Postdoctoral Researcher – Communications Science

HBI

Postdoctoral Researcher in Communications Science position at a leading media research institute in Hamburg. Involves conducting research projects and supporting academic teaching.

Posted 7/21/2026full-timeHamburg • 🇩🇪 GermanyMid-LevelSeniorWebsite

Core Competencies

Role fit

Core Competencies

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Demonstrates expertise in media-use research, particularly in political communication and digital communication, with strong skills in empirical data collection and analysis methods. Capable of leading research projects, coordinating teams, and contributing to academic publications and teaching.

Highest-signal resume keywords

PhD In Communication ScienceMedia-Use Research ExpertiseEmpirical Data CollectionProject CoordinationComputational Social Science Methods

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Applicant Tracking System Keywords

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Hard Skills

Research DesignData Analysis MethodsDigital Behavioral Data AnalysisLog Data AnalysisLLM-Based Analysis

Soft Skills

Teamwork SkillsLeadership Responsibilities

Industry Keywords

Communication ScienceJournalismPolitical CommunicationReception ResearchEffects ResearchDigital Communication

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Design and conduct independent research projects
Collaborate on grant applications and research projects within the research group
Prepare research results for academic publications and presentations
Take on coordination and, where applicable, leadership responsibilities within the research group, including supervision/point of contact for doctoral candidates in the group and coordination of the biweekly research group meetings and a social-science PhD colloquium
Support Judith Möller in university teaching, occasionally covering individual teaching sessions
Participate in and contribute to institute-wide meetings and tasks

Requirements

What you’ll need

University degree in Communication Science, Journalism, or a related field
Completed PhD with excellent results in Communication Science, Journalism, or a comparable field
Demonstrated expertise and interest in media-use research, especially in the areas of political communication, reception and effects research, or digital communication
Proven knowledge of empirical data collection and analysis methods, preferably including data-intensive approaches (e.g., digital behavioral data, log data, LLM-based analysis)
Strong teamwork skills
Excellent command of English
Experience in project coordination and securing third-party funding is desirable
Experience with Computational Social Science methods

Benefits

Comp & perks

Flexible working hours with the option to work remotely up to three days per week by arrangement
Opportunity to pursue a habilitation (post-doctoral qualification)
Affiliation with the University of Hamburg and access to its facilities, such as the university library, sports programs, and continuing education offerings
Parent-child office
Secure employment in the public sector with remuneration according to the Collective Agreement for the Public Service of the Federal States (TV-L), annual special payment, capital-forming benefits, and company pension scheme (VBLU)
Employer subsidy for the HVV ProfiTicket / Deutschlandticket
30 days of vacation per year, plus Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve off
Modern office workspace at our new institute location in Hamburg-Rotherbaum with excellent public transport connections
Bicycle parking spaces in our underground garage with a charging cabinet for e-bike batteries
Two outdoor car parking spaces with an electric charging station