Lund University, Faculty of Social Sciences

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Lund University was founded in 1666 and is repeatedly ranked among the world’s top 100 universities. The University has around 46 000 students and more than 8 000 staff based in Lund, Helsingborg and Malmö. We are united in our efforts to understand, explain and improve our world and the human condition.

Lund University welcomes applicants with diverse backgrounds and experiences. We regard gender equality and diversity as a strength and an asset.

We are now looking for a PhD student in Media and Communication Studies with a focus on strategic communication and psychological defense.

Work duties

The main duties are to devote themselves to their own research education, which includes both own research and third cycle courses. In addition to doctoral studies, participation in teaching and other departmental work (max 20%) may also be included. 

Strategic communication deals with the study of organizations' conscious communication efforts to achieve their overall goals. The research will highlight, create an understanding of and critically examine the communication processes that govern and shape organizations in our society and the effects of strategic communication.

The Department of Strategic Communication has a newly established research institute for psychological defence (psychologicaldefence.lu.se). Psychological defense is society's common ability to identify and resist undue information influence and other misleading information directed against Sweden in order to influence our decisions, perceptions or behaviors. The research institute receives basic funding from the Swedish Agency for Psychological Defence.

The Psychological Defence Research Institute conducts research within the field of strategic communication with a focus on malign information influence and foreign interference. Malign information influence supports the interests of foreign powers’ and aims to influence vulnerabilities in society. The Research Institute focuses on security issues such as civil defence, hybrid threats, social media platforms, and open-source intelligence, and develops research-based guidelines, tools, and analyses to identify and counteract malign information influence. Applications are expected to contribute to the development of the research field of strategic communication through the investigation of psychological defence. The PhD student will actively contribute to the work and development of the Research Institute.

The doctoral programme in Media and Communication Studies at Lund University is given jointly by the Department of Strategic Communication and the Department of Communication and Media. For more information about doctoral education, see the website.

Eligibility

General eligibility for third-cycle studies requires that the applicant has completed: a second-cycle degree, completed course requirements of at least 240 credits, of which at least 60 credits are fromsecond-cycle level, or in some other way in Sweden or abroad acquired largely equivalent knowledge.

In addition to the general entry requirements for third-cycle studies, the doctoral student must have at least 30 credits in the main field of study Media and Communication Studies at advanced level or acquired equivalent knowledge in Sweden or abroad. 

The doctoral student must also have completed independent projects of at least 15 credits at second-cycle level. 

The applicant should have such knowledge of English that he/she can assimilate research literature, third-cycle courses and participate actively in seminar activities.

Assessment criteria

When appointing, consideration shall primarily be given to the degree of ability to benefit from the doctoral education.

The applicant must have a basic education related to and experience in strategic communication, media and communication studies, rhetoric or equivalent. Great emphasis is placed on the applicant's master's thesis (or equivalent degree project) and the presented thesis idea.

The assessment will also take into account the ability to work independently and structured, but also the ability to contribute to good collaboration and a good research environment at the department.

Type of employment

Only those who are or have been admitted to PhD-studies may be appointed to doctoral studentships. The employment is limited to 4 years in the case of full-time studies. In the case of teaching and other departmental duties, the employment is extended correspondingly, but not more than 5 years (at 20 % departmental duties). Doctoral student employment is regulated in the Ordinance SFS 1993:100 (Higher Education Ordinance, Chapter 5, Section 7). The position is planned to start January 2024 or according to agreement.

Instructions on how to apply

The application must be attached:

1) CV with certified copies of degree certificates, academic grades and other relevant certificates 2) a copy of the Master's thesis and, where applicable, the applicant's other scientific 

publications (e.g. articles in scientific journals)

3) a personal letter describing the applicant's background, interest in the subject and intention of the doctoral education

4) a thesis sketch where the applicant presents an idea for the thesis (maximum five pages)

5) contact information for two reference persons.

Incomplete applications will not be considered.

Welcome with your application!

The Faculty of Social Sciences at Lund University is one of the leading education and research institutions in Sweden and operates both in Lund and Helsingborg.

The Department of Strategic Communication runs Sweden’s largest education and research activities in the field of strategic communication. The department is also one of the largest in the field in Europe. The activities of the department are based at Campus Helsingborg, which is characterised by the authenticity of Lund University in a young and dynamic environment with an interdisciplinary approach. Another characteristic of the activities at Campus Helsingborg is strong engagement with the business sector and the public sector in both education and research.

The Department of Strategic Communication offers three popular undergraduate and Master’s degree programmes. At present, the department has almost 25 staff and around 330 full-time equivalent students. The department conducts successful research in various areas, including crisis communication, branding processes, organizational communication, public diplomacy and information warfare, and new media and democracy. The research environment is growing strongly, has active international contact and welcomes cross-disciplinary initiatives. The work environment at the department is characterised by cooperation in teaching teams, active work on strategy and development, and an international environment where communication in English is a natural part of the everyday.

We kindly decline all sales and marketing contacts.

Type of employment: Temporary position

Salary: Monthly salary

Number of positions: 1

Full-time equivalent: 100

City: Helsingborg

County: Skåne län

Country: Sweden

Reference number: PA2023/1314

Contact:

• Mozhgan Zachrison, +4642356529
  
• Åsa Thelander, +4642356628
  
• Anna Borg, +46462224806
  

Union representative

• OFR/ST:Fackförbundet ST:s kansli, 046-2229362
  
• SACO:Saco-s-rådet vid Lunds universitet, kansli@saco-s.lu.se
  
• SEKO: Seko Civil, 046-2229366
  

Last application date15.Jun.2023 11:59 PM CEST