University of Amsterdam (Communication Science)

Assistant Professor in Persuasive Communication Focusing on Digital Marketing Communication

Faculty/Services:  Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences
Educational level:  PhD
Function type:  Academic Staff
Closing date:  21 May 2023
Vacancy number:  11466

Are you passionate about research and teaching, specialized in the digital society or emerging media technologies in the context of marketing- or brand communication, and looking for a challenging job in a dynamic setting? We are looking for an Assistant Professor (evaluation for a permanent contract after 18 months).

The Department of Communication Science invites applications for an Assistant Professor in Persuasive Communication focusing on Marketing Communication in the Digital Society, starting between 21 August 2023 and 15 January 2024. As an Assistant Professor, you will be a member of the Persuasive Communication Group which is one of the four program groups in the Department of Communication Science at the University of Amsterdam. The Persuasive Communication program group addresses communication that is intended to achieve specific persuasive goals, as is the case in, for instance, marketing- and brand communication, health promotion, and public information campaigns.

The Persuasive Communication research group aims at studying factors that explain the development, reach, processing and effects of professional and consumer-generated messages in marketing- and health communication. We study how people use communication to fulfil their needs in commerce and health, how companies, providers and consumers communicate, and how this influences their attitudes, cognitions and behavior. Our work fits within the ASCoR Research programme. In the coming years, we aim to further understand the key challenges and opportunities that come with digitalization, AI and related developments such as personalization and fragmentation. Our research focuses on the challenges and opportunities it offers to individuals, including algorithmic persuasion, human-machine communication, and the increasing importance of influencers. For this position we therefore search for new colleagues who focus on topics that are central to digitalization like AI, algorithms, chat bots, voice assistants, VR, social media etc. The ideal candidate studies such topics in the context of marketing- and brand communication. Affinity or experience with using computational methods in your research is a plus.

Courses we teach in the Master’s are the specialization seminars marketing communication and health communication, and electives like brand communication, media strategies, digital analytics, brands and organizations on social media, persuasion & resistance, and persuasive design. In the Bachelor, we teach the domain module persuasive communication, elective courses about algorithmic persuasion, health communication and content marketing, and graduation projects in which students write their Bachelor thesis. PersCom colleagues are also involved in general communication science courses, and methods courses about experiments, survey, content analysis, or general statistics courses like statistical modelling. More information on these courses can be found here. Most of our courses are organized in tutorials or seminars of approximately 25 students, and are taught by a team of lecturers.

Within the Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences, Communication Science offers a Bachelor’s and several Master’s degree programmes. With more than 2,400 undergraduate and graduate students, Communication Science is among the largest departments at the University of Amsterdam with an outstanding international reputation. The College of Communication and the Graduate School of Communication offer a Bachelor and Master program, a European joint degree program in Journalism and a Research Master, the only of its kind in the Netherlands. The teaching in our Communication Science program is interdisciplinary and internationally oriented, offering tracks taught in both English and Dutch. The Amsterdam School of Communication Research (ASCoR) is the research institute for the Communication Science department, and formulated an ambitious Research programme. The Department is the home of the Communication and Digital Society Initiative, the Mis- & Disinformation Initiative, the Digital Communications Methods Lab and it participates in several of the University and Faculty Research Priority Areas.

What are you going to do

As an Assistant Professor (40% research 60% teaching), you:

• teach courses in the programmes of the Bachelor and Master communication science in Dutch and/or English, including substantive theoretical coursework and methodological coursework, depending on educational demand (currently we are looking for someone who is able to teach the more marketing communication related courses in our program);
• organize teaching in the field of Persuasive Communication, from first year’s bachelor courses to courses in the master track Persuasive Communication;
• supervise and evaluate Bachelor theses, Master theses and internships;
• conduct research on digital marketing communication within the ASCoR research program
• take part in outreach and impact activities;
• contribute to and lead applications for external funding;
• participate in committees, groups and projects in the program group Persuasive Communication.

