Postdoctoral Researcher in Monetisation, Governance, 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 monetisation, governance, and the creator economy. The postdoctoral position is part of the research project ‘New Media Monetisation’ funded by the Aarhus University Research Foundation (AUFF).

The postdoc is a full-time, 2.5-year fixed-term position. It begins on 1 March 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 New Media Monetisation project investigates the governance of new funding models for creators and influencers, including subscriptions, donations, and the purchase of products and services. The project approaches governance holistically, encompassing the social norms around fan-creator interactions, the rules codified in platform policies, the expectations built into the design of platform tools, and state regulatory initiatives. Subscription platforms like Patreon or OnlyFans, fundraising platforms like Kickstarter, or donation tools built into video platforms like YouTube or TikTok reconfigure the relationship between creators, audiences, and platforms. Creators are less dependent on traditional intermediaries but must engage in significant audience management. Audiences have unprecedented influence on cultural production but struggle to define appropriate boundaries around parasocial relationships. Platforms draw significant revenue from transactions but face growing pressure from regulators, venture capital, and competitors. Together, these factors monetisation an ideal site to investigate and shape the future of work, cultural production, and the platform society.

The New Media Monetisation position is situated within the CREATOR:GOV Lab, providing opportunities for collaboration, and the working language is English. The postdoc will develop their own project within the framework of New Media Monetisation and collaborate with the PI on related studies. While the postdoctoral project needs to address issues related to creators, monetisation, and governance, the context, methods, and disciplinary orientation are relatively open. Regarding context, projects can address any industrial sector or geographic region of the creator economy. Regarding methods, projects must involve empirical research but can employ qualitative, quantitative, or mixed methods. Regarding disciplinary orientation, the postdoctoral researcher should be comfortable working in an interdisciplinary environment but can target the research they lead toward relevant disciplinary audiences, conferences, and publication venues. The flexibility in focus is meant to attract innovative and impactful research proposals.

Postdoctoral position

The postdoc position involves 80% research, 20% teaching and departmental service, following the principles formulated in relation to the Independent Research Foundation of Denmark. The working hours (excluding holidays) are 1643 hours, which means that 20% of working hours corresponds to 328 hours annually. This typically means that the postdoctoral fellow will teach one major course annually, as well as perform other work tasks related to teaching, including supervision and exams.
Regarding research, the successful applicant will be expected to:

design research, in coordination with PI, that investigates the governance of new funding models for creators and influencers,
collect and analyse empirical data (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:GOV Lab’s collaborative research environment through, for example, attending lab meetings, discussing relevant literature, and co-authoring papers.

Teaching and supervision

As postdoctoral researcher, your position is primarily research-based, but it will also involve a small degree of teaching and supervision. To that end, the successful applicant will be expected to take part in the department’s teaching and supervision activities related to BA courses like “Analysis of Digital Media” and “Media Systems Analysis” or MA courses like “Digital Media and Societal Transformations” and “Research Design and Method: Case Studies.” The successful applicant will be able to teach in English or Danish.

Qualifications

Required qualifications:

PhD degree or equivalent qualifications in a field relevant to the study of digital platforms, such as media studies, communication, information science, or sociology
expertise in the domains of platform governance, the creator economy, or platform labour, as documented by the dissertation and/or published research
publications in international journals or conference proceedings, including at least one lead or sole-authored article
ability to speak and write in English at an academic level, as documented by publications, conference presentations, and/or teaching experience in English.

Desired qualifications:

theoretical sophistication, reflected in the argumentation and conceptualisation of prior work and/or the proposed research
innovative approach to platform governance (including social norms, content moderation, or legislation), reflected in the writing samples and/or proposed research
experience with collaborative, interdisciplinary, and/or international research
strong communication and interpersonal skills to engage with the research team and external stakeholders.

Application

Interested candidates 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 ‘New Media Monetisation’ framework, 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
a teaching portfolio demonstrating your qualifications and approach to teaching

Please note that although the application process can be completed on the Aarhus University system without uploading publications, applications that do not include up to 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.

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 email: hsi@au.dk.

Qualification requirements

Applicants should hold a PhD or equivalent academic qualifications.

Formalities

The Faculty of Arts refers to the Ministerial Order on the Appointment of Academic Staff at Danish Universities (the Appointment Order).

Appointments shall be in accordance with the collective labour agreement between the Danish Ministry of Taxation and the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations.
Further information on qualification requirements and job content may be found in the Memorandum on Job Structure for Academic Staff at Danish Universities.
Further information on the application and supplementary materials may be found in Application Guidelines.
The application must outline the applicant's motivation for applying for the position, attaching a curriculum vitae, a teaching portfolio, a complete list of published works, copies of degree certificates and examples of academic production (mandatory, but no more than two examples). Please upload this material electronically along with your application.

Aarhus University also offers a junior researcher development programme targeted at career development for postdocs at AU. You can read more about it here: https://talent.au.dk/junior-researcher-development-programme/

If nothing else is noted, applications must be submitted in English. The application deadline is at 11.59 pm Danish time (same as Central European Time) on the deadline day.

Aarhus University’s ambition is to be an attractive and inspiring workplace for all and to foster a culture in which each individual has opportunities to thrive, achieve and develop. We view equality and diversity as assets, and we welcome all applicants.

Shortlists may be prepared with the candidates that have been selected for a detailed academic assessment. A committee set up by the head of school is responsible for selecting the most qualified candidates. See this link for further information about shortlisting at the Faculty of Arts: shortlisting

Faculty of Arts

The Faculty of Arts is one of five main academic areas at Aarhus University.

The faculty contributes to Aarhus University's research, talent development, knowledge exchange and degree programmes.
With its 700 academic staff members, 200 PhD students, 9,000 BA and MA students, and 1,500 students following continuing/further education programmes, the faculty constitutes a strong and diverse research and teaching environment.

The Faculty of Arts consists of the School of Communication and Culture, the School of Culture and Society and the Danish School of Education. Each of these units has strong academic environments and forms the basis for interdisciplinary research and education.

The faculty's academic environments and degree programmes engage in international collaboration and share the common goal of contributing to the development of knowledge, welfare and culture in interaction with society.

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/

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