PhD Position in Communication Science

Are you eager to pursue a PhD in Communication Science, skilled in quantitative data analysis, and curious about the psychology behind how people respond to new, hyper-realistic forms of disinformation such as deepfakes? Then join our research team!

PhD Position: Real Fake – How Highly Immersive Disinformation Affects What People Believe

This fully funded four-year PhD position is part of the NWO-M 2024 research project Real Fake: How Highly Immersive Disinformation Affects What People Believe. The project investigates how people respond to immersive disinformation: highly realistic, AI-generated content such as deepfakes and 360° virtual reality videos. By looking and feeling authentic, this kind of content can make people feel as if they are truly witnessing an event. Whereas most disinformation research focuses on text, we assume that highly lifelike digital (mis)experiences of immersive disinformation can shape beliefs more powerfully by creating a sense of “being there”.

Through a series of four experimental studies, you will examine:

• how immersive disinformation, as compared to false information provided in other modalities, influences what individuals believe,
• the psychological processes that drive these effects, and
• innovative strategies to counter this new and potent form of deception.

The PhD will be supervised by a team of leading scholars in the Department of Communication Science at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam: Full Professor Tilo Hartmann (main supervisor), Assistant Professor Ellen Droog, and Associate Professor Philipp Masur.

Key Responsibilities

As a PhD candidate, you will complete a cumulative dissertation within four years at one of the world’s leading Communication Science departments in Amsterdam. Your dissertation will consist of approximately six chapters, including four experimental studies prepared as journal articles.

Working closely with your supervisory team, you will plan and execute the empirical studies envisioned in the Real Fake project. You will design experiments, collect and analyze quantitative data, and publish your findings in top international journals, conference proceedings, and publicly accessible brief reports.

You bring a strong foundation in experimental research within Communication Science or Psychology and have experience with quantitative data analysis and scientific writing. Throughout the project, you will further advance these skills and refine your ability to report research according to international standards and open-science principles. All data and materials will be made reproducible and publicly available.

As a member of our vibrant, internationally renowned department, you will broaden your professional network and develop collaborations with scholars in related fields. As a PhD candidate, you will also take part in the Graduate School of Social Sciences (GSSS), which offers a wide range of courses for your further academic development. More detailed information is available upon request.

Profile

We are looking for a PhD candidate who:

• holds a completed (research) master’s degree in Communication Science or Psychology (general, social, or cognitive)
• is deeply interested in understanding how communication and media messages, across modalities such as text, photo, video, and 360° video, shape beliefs, and in the psychological processes behind why people accept information as true
• has strong skills in designing and conducting quantitative empirical research, particularly experiments, and is comfortable with advanced statistical analyses (experience with R is recommended)
• possesses excellent academic writing skills in English
• is sociable, open-minded, friendly, and communicative with colleagues, including other PhD students; is autonomous and responsible, taking ownership of research studies; and is diligent and conscientious in advancing research and publications
• can collaborate effectively across disciplines and communicate clearly, both orally and in writing
• is fluent in both Dutch and English, due to the nature of the planned studies.

What We Offer

We offer a challenging and rewarding PhD position within a vibrant, ambitious, and socially engaged department, home to internationally renowned Communication Science and Media Psychology scholars. At the VU, you are embedded in a highly interdisciplinary research environment that fosters substantial academic and professional development.

We offer:

• a salary of € 3.059,00 (PhD) and maximum € 3.881,00 (PhD) gross per month in the fourth year, for a full-time employment
• an employment contract of initially 1 year. After a satisfactory evaluation of the initial appointment, based on a portfolio including academic products as defined by the GSSS, the PhD-contract will be extended for a total duration of 4 years. Your dissertation at the end of the fourth year forms the end of your employment contract.

We also offer you attractive fringe benefits and arrangements. Some examples:

• a full-time 38-hour working week comes with a holiday leave entitlement of 232 hours per year. If you choose to work 40 hours, you have 96 extra holiday leave hours on an annual basis. For part-timers, this is calculated pro rata.
• 8% holiday allowance and 8.3% end-of-year bonus
• contribution to commuting expenses
• optional model for designing a personalized benefits package
• a wide range of sports facilities which staff may use at a modest charge.

About the Department

Over the past decade, the scientific field of Communication Science has changed profoundly due to the rise of a media-saturated digital society, new empirical research methods, and new dynamic communication routes. The department of Communication Science at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam responds to these trends with an educational program (BSc/MSc) that teaches Communication Science within a “digital society” framework, and that trains related skills (e.g., on data literacy and computational methods) and knowledge (e.g., on digital marketing) using timely and innovative teaching methods. The department also maintains a pointed and forward-looking research program strategically focusing on examining Communication Choices, Content and Consequences (CCCC). The department holds a strong position in the field because it has clearly focused on newly emerging communication technologies and solid empirical methods ever since its foundation in 2003. It maintains a particular focus on applying psychological perspectives and computational methods to the study of media. Researchers within the CCCC program are currently organized into three research areas: Political Communication and Computational Methods, Media Psychology (including work on use and effects of media technology, social robotics, and extended reality), and Digital Communication (focusing on persuasion and health communication, social media, PR, and organizational communication). The department has been ranked consistently in the top #25 of all departments/universities worldwide in the prestigious Shanghai ranking, and both the research program and the teaching program received (very) positive review scores in the last assessment.