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 computational social science, computer science, communication, political science, or journalism/media studies.

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

The application deadline is 15 September 2026, at 11.59 PM/23.59 (CET/CEST)

For more information, please click on the 'Apply' button above.

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 computational social science, computer science, communication, political science, or journalism/media studies.

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

The application deadline is 15 September 2026, at 11.59 PM/23.59 (CET/CEST)

For more information, please click on the 'Apply' button above.