Post Doctoral Fellow

Description

The Department of Communication at Clemson University seeks applications for a postdoctoral researcher beginning August 15, 2026. The initial appointment is for one academic year (August 15, 2026-August 15, 2027). Additional years are contingent on grant funding.

We are interested in candidates with experience studying online deception, fraud, and/or foreign influence.

Requirements include: Ph.D. (in hand by August 2026) in Communication or a closely related field and a record of conference presentations and/or peer-reviewed publications that suggests future success in scholarly research. A strong empirical research background, qualitative and/or quantitative, is also necessary.

This researcher will work as a team member of the Watt Family Innovation Center's Media Forensics Hub. The Media Forensics Hub is an interdisciplinary research lab working to study and combat online deception with the goal of building society's resilience to the dangers it poses (https://www.clemson.edu/centers-institutes/watt/hub). The goal of the position is to strengthen the already strong research program in media forensics at Clemson University. The selected candidate will contribute to ongoing Hub research but will be expected to build their own research program as they mature in the position.

Housed in the College of Behavioral, Social and Health Sciences (CBSHS), the Department of Communication currently offers three academic degree programs: a BA in Communication (with foci in health communication, strategic communication, organizational communication, and media/technology), a BA in Sports Communication, and an MA in Communication. Additionally, the department has proposed a Ph.D. in Communication and Media to be launched in 2026 or 2027. The department also offers minors in Communication and Sports Communication and serves the university through two introductory general education communication courses that serve over 3,500 students each year. The department also houses the Charles Campbell Professorship in Sports Communication and is home to the innovative Social Media Listening Center and the Multimodal Communication Innovation Center and Research Hub, several honor societies and co-curricular clubs (Lambda Pi Eta, Public Relations Student Society of America, and Tiger Student Media, a nationally and internationally recognized debate team, and several student study abroad programs). Approximately 40 full-time faculty, 325 undergraduate majors, 300 undergraduate minors, 25 graduate students (nearly all on fully funded assistantships), and five staff members study and work across the department's programs and engage through its facilities and co-curricular initiatives.

Interdisciplinary partnerships are encouraged across the CBSHS, which includes the Departments of Nursing; Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management (PRTM); Political Science; Psychology; Public Health Sciences; and Sociology, Anthropology, and Criminal Justice; as well as Clemson Rural Health (a program focused on transforming health outcomes in rural and underserved communities across the state). Opportunities for partnerships are also encouraged across Clemson University's other eight colleges. For example, Clemson University is home to the Robert H. Brooks Sports Science Institute (a multi-disciplinary platform for the academic study of sport sciences across the University); an interdisciplinary doctoral program in Rhetorics, Communication, and Information Design (a cross-cultural, transdisciplinary program housed in the College of Arts and Humanities); as well as a variety of innovative opportunities to work with high achieving students in the acclaimed Clemson University Honors College.

The Department of Communication is committed to educating and producing leaders who can navigate the challenges of an ever-changing global community. The department espouses an environment of collegiality and collaboration and aims to achieve goals for excellence set forth by the Clemson Elevate strategic plan. We are dedicated to promoting, advocating, and progressing excellence through teaching, scholarship, and service on campus and in the community. Communication faculty and students participate in strategic international partnerships and activities such as study abroad experiences, prosocial service-learning projects, examinations of public discourse through the department's Social Media Listening Center, and interdisciplinary grant-funded research.

Clemson University is one of two land-grant institutions in the state of South Carolina. The university has significantly increased its investments in graduate education and research and is classified as a Carnegie Research 1 University. Our main campus is located in the Upstate region, , an area characterized by a relatively low cost of living, great natural beauty, and access to nearby cities such as Greenville, Atlanta, Asheville, Charlotte, and Columbia.

Qualifications

We are seeking candidates with experience studying digital deception, fraud, and/or foreign influence.

Requirements include: Ph.D. (in hand by August 2026) in Communication or a closely related field and a record of conference presentations and/or peer-reviewed publications that suggests future success in scholarly research. A strong empirical research background, qualitative and/or quantitative, is also necessary.