PhD Scholarship for the project Navigating Negativity: What is a Healthy News Diet?

University of Southern Denmark - Political Science and Public Management

The Centre for Journalism, Department of Political Science and Public Management, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, invites applications for a three-year full-time PhD scholarship for the project Navigating Negativity: What is a Healthy News Diet? (HEALTHY NEWS), with employment starting from 1 August 2026, or as soon as possible thereafter. The place of employment will be in Odense.

The research project—funded by the Velux Foundation—examines when exposure to negative news informs people about important societal issues and when it negatively affects mental well-being and leads to news avoidance. The overall aim is to identify barriers and opportunities for healthy news diets and to assess how the benefits and drawbacks of negative news can be balanced in today’s individualized media environment.

Motivated applications are invited from candidates holding a master’s degree in relevant fields, such as journalism studies, communication, political science, computer science, media studies, or sociology.

The PhD student will be involved in all aspects of the research, from conception, execution, analysis, publishing, and public dissemination. The ideal candidate therefore has a high academic level and a good grasp of research designs and methods.

For more information, see the complete job advertisement on the SDU job portal via the 'Apply' button above.

Application deadline: 22 March 2026, at 11.59 PM/23.59 (CET/CEST)