2026 Doctoral Position in Social Data Science at the University of Konstanz

The project investigates the social, computational, and linguistic role of memetic noise and silence in social media text communication. Memetic noise is present when users obscure their social media posts (e.g. with diacritics as “zalgo text”) and memetic silence takes the form of additional line breaks and other formatting patterns that create “dramatic pauses”. The project has a special focus on political communication in online media. We are looking for a doctoral researcher to focus on the analysis of data from linguistic experiments on memetic noise and silence, on the representation of memetic noise and silience in language models, and in how to model the emergence of memetic noise and silence with a combination of Large Language Models and Agent-Based Modelling. This doctoral position is in Social Data Science Lab of the department of Politics and Public Administration, being part of a highly interdisciplinary team that combines social scientists, computer scientists, and other disciplines.

Your Responsibilities

• Analyzing Language Models and large-scale social media data
• Developing a Generative Agent-Based Model
• Collaborating with linguists on experiments about online silence

Table of Content

• Summary
• Benefits
• Requirements
• Application Documents
• Application Deadline
• How To Apply

Summary

• Application DeadlineFebruary 15, 2026
• Study LevelPhD
• SponsorUniversity Of Konstanz
• School to studyUniversity Of Konstanz
• Eligible CountryAll Countries

Benefits

• The opportunity to do a PhD within the Collaborative Research Centre ‘Silence, Noise and Signal in Language’
• An open, motivated research team and interdisciplinary research environment
• Collaborating researchers at doctoral, postdoctoral and professorial levels
• Excellent career and equal opportunity coaching

Requirements

• Background in Data Science, especially Natural Language Processing
• Proven interest in Linguistics beyond data analysis
• MA degree in Data Science, Linguistics, or a Social Science programme with a strong analytical curriculum
• Experience with Large Language Models and/or Agent-Based Modelling are a plus

Application Documents

Applications should contain:

• A short motivation letter
• An academic CV
• Copies of all previous degrees, including detailed transcripts of records
• Names and email addresses of two academic references (one from the supervisor of the BA/MA/MSc thesis or equivalent), and
• A writing or project sample, such as a draft of a thesis, paper, or research project report.

Incomplete applications will not be considered.

Application Deadline

How To Apply

• Submit your application via the Online Application Portal.

For more information, kindly visit the University of Konstanz website.