Postdoc Position on the Computational Analysis of Cities and Digital Platforms

Are you excited to explore how digital technologies are reshaping cities? Are you well-versed in social science and computational methods, specifically web-scraping and database management? Would you enjoy working with qualitative researchers in a mixed-method project?

Join us!
We invite applications for a postdoctoral researcher in the “Curating the Digital City” project, which is led by Professor Justus Uitermark. The project examines how cities are reshaped through digital platforms, such as Google Places, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook. Using Amsterdam as its research site, the project is interested in how rankings and representations on digital platforms change the way that places in the city are made.

The reactivity between the constitution of place and the making of digital hierarchies is central to the project. Through a combination of computational and interpretative methods, the project examines: (1) patterns of uneven visibility by mapping the representations of places across multiple digital platforms; and (2) the strategies of digital curators who represent and change places to improve their position online.

This post-doctoral position focuses on the first aspect and examines how places are represented across different digital platforms, such as Google Places, Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok. Drawing on both quantitative and textual platform data collected through scraping techniques, the subproject will construct a data matrix containing place-level data. The rows in this data matrix are places (restaurants, community centres, museums, and so on); the columns include their representations (metrics, rankings, texts, and images). If successful, this will enable us to comprehensively map uneven visibility—the qualitative and quantitative differences between representations across different platforms—on digital platforms.

More detailed information is available from Justus Uitermark.

What are you going to do?

• Collecting data within the framework of the “Curating the digital city” project;
• Writing academic articles with other team members;
• Engaging with practitioners and civil society organizations;
• Contributing to the project, the program group, and the department.

What do you have to offer?

• A doctorate degree or equivalent with a relevant specialization within the social sciences;
• Excellent computational research skills;
• Skills to converse and work across epistemological divides;
• Knowledge and research experience on cities and digital technologies;
• Excellent oral and written communication skills in English.

What else do we offer?
We offer a temporary employment contract of 19 to 30.4 hours per week for two years. The initial employment is for one year and the preferred starting date is April 1st, 2025. Following a positive assessment, this term will be extended by a maximum of one year.

Depending on the needs of our educational programs, it may be possible to expand the contract with teaching. It may also be possible to change the duration of the position and length of the work week as long as the total is 1.4fte.

You will be working at this department
This project is embedded within the Urban Geographies program group, which is part of the AISSR. Urban Geographies and the AISSR stimulate staff members to develop research programs that push the boundaries of social science. They provide talented social scientists with an inspiring intellectual environment, foster theoretical and methodological pluralism, and promote a culture of interdisciplinary and international collaboration. The research group, the department, and the institute include a substantial number of researchers interested in cities, digital platforms, and mixed-methods.

Have you become excited about this opportunity? Then we look forward to receiving your application by January 15, 2025. You may apply online by using the link below.

Applications in one bundled .pdf should include (please upload it in the 'resume' upload box):

• An application letter (no longer than 2 pages). This letter should explain why you aspire to participate in the “Curating the Digital City” project and how you intend to contribute to it;
• Your Curriculum Vitae;
• A writing sample of no longer than 25 pages. If you want to submit a longer text (such as a dissertation), please provide an excerpt;
• The names of two referees. We will not contact the referees before the interview stage.

The committee will not provide individual feedback to applicants.

Shortlisted candidates will be invited for an interview. The first round of interviews is planned for February or early March 2025. The starting date is April 1st, 2025 or as soon as possible thereafter.

The UvA is an equal-opportunity employer. We prioritise 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.

No agencies please.

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19 - 30.4 hours per week

Nieuwe Achtergracht 166