concerns. It also sheds light on how epistemic norms and ideological discourses are passed down within families, as parents socialize children into conflict and children navigate their political and civic identities. Moreover, engaging families in discussions about media literacy can promote intergenerational learning, especially in the context of generational differences in news media consumption habits, with older audiences favoring traditional media, and younger people exhibiting greater digital proficiency but lower overall news engagement. The project will end with a participatory digital storytelling workshop and exhibition to showcase the refugees’ stories and engage with the local host community. A more elaborate description of the project framework is available upon request (see contact details below).

Under the joint supervision of Dr Olga Pasitselska and Dr Annamária Neag from the Centre for Media and Journalism Studies with Prof Marcel Broersma as the professor of record, the successful candidate will develop their own specific focus within these broad parameters, depending on the candidate’s disciplinary background, interests and research experience.

You will be asked to

• Engage in regular meetings with supervisors to discuss the PhD project development.
• Write four publishable articles/chapters, with supervisory guidance and open-access agreements with the University of Groningen.
• Organize digital storytelling workshop together with the supervisors.
• Participate in the activities of The Netherlands Research school for Media Studies (RMeS).
• Attend and present ongoing research at conferences, colloquia, summer/winter schools.
• Teach a total of 0.4 FTE spread over the second, third and fourth year of their appointment within the Media Studies program.
• Move to Groningen or its immediate environs.
• Complete the PhD in the specified timeframe (4 years).

Organisation

Since its foundation in 1614, the University of Groningen has established an international reputation as a dynamic and innovative university offering high-quality teaching and research. Its 34,000 students are encouraged to develop their own individual talents through challenging study- and career paths. The University of Groningen is an international centre of knowledge: It belongs to the best research universities in Europe and is allied with prestigious partner universities and networks worldwide.

The Faculty of Arts is a large, dynamic faculty in the heart of the city of Groningen. It has more than 5,000 students and 700 staff members, who are working at the frontiers of knowledge every day. The Faculty offers a wide range of degree programmes: 15 Bachelor's programmes and over 35 Master's specialisations. Our research, which is internationally widely acclaimed, covers Archaeology, Cultural Studies, History, International Relations, Language and Literary Studies, Linguistics and Media and Journalism Studies.

Qualifications

• A Research Master’s or Master’s degree in Media Studies or Communication, or related disciplines (Sociology, Political Science, Anthropology) with a documented record of previous media-focused research.
• Excellent academic writing skills in English (IELTS certificate or similar required).
• Excellent command of written and spoken Ukrainian; knowledge of written and spoken Russian is an asset.
• Affinity with the field of media literacy and mis/disinformation.
• Affinity with ethnographic research and qualitative methods (candidates with experience in conducting ethnographic observations and interviews/focus groups are preferred).
• Excellent analytical skills and capacity to do innovative interdisciplinary research.
• A clear and well-articulated motivation for pursuing PhD research.
• Excellent interpersonal skills, ability to work with vulnerable groups with empathy and care.

Organisation

Conditions of employment

In accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities, the University of Groningen offers you:

• A salary of € 2,901 gross per month in the first year, up to a maximum of € 3,707 gross per month in the final year, based on a full-time position.
• A holiday allowance of 8% gross annual income.
• An 8.3% end-of-the-year allowance.
• A temporary 1.0 FTE appointment for a specified period of four years. The candidate will first be appointed for twelve months. After six months, an assessment will take place of the candidate’s results and the progress of the PhD project, in order to decide whether employment will be continued.
• The PhD candidate is expected to conduct a total of 0.4 FTE teaching spread over the second, third and fourth year of their appointment.
• Excellent work-life balance.
• Willingness to move and reside in The Netherlands.

The appointment will commence on 1 September/October 2025 at the very latest. We allow 3 months from selection in case of VISA applications.