[Commlist] academic position (open rank) on Media and Health communication

the School for Mass Communication Research (KU Leuven, Belgium) is 
offering a academic staff position (open rank) on Media and Health 
communication. SMCR is looking for a colleague who is an expert in one 
of the following subdomains of health communication:

(1) effects of media use on various health (e.g., addiction, suicide,…) 
or societal issues (e.g., hate speech, sustainability,…), and ways of 
responding to these effects with communication and intervention,

(2) the development and testing of mediated promotion and intervention 
campaigns aiming to advance public health or societal wellbeing,

(3) health information seeking and effects (e.g., resistance to health 
information, public service announcements,…), and/or

(4) technological perspectives on health communication (e.g., effects of 
VR on health outcomes, potential of mHealth in health promotion, 
artificial intelligence,…).

Teaching will contain several courses at the Bachelor’s and Master’s 
level and will include theoretical and methodological courses on 
communication science in general and digital media in particular.

Interested candidates can apply for this job no later than February 21, 
2021 via the online application tool.

For more information see 
https://www.kuleuven.be/personeel/jobsite/jobs/55921882?hl=en&lang=en

+++

Academic position in Media and Health Communication

(ref. ZAP-2020-182)
Last modification : Wednesday, October 28, 2020


The fulltime professor position (open-rank) will be held within the 
Leuven School for Mass Communication Research, a research unit within 
the Department of Communication Sciences, Faculty of Social Sciences, KU 
Leuven (Belgium). KU Leuven represents a leading academic institution in 
Europe that is currently by far the largest university in Belgium in 
terms of research funding and expenditure. The university’s mission is 
to provide excellence in academic education and research and to offer a 
distinguished service to society. Owing to KU Leuven’s cutting-edge 
research, KU Leuven is a charter member of the League of European 
Research Universities (LERU) and is consistently ranked among the top 10 
universities in Europe.

Within KU Leuven, the Leuven School of Mass Communication Research 
(SMCR) represents a pioneering institution for media effects research. 
SMCR strives to contribute to the most advanced methodological 
techniques and theoretical insights in communication studies, cognitive 
and social psychology, sociology, and public health. The research focus 
lies on the use of information- and entertainment media (including 
social media, ICT, television, games, mobile devices), and on how these 
uses may harm or enhance various components of individuals’ wellbeing. 
We have a strong expertise in explaining the processes through which 
various forms of media use affect physical, psychological and social 
wellbeing in the long run, and the conditions under which these 
processes occur. Therefore, a series of advanced methods are applied, 
including longitudinal survey studies, daily diary studies and content 
analysis. Issues studied in recent years include alcohol and drug use, 
sexuality and sexism, aggression, risk taking, depression,  self-harm, 
(positive) body image, sleep, mental wellbeing, health information 
seeking, self-esteem, parental mediation, and nutrition.

The School adheres to the highest academic standards and strives towards 
publishing its research in top academic journals (e.g., Journal of 
Communication, Human Communication Research, New Media & Society). For 
this research, prestigious grants from multiple funding agencies are 
attributed yearly and SMCR’s excellent research has been awarded on a 
yearly basis by different international and interdisciplinary 
organizations. SMCR staff is involved in various national and 
international multidisciplinary research projects, primarily of 
fundamental nature but also with societal relevance
Website unit
Duties
Research

You will be expected to develop a research program, aim at excellent 
scientific output of international level, and support and promote 
national and international research collaborations in the broad field of 
health communication and in the context of the School for Mass 
Communication Research. Your research  focuses on the development of 
innovative theory and advanced research techniques in this field. You 
have a strong background in predominantly quantitative research methods 
and have demonstrated research excellence in various ways (e.g., top 
ranked ISI publications, awards, societal impact etc.).


With this vacancy we aim to further strengthen and expand the research 
at SMCR. We are looking for a candidate with a strong experience in 
research in communication and the advancement of health and wellbeing in 
society. Specifically, your research may encompass one of the following 
subdomains of health communication: (1) effects of media use on various 
health (e.g., addiction, suicide,…) or societal issues (e.g., hate 
speech, sustainability,…), and ways of responding to these effects with 
communication and intervention,  (2)  the development and testing of 
mediated promotion and intervention campaigns aiming to advance public 
health or societal wellbeing, (3) health information seeking and effects 
(e.g., resistance to health information, public service 
announcements,…), and/or (4) technological perspectives on health 
communication (e.g., effects of VR on health outcomes, potential of 
mHealth in health promotion, artificial intelligence,…).


