Postdoctoral Researcher (m/f/d/x)
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Founded in 1409, Leipzig University is one of Germany’s largest universities and a leader in research and medical training. With around 30,000 students and more than 5000 members of staff across 14 faculties, it is at the heart of the vibrant and outward-looking city of Leipzig. Leipzig University offers an innovative and international working environment as well as an exciting range of career opportunities in research, teaching, knowledge and technology transfer, infrastructure and administration.
We are seeking a postdoctoral researcher with expertise in computational social science, natural language processing (NLP) and an interest in climate-related challenges to join our interdisciplinary research group “Climate discourse: Linking public discourse on climate extremes to political action”. Our project investigates the dynamics of public discourse on climate change and its influence on political action using large-scale text analysis and social science theory. The interdisciplinary project is led by geographer and environmental scientist Mariana Madruga de Brito, sociologist Marc Keuschnigg and computer scientist Andreas Niekler.
The project takes place in the vibrant and interdisciplinary environment of the LeipzigLab. The aim of the LeipzigLab is to take up and further develop new, unconventional and promising research questions. It offers interdisciplinary exchange formats, an optimal field for interdisciplinary development and a socially engaged, open environment.
WHAT WE OFFER
- A stimulating, modern working environment and attractive working conditions (e.g. mobile working) in an integrated international and interdisciplinary team
- Flexible working hours and work-life balance
- Company pension scheme
- Opportunity for academic qualification (e.g. habilitation)
- Teaching opportunities in computational social science.
DUTIES
- Conducting large-scale textual analysis of media articles, social media discussions, and political debates related to climate change
- Developing and applying machine learning models for NLP tasks such as topic modelling, classification, and the application of large language models
- Integration of social science theories to interpret patterns observed in public discourse on climate change
- Publishing findings in high-impact peer-reviewed journals and presenting research at international conferences
- Working with an interdisciplinary team of social scientists, climate researchers and computer scientists.
REQUIREMENTS
- University degree in digital humanities, computational social science, environmental sciences, computer science or social sciences
- Completed or near-completed PhD in computational social science, social sciences (sociology, political science, communication or media studies), geography, earth system and climate sciences, environmental sciences, computational sciences, data science (statistics, machine learning, natural language processing) or a related field
- Programming skills (preferably R, Python)
- Knowledge of common methods of computational text analysis (NLP, large language models and cluster computing) would be an advantage
- Very good knowledge of spoken and written English
- A track record of publishing in international journals would be welcome
- Curiosity, self-motivation and enthusiasm for innovative research
- Interest in communicating science.
Please send your application (motivation letter, CV, copies of certificates) as a single PDF file and quoting the reference number 51/2025 to leipziglab@uni-leipzig.de by 15 April 2025. Please note that it is not possible to guarantee confidentiality and rule out unauthorised access by third parties when communicating by unencrypted email. We kindly request that you submit copies only, as we are unable to return application documents. Interview expenses will not be reimbursed.
For questions regarding the position please contact Dr Mariana Madruga de Brito (mariana.brito@ufz.de), Professor Marc Keuschnigg (marc.keuschnigg@uni-leipzig.de) or Dr Andreas Niekler (aniekler@informatik.uni-leipzig.de).
Leipzig University aims to increase the proportion of women in positions of responsibility and therefore expressly invites qualified women to apply. Severely disabled persons – or persons deemed legally equal to them under Book IX of the German Social Code – are encouraged to apply and will be given preference in the case of equal suitability. If you have any questions about accessibility or need assistance with this application process, please contact Leipzig University’s disability officers at: schwerbehindertenvertretung@uni-leipzig.de
Privacy information
If you choose to apply and send us your documents, you do so voluntarily. Any personal data contained within your application documents, or obtained during an interview, will be processed by Leipzig University – as the advertiser of the position – exclusively for the purposes of the selection process for the position advertised. It will not be passed on to third parties without your consent in the individual case. The legal basis for such data processing is Sect. 11(1) of the Saxon Data Protection Implementation Act (SächsDSDG) in conjunction with the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The controller for the application process within the meaning of the GDPR is the addressee of the application, specified in the advertisement.
Your personal data will be stored for six months after the end of the recruitment process and then erased or destroyed in accordance with data protection regulations. You may refuse or withdraw your consent with effect for the future without giving reasons. In these cases, Leipzig University will not or no longer be able to process and consider your application. Under the GDPR, subject to the relevant statutory requirements you have the following rights vis-à-vis the addressee of the application with regard to your personal data: right of access (Art. 15 GDPR); right to rectification of inaccurate personal data (Art. 16 GDPR); right to erasure (Art. 17 GDPR); right to restriction of processing (Art. 18 GDPR); and right to object to processing (Art. 21 GDPR). If you have any questions, please contact the Data Protection Officer at Leipzig University (office: Augustusplatz 10, 04109 Leipzig). You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Saxon Commissioner for Data Protection.