"Postdoc for the Project Navigating Negativity: What is a Healthy News Diet?"

The Centre for Journalism, Department of Political Science and Public Management, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, invites applications for a two-year full-time postdoc 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.

The postdoc 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. Experience with relevant methods, such as data donations, automated content analyses, panel survey analyses, and in-depth interviews, is an advantage.

Applications are invited from candidates with a PhD degree from a broad range of fields, such as communication, political science, computer science, media studies, or sociology.

For more information, see the complete job advertisement via the ‘Apply’ button above.

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