What do you have to offer

The job profile is UD (universitair docent/ Assistant Professor), based on the university job ranking system.

You act with attention to quality, integrity and creativity, and:

• have a PhD in Communication Science; Also candidates from related disciplines such as, marketing, social psychology, consumer behaviour or humanities with knowledge of digital media methods and digital marketing methods are invited to apply;
• have demonstrable experience in academic teaching at BSc and MSc levels;
• experience and willingness to teach methods courses about quantitative research methods commonly employed in communication science;
• affinity with or motivation to teach computational methods is a plus;

• have developed an empirical-analytical line of research that fits well with and adds to the profile of the program group and the ASCoR Research program as evidenced in publications in prominent communication science journals or journals from related disciplines;
• have expertise on the content/antecedents/use and consequences of emergent media technologies that are central to digitalization like AI, algorithms, chat bots, voice assistants, VR, social media etc. The ideal candidate studies such topics in the context of marketing- and brand communication;
• expertise and interest in digital communication methods and digital analytics is a plus;
• have the qualities and plans to apply for competitive grants – demonstrated grant-writing experience is a plus;
• are open to the principles of Open Science;
• are capable to provide a stimulating teaching and research environment and are a good team worker;
• are enthusiastic to carry out service and coordination tasks for the benefit of the program group and Department of Communication;
• are an active member of the (international) Communication Science community or related communities;
• have proficiency in English and Dutch or the willingness to learn Dutch;
• have a university teaching qualification (BKO) or are willing to obtain one within two years.

What can we offer you

We offer a temporary full-time or part-time starting contract for the period of 1.5 years (1 year for internal candidates). Contingent upon positive evaluation and satisfactory performance, you will be offered a permanent contract (tenured) after the starting contract.

As a UD, you are eligible for a one-time start-up grant of 300,000 euros that you can use for scientific research.

Starting date is between 21 August 2023 and 15 January 2024.

Your salary will be €3974 and the maximum salary is €5439 gross per month based on a 38-hour working week, in keeping with salary scale 11, as per the Collective Labour Agreement of Dutch Universities.

We additionally offer an extensive package of secondary benefits, including 8% holiday allowance and a year-end bonus of 8.3%.

The UvA offers excellent possibilities for further professional development and education.
 

What else do we offer

• A position in which initiative and input are highly valued;
• An enthusiastic and warm department that is open to new colleagues;
• A stimulating research environment, in one of the leading departments in media and communication worldwide;
• Teaching in diverse, multicultural, and engaged cohorts of students;
• An inspiring academic and international working environment in the heart of Amsterdam;
• Access to some research funds to conduct studies and attend international conferences.

About us

The University of Amsterdam is the largest university in the Netherlands, with the broadest spectrum of degree programmes. It is an intellectual hub with 39,000 students, 6,000 employees and 3,000 doctoral students who are all committed to a culture of inquiring minds.

About the faculty
A challenging work environment with a variety of duties and ample scope for individual initiative and development within an inspiring organization. The social and behavioral sciences play a leading role in addressing the major societal challenges faced by the world, the Netherlands and Amsterdam, now and in the future.

Want to know more about our organisation? Read more about working at the University of Amsterdam.

Questions

Do you have any questions or do you require additional information? Please contact:

• dr. Hilde Voorveld, program group leader Persuasive Communication h.a.m.voorveld@uva.nl

Job application

Do you recognize yourself in the job profile? Then we look forward to receiving your application by 21 May 2023. You may apply online by using the link below.

Applications in .pdf should include:

• a curriculum vitae;
• a letter of motivation.
   

The UvA is an equal-opportunity employer. We prioritize diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for everyone. We value a spirit of enquiry and perseverance, provide the space to keep asking questions, and promote a culture of curiosity and creativity.

If you encounter Error GBB451/ GBC451, reach out to our HR Department directly. They will gladly help you continue your application.

No agencies please.