Postdoctoral Researcher in Digital Methods and the Creator Economy at the Department of Media and Journalism Studies

The Department of Media and Journalism Studies within the School of Communication and Culture at Aarhus University invites applications for a postdoctoral position in digital methods and the creator economy. The postdoctoral position is part of the research project ‘PAY4PLAY: Entrepreneurial Organising in the Platform Society,’ led by Assistant Professor Blake Hallinan and funded by the European Research Council (ERC).

The postdoc is a full time, 2.5-year fixed-term position. It begins on 1 February 2026 or as soon as possible thereafter.

The School of Communication and Culture is committed to diversity and encourages all qualified applicants to apply regardless of their personal background.

Project

The PAY4PLAY project is an interdisciplinary, large-scale investigation of organising in the creator economy concerned with how creators and their communities come together and create value. The project is premised on the idea that organising is essential to understand how creators—and people more broadly—both exploit and challenge the growing power of digital platforms. Internally, creators bring together co-producers, volunteers, and audience members into platform-based associations with (1) hierarchical structures, (2) monetised interactions, and (3) asymmetrical relationships. Externally, creators form alliances to shape the conditions of content production. The project approaches creator organising from three perspectives (culture, infrastructure, policy) and compares three industrial sectors (gamers, VTubers, adult content creators). In so doing, the project will map the industrial conditions of the creator economy, develop a new theory of organising and platform power, and provide policy recommendations for platforms and regulators.

The PAY4PLAY team includes the principal investigator Blake Hallinan, three PhD researchers who will each focus on one of the industrial sectors, and this postdoctoral research position, as well as an international network of advisors and collaborators. The project is situated with the Creator Economies Lab, and the working language of the project is English, although data collection will also include Japanese and Spanish. The postdoc will lead a sub-project titled ‘Sociotechnical infrastructures for managing and monetising communities’, using digital methods and social media data to research the influence of platforms and third-party tools. The sub-project is flexible, meaning that the postdoc will have the opportunity to design studies, in coordination with the PI, which align with the researcher’s interests and methodological skillset. The postdoc will also have the opportunity to collaborate with team members working on the sub-projects focused on culture and policy.

Postdoctoral position

The postdoc is research-only and the successful applicant will be expected to:

• design research, in coordination with PI, which investigates the influence of platforms and third-party tools on the creator economy using social media data and digital methods
• collect social media data using platform APIs and/or web scraping
• analyse large-scale data using appropriate digital methods (flexible, but please specify)
• present research at national and/or international events
• lead the publication of at least two articles for international journals or conference proceedings
• participate in the Creator Economy Lab’s collaborative research environment through, for example, attending lab meetings, discussing relevant literature, and co-authoring papers.

The project is interdisciplinary, with ties to media studies, information science, and economic sociology. The successful applicant will be expected to be comfortable working in an interdisciplinary environment but can target any research they lead toward relevant disciplinary audiences, conferences, and publication venues.

Qualifications

Applicants must have a PhD degree or must document equivalent qualifications in a relevant to the study of digital platforms, such as media studies, communication, information science, or sociology. Applicants must be able to document, relevant to the position:

• experience with digital methods and social media data, as documented by the dissertation and/or published research in international journals or conference proceedings, including at least one lead or sole-authored article

• domain expertise in the creator economy, especially in one of the project’s industry sectors (gamers, VTubers, adult content creators)
• methodological creativity, reflected in the use of innovative digital methods for collecting and analysing social media data in prior work and/or the proposed research
• experience with collaborative, interdisciplinary, and/or international research

• ability to speak and write in English at an academic level, as documented by publications, conference presentations, and/or teaching experience in English

• effective communication and interpersonal skills to engage with the research team and external stakeholders.

Application

Interested applicants should submit the following material:

• a cover letter explaining your qualifications for the position (1-2 pages)
• a short proposal for the research you would lead under the ‘Sociotechnical infrastructures for managing and monetising communities’ sub-project indicating the type of questions, data, and analytic methods involved (1 page)
• a CV
• official documentation of a PhD degree or its equivalent
• a full list of publications
• two writing samples, at least one of which should be published

Please note that although the application process can be completed on the Aarhus University system without uploading publications, applications that do not include two uploaded writing samples will not be considered.

Additionally, please do not include letters of recommendation or references with the application. Applicants who are invited to an interview may be asked to provide references.

Work environment

We respect the balance between work and private life and strive to create a work environment in which that balance can be maintained. You can read more about family and work-life balance in Denmark.

Aarhus University also offers a Junior Researcher Development Programme targeted at career development for postdocs at AU.

International applicants

International applicants are encouraged to read about the attractive working conditions and other benefits of working at Aarhus University and in Denmark, including healthcare, paid holidays and, if relevant, maternity/paternity leave, childcare and schooling. Aarhus University offers a wide variety of services for international researchers and accompanying families, including a relocation service and an AU Expat Partner Programme. You can also find information about the taxation aspects of international researchers’ employment by AU.

The department

The place of employment is Department of Media and Journalism Studies, Helsingforsgade 14, 8200 Aarhus N, Denmark.
Prospective applicants are invited to view the department’s website.

School of Communication and Culture

The school is a part of the Faculty of Arts. You will find information about the school and its research programmes, departments, and diverse activities on its website.
Given the postdoctoral position’s focus on digital methods, applicants may be particularly interested in the Department of Digital Design and Information Studies.

Contact

For further information about the position, please contact the principal investigator (PI), Blake Hallinan by e-mail: bhallinan@cc.au.dk
If you need help uploading your application or have questions about the recruitment process, please contact Arts HR support by e-mail: hsi@au.dk.

Read more at arts.au.dk/en

The application must be submitted via Aarhus University’s recruitment system, which can be accessed under the job advertisement on Aarhus University's website.

Aarhus University

Aarhus University is an academically diverse and research-intensive university with a strong commitment to high-quality research and education and the development of society nationally and globally. The university offers an inspiring research and teaching environment to its 38,000 students (FTEs) and 8,300 employees, and has an annual revenues of EUR 935 million. Learn more at www.international.au.dk/