PI - 4-Year Predoctoral Research Position in the “Communication” Research Group at the University of Deusto

Call for applications for a 4-year PhD position in the research group «Communication» at the Faculty of Social and Human Sciences, at the University of Deusto.

The purpose of this position is to undertake a PhD within the framework of the project "DISGEN - Gender disinformation: Analyzing the effects of gender disinformation in democracy", funded under the 2025 Knowledge Generation Projects Call - Proyectos de Generación de Conocimiento».

The successful candidate will join the Communication research team at the Faculty of Social and Human Sciences of the University of Deusto and will pursue their doctoral studies in the PhD Programme in Leisure, language studies, culture and communication.

DISGEN - Gender disinformation: Analyzing the effects of gender disinformation in democracy (administrative reference PID2025-167912OB-I00) investigates how gender disinformation and deepfakes targeting women in the public sphere affect democratic participation and equality in Spain, using a combination of computational, qualitative, and participatory methods.

DisGen is a research-oriented project with a planned duration of four years. It is situated at the intersection of communication (media and social platforms), gender, and digital technology to address gender disinformation directed against journalists, politicians, activists, and other women on the front lines. Its objectives include quantifying the prevalence and typologies of gender disinformation, analyzing how these attacks are amplified by platforms, and designing interventions, protocols, and recommendations with a gender perspective. DISGEN is a project focused on producing empirical evidence, scientific publications, open datasets and tools, as well as recommendations and materials useful for policymakers, journalists, platforms, and civil society organizations.

The position offers the opportunity to pursue a PhD, join an interdisciplinary research environment, and participate in a project with an academic, applied, and international focus. For this position, we are seeking a candidate with a Master's degree that qualifies them for PhD studies and a demonstrable track record and research interests in areas related to communication and media, gender studies, and technology, consistent with the project's interdisciplinary approach. Candidates demonstrating interest, publications, or academic experience at the intersection of communication, gender, and technology, as well as a sensitivity to working with feminist and intersectional approaches, will be given special consideration.

The job offer available in Spanish | Oferta disponible en español

Position Description

Project

Funding institution

Spanish State Research Agency at the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities

Contract duration and remuneration

• The contract will have a maximum duration of 4 years.
• Salary: €25,456.10 gross per year.

If the PhD degree is obtained before the end of the four-year period, a Postdoctoral Orientation Period (POP) of a maximum duration of 12 months will be funded, aimed at further professional development and specialization.

Additional funding

In addition, the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities provides additional funding of €7,000 to cover expenses related to research stays at R&D centers and enrolment fees for doctoral studies.

Expected starting date

The start date will be subject to the final resolution of the 2025 Call for "Knowledge Generation Projects" «Proyectos de Generación de Conocimiento» and is expected to take place between November and December 2026.

The candidate is expected to join the University of Deusto within a maximum period of nine months from the first day of the month following the publication of the final grant award resolution.

Application requirements

1. Meet the requirements established in Article 12 of the call for "Knowledge Generation Projects 2025". Specifically, Article 12.2 specifies the evaluation criteria and their corresponding scores (see pages 27 and 28).
2. Be enrolled in, or have been admitted during Phase 2, to a PhD programme at the University of Deusto for the academic year 2026/2027.

Training, experience, or academic outputs at the intersection of communication, gender, and technology will be especially valued, as will the use of digital humanities methodologies applied to media and data analysis. Proficiency in quantitative and computational tools-such as R for statistical analysis and visualization, Gephi for network analysis, and text mining or NLP techniques-will also be considered, along with experience in qualitative analysis software such as ATLAS.ti. Furthermore, the ability to collect, systematize, analyze, and visualize research data, as well as prior participation in competitive projects, publications, conferences, and open science or knowledge transfer activities, will be highly valued.

Strong academic reading and writing skills in both Spanish and English will be highly valued, as the project involves publications, reports, and scientific output of international scope. Native Spanish speakers require a C1 level in English; native English speakers require a C1 level in Spanish.

Project Principal Investigator(s)

• Dr. Miren Gutiérrez

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS - PLEASE READ CAREFULLY

To submit an application, click on the blue button "APPLY/INSCRÍBETE" and attach the following documents in ONE SINGLE PDF FILE (maximum size: 2 MB) before uploading it in the "CV FILE" section.

Please make sure that the file is not in ZIP or RAR format, as these formats cannot be read.

1. Curriculum Vitae.
2. Official academic certificates (academic transcripts) for undergraduate and master's studies.
   The academic certificate must include the name of the degree programs, the subjects comprising the complete curriculum of the corresponding degree, the courses completed, the grades obtained, and the dates on which they were awarded.
3. Enrolment certificate in the PhD program or the corresponding admission letter for the academic year 2026/2027.
4. Identification Document: scanned copy of DNI, NIE, or passport.

• 1 November 2026

Email: [email protected]