Centre for Media and Journalism Studies, Faculty of Arts
Location: Netherlands
Start Date: 1 September 2025
Application Deadline: 30 April 2025 (11:59pm CEST)
About the PhD Project
This PhD investigates how disinformation—especially visual and AI-generated—targets women politicians through the lens of gender, politics, and media studies.
Focus: Intersectionality, visual/multimodal disinformation, political discourse, and democratic challenges.
Key Themes:
- Gendered deepfakes and generative AI
- Political communication
- Impact on women’s political participation
- Resistance to stereotypical gender narratives
Methodology:
- Systematic literature review
- Multimodal discourse analysis
- Media diaries
- Focus groups and in-depth interviews
Geographic focus is flexible (e.g., Latin America, US/Canada, Northern Europe, or the Levant) and to be decided with supervisors based on the candidate’s expertise.
Supervision Team:
- Dr. Marília Gehrke (co-promoter)
- Dr. Eedan Amit-Danhi (co-promoter)
- Dr. Scott Eldridge (promoter)
What’s Expected
- Independent, original research leading to a dissertation
- Peer-reviewed publications and conference presentations
- 0.4 FTE teaching load (over years 2–4)
- Contribution to public and scholarly engagement
Eligibility Criteria
- Research MA or MA with thesis in Media, Journalism, Communications, Political Science, or related fields
- GPA equivalent to Dutch 8.0 (preferred)
- Demonstrated interest in gender, disinformation, and AI
- English proficiency (IELTS 7.0 overall minimum)
- Cultural/language knowledge of proposed case region
- Strong teamwork and analytical skills
Funding and Benefits
- Fully funded 4-year position
- Gross salary: €2,901/month (1st year) up to €3,707/month (4th year)
- 8% holiday pay and 8.3% end-of-year bonus
- Career development support and excellent work-life balance
- Relocation and visa assistance available
- Services available for partners of international hires
How to Apply
Submit two PDF files:
File 1 – Application materials:
- Motivation letter (max 1,000 words)
- Research proposal (max 1,500 words, including research question, theory, methods, and regional focus)
- CV (max 3 pages, including contact details for two academic referees)
- MA diploma and transcript
- MA thesis (or alternate writing sample)
- Proof of English proficiency (if applicable)
File 2 – MA thesis
Submission: Apply via the official university application portal (linked on the job page).
Timeline
- Application deadline: 30 April 2025
- Notifications to shortlisted candidates: 7 May 2025
- Interviews: 12 May 2025
- Start date: 1 September 2025
For further information please see the university’s website.
