PhD student in Media and Communication Studies

Are you interested in working with research in Media and Communication, with the support of competent and friendly colleagues in an international environment? Are you looking for an employer that invests in sustainable employeeship and offers safe, favourable working conditions? We welcome you to apply for a position as PhD student in Media and communication studies at Uppsala University.

The Department of Informatics and Media has a broad research profile grounded in contemporary research fields, including information systems, interaction design, and media and communication. Within the discipline of Media and Communication Studies, research focuses on various forms of communication and media in both global and local contexts. The work within the research environment is connected through a deeply interdisciplinary and critical approach, employing both qualitative and quantitative methods. We study media and communication as fundamental to understanding contemporary social change as well as to defining the conditions and challenges of human coexistence. 

Duties
The position is a fully funded doctoral studentship in Media and Communication Studies at the Department of Informatics and Media. Doctoral education comprises four years of full-time study. The doctoral candidate is expected to devote the main part of their working time to doctoral education (see project description below) and to actively participate in the department’s seminar activities, workshops, conferences, and similar events. Other duties, such as teaching and research administration – in English and/or Swedish – may also be included as part of the employment (up to a maximum of 20%).

The doctoral student will join the project AI Confidential: Emerging Forms of AI Chatbot Use for Emotional Support and Personal Well-being Among Young Swedes, funded by the Swedish Research Council (Grant No. 2026-00497). The project explores how young people (aged 15–18) interpret and relate to AI as a conversational partner in personal areas of life, as well as the opportunities and challenges that traditional healthcare providers experience in relation to this development. The doctoral student is expected to plan and conduct empirical studies within the project, drawing on an existing collaboration with the Youth Guidance Centres in Sweden’s Västmanland Region and working in close collaboration with the research team.

The project is led by Matilda Tudor (PI), Media and Communication Studies, and Lina Eklund (co-PI), Human-Computer Interaction; both have research profiles in critical digital media studies and everyday automation. Read more about the project here.

Requirements
To meet the entry requirements for doctoral studies, you must

• hold a Master’s (second-cycle) degree in Media and Communication Studies or a closely related/equivalent field, or

• have completed at least 240 credits in higher education, with at least 90 credits at Master’s level including an independent project worth at least 15 credits, within Media and Communication Studies or a closely related/equivalent field, or

• have acquired substantially equivalent knowledge in some other way.

We are looking for a candidate with a strong interest in young people’s living conditions and new technologies. The candidate should have documented experience of working with research-related tasks in Media and Communication Studies, for example through having completed a Master’s-level thesis. The candidate should have documented experience of working with interview methods and/or surveys, and must be able to conduct qualitative research interviews in Swedish. Fluency in Swedish is therefore required, as well as excellent proficiency in spoken and written English.

Great importance will be placed on the candidate’s personal suitability for the position and interest in the subject area. In addition to academic qualifications, important qualifications include the ability to collaborate, initiative, independence, and a critical, reflective, and analytical approach. Personal skills should also be substantiated through documentation.

When the University appoints new doctoral students, applicants will be selected who, following a qualitative overall assessment of their competence and qualifications, are judged to have the best conditions for carrying out and developing the tasks in question, particularly within the doctoral project, and for contributing to the positive development of activities within the field.

Qualifications and merits must be documented in such a way that both their quality and scope can be assessed.

Interviews will be conducted either in person or digitally at Uppsala University.

Regulations concerning doctoral students are set out in Chapter 5, Sections 1–7 of the Swedish Higher Education Ordinance (Högskoleförordningen), as well as in the University’s rules and guidelines.

The application must include:

• A brief cover letter, which should contain:1) The applicant’s motivation for applying for the position (maximum 500 words). 2) A brief description of the documents submitted (list them). 3) If more than one academic work (thesis, article, etc.) is submitted for assessment, the cover letter must specify which of these the admissions committee should prioritize.

• Doctoral project plan (maximum two pages, in English). The plan should include the theoretical framework, research questions, aims, type of data, methodology, and timeline.

• CV with certified copies of academic documents, such as transcripts, demonstrating that the applicant meets the eligibility requirements for doctoral studies in Media and Communication Studies, as well as copies of certified degree certificates and grades.

• Two letters of recommendation.

• Copies of independent academic works authored by the applicant as part of their undergraduate or graduate education (C-, D-, or advanced level, or equivalent; drafts of ongoing work may be attached), or other relevant texts.

• Any other documents the applicant wishes to include.

PLEASE NOTE: Incomplete applications will not be considered.

About the employment
The employment is a temporary position according to the Higher Education Ordinance chapter 5 § 7. Scope of employment 100 %. Starting date 1 january or as agreed. Placement: Uppsala

For further information about the position, please contact:

• Project leadar - Matilda Tudor, matilda.tudor@im.uu.se
• Head of Department – Tomas Eklund, tomas.eklund@im.uu.se
• Chair of Media and Communication Studies - Michał Krzyżanowski, michal.krzyzanowski@im.uu.se

Please submit your application by 13 November 2026, UFV-PA 2026/2934