Job description

The position is part of the research unit 5656 “Communicative AI: The Automation of Societal Communication” funded by the DFG and the FWF in the coordination project for the ComAI Research Space (Principal Investigators: Prof. Dr. Andreas Hepp, Prof. Dr. Wiebke Loosen, Prof. Dr. Christian Katzenbach, Prof. Dr. Cornelius Puschmann, Dr. Gregor Wiedemann).

The Research Unit investigates how societal communication changes with communicative AI. The focus of the first funding period (2025 - 2028) is on the emergence and constructions of communicative AI. Research will focus on the pioneer communities of communicative AI, their interfaces, the legal handling of AI, and its governance by corporations, as well as the appropriation of communicative AI in journalism, public (online) discourse, personal life, health, and in learning and teaching. Our research uses highly innovative methods from the social sciences and HCI, including digital and computer-aided methods. For more information on the Research Unit and various opportunities for doctoral researchers, please visit the website www.comai.space.

Job description

The coordination project is based at the ZeMKI, University of Bremen. Part of the coordination project involves the establishment and supervision of a ComAI Research Space, which includes a large-scale semi-automated content analysis of the discourse on communicative AI and its ongoing documentation.

Tasks

The tasks of the research assistant (f/m/d) conducting the automated content analysis for the ComAI Research Space and related publications. This involves:

• Semi-automated collection and analysis of public discourse on communicative AI
• Collaboration in preparing corresponding trend reports
• Preparing discourse data and passing it on to the individual projects
• Preparing data for further public use.

The position offers the possibility of a doctorate.

Requirements

• Very good Master’s degree in the social sciences or related fields
• Very good knowledge of methods for standardized and/or semi-automated content analysis
• Working knowledge of Python or R for content analysis
• Excellent knowledge of German, very good knowledge of English (written and spoken)
• Strong interest in methods of computational social sciences
• Strong communication skills and willingness to collaborate within the project team and the Research Unit

Also welcome are:

• Experience with web scraping
• Experience with social media APIs
• Experience with press databases (Factiva, MediaCloud, GDELT)
• Knowledge of the development of communicative AI to date
• Project experience

General Information

Open to unconventional approaches in research and teaching, the University of Bremen has retained its character as a place of short distances for people and ideas since it was founded 50 years ago. With a broad range of subjects, we combine exceptional performance with great potential for innovation. As an ambitious research university, we stand for the approach of research-based learning and a pronounced orientation towards interdisciplinarity. We actively organise scientific cooperation worldwide in a spirit of partnership.

Today, around 23,000 people learn, teach, research and work on our international campus. In research and teaching, administration and operations, we are firmly committed to the goals of sustainability, climate justice and climate neutrality. Our Bremen spirit is expressed in the courage to try new things, in supportive cooperation and in respect and appreciation for one another. With our study and research profile and as part of the European YUFE network, we assume social responsibility in the region, in Europe and the world.

The University of Bremen is family-friendly, diverse and sees itself as an international university. We therefore welcome all applicants regardless of gender, nationality, ethnic and social origin, religion/belief, disability, age, sexual orientation and identity.

The University of Bremen endeavours to increase the proportion of women in the academic field and therefore expressly encourages women to apply.

Disabled persons with essentially equal professional and personal qualifications will be given preferential consideration.

If you have any questions regarding the job advertisement, please email Andreas Hepp (andreas.heppprotect me ?!uni-bremenprotect me ?!.de).

Please send applications with the usual documents (cover letter, CV, MA thesis, any other publications, certificates) by 27.09.2024, quoting the reference number A271-24, by e-mail (as one file in PDF format) to Ludmila Schmidt (ludmila.schmidtprotect me ?!vw.uni-bremenprotect me ?!.de):

Universität Bremen
ZeMKI, Ludmila Schmidt
Postfach 33 04 40
28334 Bremen

Any travelling expenses for job interviews may be covered after consultation.

We kindly ask you to send us only copies (no portfolios) of your application documents, as we cannot return them. They will be destroyed after the selection process has been completed.