"PhD Position in Communication Science"

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 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.

Your duties: 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.

Requirements: 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.

Conditions of employment: Fixed-term contract: 1 year. 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 €3059—€3881 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; 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.