Your research may focus on the (strategic) uses or effects of different 
types of media including but not limited to, social media, entertainment 
media, television, news media, apps, video games, blogs, websites, 
serious games, virtual reality etc.


In close collaboration with SMCR staff, you contribute to the existing 
lines of research and set up your own program through the acquisition of 
research funding.




Education
The Department of Communication Science, consisting of two research 
groups SMCR and IMS, organizes the Bachelor and Master of Communication 
Science, the (English) Master in Digital Media and Society, and is 
involved in the Master’s program of Business Communication and 
Journalism.  Your teaching  will contain  several courses at the 
Bachelor’s and Master’s level and will include theoretical and 
methodological courses on communication science in general and health 
communication in particular. You have experience in lecturing large 
groups and you have a broad employability due to in-depth and detailed 
knowledge about the social sciences, media sociology and media 
psychology.  You supervise students working on their masterthesis and 
PhD students.

Your teaching is expected to meet the KU Leuven standards regarding 
academic program level and orientation and to be in keeping with the 
educational vision of KU Leuven. Commitment to the quality of education 
as a whole is naturally understood.
Service
You provide scientific, social and internal services. This is reflected, 
among other things, in a constructive contribution to education and 
research, as part of a team's collective projects (e.g. through 
participation in meetings, teacher days, information sessions, 
recruitment activities, exchange programs).
Profile

Applicants hold a Ph.D. degree in communication sciences, social 
sciences, psychology, public health or an equivalent diploma. We seek a 
scholar with a broad theoretical- and interdisciplinary interest and a 
strong background in quantitative research methods, whose research 
relates to and complements the current research lines at SMCR with a 
strong health communication profile. The successful candidate has an 
excellent research record as evidenced by more than one dimension, e.g., 
the quality of his/her PhD research, high-level publications in the 
important journals of our field (i.e., ICA journals) and related fields, 
research impact (e.g., citations) and acquired research funding.  We 
value professional behavior and collegiality, and will encourage the 
candidate to collaborate with SMCR researchers as well as with 
interdisciplinary research groups and centers within KU Leuven. The 
candidate has a large international network and is eager to further 
develop this within the context of SMCR.


Applicants have demonstrated excellent teaching skills which preferably 
include experience in teaching large groups of students.


The official administrative language used at KU Leuven is Dutch. If you 
do not speak Dutch (or do not speak it well) at the start of employment, 
KU Leuven will provide language training to enable you to take part in 
administrative meetings. A thorough knowledge of English is required.


Offer

We offer a full-time employment in an intellectually challenging and 
international environment. You will work in Leuven, a historic and 
lively city located in the heart of Belgium, within 20 minutes from 
Brussels, and less than two hours from Paris, London and Amsterdam. 
Depending on your experience and qualification, the position will be 
filled at one of the levels of the Senior Academic Staff (Tenure Track 
Professor, Associate Professor, Full Professor). Junior researchers are 
appointed as assistant professor on the tenure track for a period of 
five years; after this period and a positive evaluation, they are 
permanently appointed (or tenured) as an associate professor. The 
anticipated starting date for this position is September 1, 2021.


To facilitate scientific onboarding and accelerate research in the first 
phase a starting grant of 100.000 euro is offered to new professors 
without substantial other funding (e.g., ERC).


KU Leuven welcomes international scholars and their family and provides 
practical support with regard to immigration and administration, 
housing, childcare, learning Dutch, partner career coaching,…

Interested?
For more information please contact Prof. dr. Kathleen Beullens, tel.: 
+32 16 32 32 19, mail: (kathleen.beullens /at/ kuleuven.be) or Prof. dr. Stef 
Aupers, tel.: +32 16 37 23 07, mail: (stef.aupers /at/ kuleuven.be) or dean 
prof. dr. Steven Eggermont, tel: +32 32 32 38, mail: 
(steven.eggermont /at/ kuleuven.be). For problems with online applying, please 
contact (solliciteren /at/ kuleuven.be).
You can apply for this job no later than February 22, 2021 via the 
online application tool
KU Leuven seeks to foster an environment where all talents can flourish, 
regardless of gender, age, cultural background, nationality or 
impairments. If you have any questions relating to accessibility or 
support, please contact us at (diversiteit.HR /at/ kuleuven.be).


---------------
The COMMLIST
---------------
This mailing list is a free service offered by Nico Carpentier. Please use it responsibly and wisely.
--
To subscribe or unsubscribe, please visit http://commlist.org/
--
Before sending a posting request, please always read the guidelines at http://commlist.org/
--
To contact the mailing list manager:
Email: (nico.carpentier /at/ vub.ac.be)
URL: http://nicocarpentier.net
---------------