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Doctoral Candidate in MCSN project Evolving forms of hate in the consumer society
more than one year ago
University of Turku
Nov. 22, 2020
Turku
The University of Turku is a world-class multidisciplinary research university which offers interesting challenges and a unique vantage point to national and international research and education.
THE FACULTY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES, UNIVERSITY OF TURKU INVITES APPLICATIONS FOR THE POSITION OF
Doctoral Candidate in project “Evolving forms of hate in the consumer society” for a fixed term for 1.3.2021-28.2.2025.
The person chosen for the position is expected to begin in their employment on 1 March 2021. The positions is for 48 months. The person chosen for the position is expected to work full time and to complete their doctoral degree in four years.
The position is located at the Department of Social Research, Faculty of Social Sciences. Areas of expertise profiling the department’s teaching and research include well-being issues, cultural interaction, social inequality and comparative research.
The Faculty of Social Sciences is a vibrant scientific community of two thousand academic individuals. Its nearly 200 teachers and researchers and ca. 1 800 students all take an active role in the activities and development of the faculty. The Faculty includes altogether three departments comprising one or more fields of study and research.
The project “Evolving forms of hate in the consumer society” is a part of the Network of Excellence of Training on Hate (NETHATE) project. It is an international research and training project that is funded by the Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme of the European Commission. The vision for NETHATE is to examine the dynamics of the spread of hatred in society, including online fora, as well as mitigation and reconciliation strategies, and the impact on victims and bystanders.
Description of the project “Evolving forms of hate in the consumer society”
Social media is playing increasing importance in commerce by mediating the interaction between people and companies, facilitating marketing, selling, buying and sharing products and services. The project focuses on being a target of online hate messages, be it businesses, customers, or a bystander, and how the messages will impact the vitality and growth of this area and affect all participants in the social commerce arena. The study will consist of (a) social surveys and (b) interviews with customers and companies about the impact of hate in social commerce, and the impact on businesses’ decisions. To better understand the dynamics of growth of hate in social commerce, will use (c) various social media data to investigate the statistics of hate content in communications between companies and consumers.
Secondments are training periods within another organization. Planned secondments are the following: one month at the National Institute of Health and Welfare (Finland) to understand social policy implications of online hate, and two months at the Institute of Democracy and Civil Society (IDZ, Germany), learning of web based research methodologies.
Key responsibilities
The duties of a Doctoral Candidate are to work on their own doctoral thesis and to complete their postgraduate studies. The person chosen for the position is also expected to:
- Participate in research and training activities within the NETHATE network.
- Develop a Personal Career Development Plan outlining training and support needs, and update this regularly based on training completed.
- Write peer-reviewed articles for specialized journals.
- Participate in meetings of different NETHATE consortium bodies.
- Disseminate the research in the academic/university/research community (national and international conferences) and non-academic/university community, by outreach and public engagement.
- Liaise with the other research staff and students working in broad areas of relevance to the research project and partner institutions.
- Write progress reports and prepare results for publication and dissemination via journals, presentations, web and social media.
- Attend progress and management meetings as required and network with the other research groups.
Eligibility
Candidates will be required to meet the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Early Stage Researcher eligibility criteria and the entry requirements for the PhD programme at the host institution.
Early-Stage Researchers (ESRs) shall, at the time of recruitment by the host organisation, be in the first four years (full-time equivalent research experience) of their research careers and not yet have been awarded a doctoral degree.
Doctoral Candidates must fulfil the entrance requirements for the Doctoral Programme of Social and Behavioural Sciences at the University of Turku. To be eligible for admission to the PhD programme, a candidate must have completed an applicable higher academic degree, or a relevant degree from abroad which in the country in question provides eligibility for corresponding postgraduate studies. For more information on the Programme, see: https://www.utu.fi/en/research/utugs/doctoral-programme-of-social-and-behavioural-sciences/admission.
Mobility rule
At the time of recruitment by the host organisation, researchers must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in the country of their host organisation for more than 12 months in the 3 years immediately prior to the reference date.
Compulsory national service and/or short stays such as holidays are not taken into account.
Essential Requirements & Skills:
- Academic degree(s) in economic sociology, sociology or a related field of social science.
- The applicants are required to have knowledge in Finnish or English language to be able to participate in the teaching and communicate with the university staff. In practice, knowledge in the English language is required always when working in an international science community. Those applying for a right to study must prove their knowledge of English or Finnish.
- Evidence of ability to work independently and collaboratively within an internationally diverse team.
- Evidence of conducting quantitative research; mastery of basic quantitative and qualitative research methods in social sciences; demonstrated capability to use statistical analysis software such as SPSS, Stata or R.
- Evidence of excellent organisation skills and ability to meet deadlines.
- Ability to work under pressure and meet competing priorities.
- Highly motivated, with excellent organisation skills and with strong attention to detail and quality.
- Are willing to travel to attend secondments, training and academic events.
Desirable Requirements & Skills:
- Familiarity with quantitative and/or qualitative research methods.
- Mastery of Finnish language will be considered an asset.
What we offer
Financial conditions (including salary levels) and background documents are available at
For the first three years of your employment, your salary will be calculated according to MSCA rules and your personal and family situation. Information can be found at the financial section of the MSCA ITN guide for applicants that you can find in section 5 (Financial Aspects) of the document. For the last year, your salary will be funded from the resources of the Department of Social Research. Therefore it follows the regulations of the collective agreement for Finnish universities. The appointment starts with a trial period of six months. The chosen applicant is expected to reside in Finland while employed by the University of Turku.
The University of Turku offers comprehensive services to its employees, including occupational health care, sports facilities, and opportunities for professional development. The University assists employees from abroad with their transition to work and life in Finland. Please read further information at the website https://www.utu.fi/en/university/come-work-with-us.
ESRs Benefits:
- Prestigious EU fellowship.
- Highly competitive and attractive salary and working conditions.
- Excellent training programme.
- Develop multidisciplinary research skills.
- Be part of a team of leading researchers and teachers in different fields of academia.
- Establish a professional network in industry and academia.
- Visits and secondments to other project partners within industry and academia for up to 6 months of your appointment period.
A career development plan will be prepared for each fellow in accordance with his/her supervisor and will include training, planned secondments and outreach activities in partner laboratories of the network.
How to apply
Applicants are requested to enclose with their applications the following English-language documents as a pdf file:
- A one-page letter motivating a) why you want to be part of NETHATE; b) why are you applying for this specific position; c) why do you consider yourself a suitable candidate for this position;
- A list of three achievements in your life that you are proud of;
- A detailed CV listing education, work experience, publications, and relevant other activities;
- Names and contact information (address, email, phone) of between two to four referees;
- An academic transcript of B.Sc. and M.Sc. education;
- A copy of academic works such as papers or M.Sc. thesis (if available);
- Demonstrated English proficiency
Applications must be submitted by 22 November, 2020 (23:59 Finnish time) using the electronic application form of the University of Turku on the following address: https://www.utu.fi/en/university/come-work-with-us/open-vacancies. The link to the application system is at the beginning of this announcement (Apply for the job).
The electronic database allows the applicant to submit only one application file to each application section. Information on the file forms to be used can be found in the additional information of each application. Please note that the database only allows the publications to be submitted in a packaged form (.zip). One .zip-file may include several individual files.
Further information:
Informal queries may be made in regards to this ESR post – contact Prof Pekka Räsänen at pekras@utu.fi