[Commlist] Postdoctoral Research Fellow (Visual Studies Lab, TRAVIS)

https://tuni.rekrytointi.com/paikat/?o=A_RJ&jgid=1&jid=1581

Postdoctoral Research Fellow (Visual Studies Lab, TRAVIS)/ 
Tutkijatohtori (Visual Studies Lab, TRAVIS)


3-year Postdoctoral Research Fellow (Visual Studies Lab, TRAVIS)

Tampere University and Tampere University of Applied Sciences create a 
unique environment for multidisciplinary, inspirational and high-impact 
research and education. Our universities community has its competitive 
edges in technology, health and society. www.tuni.fi/en

The Visual Studies Lab (VSL) is located at the Communication Sciences 
Unit at Tampere University within the Faculty of Information Technology 
and Communication Sciences. VSL focuses on images and visuality from a 
social scientific perspective; externally funded projects are led by 
PI’s from visual studies, media and communication studies, sociology, 
anthropology and international relations. Our work is often conducted in 
close collaboration with colleagues from related disciplines, including 
computing, the arts, and perceptual psychology.

TRAVIS

Trust and Visuality: Everyday digital practices (TRAVIS) is an 
international research project funded by the Chanse programme. Professor 
Asko Lehmuskallio will lead the research conducted in Finland, other 
team leaders are Professor Katrin Tiidenberg (Tallinn University, 
Estonia, PL), Professor Gillian Rose (Oxford University, UK) and Dr 
Maria Schreiber (Salzburg University, Austria), who will all recruit for 
and lead respective work to be conducted in Austria, Estonia and the 
United Kingdom.

TRAVIS will focus theoretically and empirically on practices of visual 
digital trust, specifically in interrelated fields that are central to 
everyday enactments of trust: wellbeing, health and news. Specifically, 
we look at health news and social media health communication. Their 
centrality to questions of trust and the social implications of that 
centrality has been highlighted particularly  in the last years of the 
ongoing pandemic. The team chose this focus for three reasons: first, 
humans tend to experience visual information as more trustworthy than 
other communicative modes. Second, while trust continues to be crucial 
for social life, it is significantly complicated by our increasing 
reliance on online communication, where we have to infer our 
communication partners and their intentions from their on-screen 
representations and algorithmic manipulation. And finally, the pandemic 
showed us that visual digital representations related to our individual 
(eg step counts, recovery selfies) and collective (eg visualizations of 
infection rates) experiences of health are increasingly central to our 
lives.

Job description

VSL is seeking for a postdoctoral researcher to conduct the fieldwork in 
Finland for TRAVIS, as well as to participate in other aspects of the 
project, including preparation of ethical research documentation 
throughout the project, data collection, analysis and storage, 
preparation of research outputs, as well as impact with academic and 
non-academic partners alike. The research to be conducted is highly 
qualitative, and includes a range of methods appropriate for studying 
digital visual trust, e.g. interviews, walkthrough methods, image 
analyses, possible short-term participant observation, and others deemed 
appropriate by the research team. An interest in quantitative digital 
methods is valued, but not a requirement.

Besides involvement in TRAVIS, you will be involved in yearly meetings 
of CHANSE funded projects, as well as part of the Communication Sciences 
Unit’s research community, particularly COMET (Tampere Research Centre 
for Journalism, Media and Communication) and VSL (Visual Studies Lab).

The candidate should have excellent cooperative skills, and an openness 
for work in an international team.

Responsibilities

The postdoctoral research fellow will report to Professor Lehmuskallio.

They will develop theoretical and empirical work on visual trust, in 
close co-operation with international project partners. Prepare 
documentation for ethical research data management throughout the 
project. Conduct systematic literature reviews and maintain a shared 
Zotero library. Adapt and develop qualitative methodologies appropriate 
for the research. Collect and analyse empirical data, following 
agreements within TRAVIS. Manage own research activities, co-ordinate 
and finish work to deadlines. Collaborate in preparation of high-quality 
academic publications. Work with non-academic partners to develop 
societal impact. Participate in project meetings nationally and 
internationally. Prepare for, and represent TRAVIS at workshops, 
seminars and international conferences. Participate in and develop 
Visual Studies Lab activities, and participate in teaching at the 
Communication Sciences Unit (10% of work time).

Requirements

The candidate should hold a relevant PhD or similar qualification (e.g. 
in Visual Studies; Media & Communication Studies; Sociology; 
Anthropology), have an ability to conduct empirical work in Finland, as 
well as speak fluent English.

You are expected to have experience of collecting and analysing 
qualitative research data, as well as relevant theoretical knowledge and 
methodological knowledge for contributing to TRAVIS.

You will need to have an ability to manage your own research and hold to 
deadlines, and an ability to working in an international and 
interdisciplinary team. You should have excellent written and oral 
skills, as well as a record of academic publications and presentations, 
appropriate for your career stage.

You should also be able  to produce relevant content for decision makers 
(reports, policy briefs, presentations), as well as to co-operate with 
relevant stakeholders regarding visual trust.

We offer

The position will be filled for a fixed-term period of up to 3 years. 
Starting date is November 1 2022, or as soon as possible thereafter. A 
trial period of 6 months is applied to all new employees.

We offer a competitive academic salary, depending on experience and 
merits achieved (the position is placed on job demand levels 5–6 in 
accordance with the Finnish University Salary System). Traveling costs 
to presenting peer-reviewed work in major international conferences are 
covered by default, as well as to relevant TRAVIS project meetings bot 
nationally and internationally. In addition, the position comes with 
extensive benefits such as occupational healthcare, on-campus sports 
facilities, flexible working hours, and several restaurants and cafés on 
campus with staff discounts. The job is associated with 1612 h annual 
working time, which translates to approx. 6 weeks of holiday per year. 
Please read more about working at Tampere University.

About the research environment

Finland is among the most stable, free and safe countries in the world, 
based on prominent ratings by various agencies. It is also ranked as one 
of the top countries as far as social progress is concerned. Tampere is 
the largest inland city of Finland, and the city is counted among the 
major academic hubs in the Nordic countries, offering a dynamic living 
environment. Tampere region is one of the most rapidly growing urban 
areas in Finland and home to a vibrant knowledge-intensive 
entrepreneurial community. The city is an industrial powerhouse that 
enjoys a rich cultural scene and a reputation as a centre of Finland’s 
information society. Despite its growth, living in Tampere is highly 
affordable for housing. In addition, the excellent public transport 
network enables quick, easy, and cheap transportation around the city of 
Tampere and university campuses. Tampere is also surrounded by vivid 
nature with forests and lakes, providing countless opportunities for 
easy-to-access outdoor adventures and refreshment throughout the year.
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