Founded in 2017, the Weizenbaum Institute researches the effects of advancing digitalisation on our society. With its recommendations for action, it helps to ensure that the digital transformation is sustainable, self-determined and responsible. The Weizenbaum Institute is supported by a network of seven partners, including Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Technische Universität Berlin, Berlin University of the Arts, the University of Potsdam, the Fraunhofer Institute for Open Communication Systems (FOKUS) and the Social Science Research Centre Berlin (WZB). The institute is financed by the Ministry of research, technology and space travel (BMFTR) and the state of Berlin. It is located in Berlin.
For our research group "Local Digital Public Spheres" at the Weizenbaum-Institut e.V. we are looking as of 01 August 2026 for two
with 25,64 percent of regular working hours (10 hours per week). The position is initially limited until 31 December 2028. Further employment will be sought.
Project description
The junior research group “Place-Based Issue Publics” is funded as part of the German Research Foundation’s (DFG) Emmy Noether program. It investigates how contemporary local public spheres are formed under conditions of digitalization and globalization, as local issues and events often gain national or even international attention. The project investigates digital discourses on places which have gained public notoriety in the fields of (a) illiberalism and backlash against plural societies and (b) industrial transformations and environmental concerns. It further investigates how residents respond to such public attention and organize around these issues locally. The group employs a mixed-methods design of computational (text-as-data, network analysis) and qualitative approaches (interviews, ethnographic field work) to investigate six local digital public spheres in three countries (Poland, Germany, the United Kingdom). Based on this empirical data, it will develop a theory of the spatial dimension of digital public spheres.
Severely disabled applicants with equal qualifications will be given preference. We value diversity and welcome all applications, regardless of gender, nationality, ethnic or social origin, religion, disability, age, or sexual orientation. The Weizenbaum Institute expressly encourages women* and people with a migration background to apply.
You can submit your application, consisting of a letter of motivation, CV, your current proof of matriculation and your academic certificates and grades until 31st May 2026 in our application portal.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Maite Vöhl from our HR team (personal[at]weizenbaum-institut.de) at any time. We look forward to receiving your documents.
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