PI - Call for Postdoctoral fellow candidates at the Communication Research Group

The Vice-rectorate for Research and International Relations along with the Communication research team at the University of Deusto are seeking postdoctoral candidates to join the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities

Research team’s website: https://www.deusto.es/en/home/research/whos-who/research-teams/communication-0/equipoinvestiga

Campus: Bilbao - Donostia / San Sebastián

Research team:

The team consists of 20 PhDs, with consolidated leadership from an internationally renowned researcher and a clearly interdisciplinary composition that integrates communication, gender studies, sociology, political science, sociolinguistics, neurolinguistics, economics, history, cultural studies and technology, which allows for an articulated approach to the relationship between communication and democracy from five interrelated lines on collaborative governance, media representations of gender and identities, digital platforms and algorithms, linguistic diversity and multilingualism, and the design of public policies for equity.

Purpose of the position:

The purpose of the postdoctoral position is to strengthen the group’s capacity to analyze how communicative, mediatic and digital processes affect democratic quality, equality and participation by contributing advanced, publishable research aligned with one of the five lines (collaborative governance, media representations of gender and identities, platforms and algorithms, linguistic diversity or public policies), while also supporting comparative, mixed-methods and/or computational designs, co-authoring high-impact outputs and policy-oriented materials with senior team members, mentoring doctoral students, and helping the team attract external funding and international collaborations in the field of communication and democracy.

Research Topics:

• Collaborative governance, public communication, and institutional trust in democratic systems.
• Media and discursive representations of gender, identity, and multiculturalism (stereotypes, antifeminist resistances, new narratives, impacts on equity).
• Digital platforms, algorithms, and artificial intelligence in relation to public debate, polarization, disinformation, and democratic quality, especially in the Basque context.
• Revitalization of Basque and other minoritized languages, linguistic inclusion and cohesion, plus the (psycho)linguistic and neurocognitive effects of bilingualism and multilingualism on equity, healthy ageing, and social inclusion.
• Design of evidence-based public policies to promote gender equality, linguistic diversity, media literacy, reduction of structural inequalities, and stronger institutional–social collaboration.

Objectives of the position:

• Publishing in high impact journals (WoS and SJR) along with group members
• Working in competitive projects (Basque Government, Spanish Government, Horizon Europe…)
• Submitting competitive research proposals.
• Collaborating with external agents, both scientific and social.

Principal Investigators:

Miren Gutiérrez Almazor holds a PhD in Communication Studies from the University of Deusto and is an internationally renowned researcher in communication, gender, technology, and artificial intelligence, with more than 6,000 citations, an h-index of 39, and over 40 articles in high-impact journals, as well as books and monographs. Accredited as a Senior Research Fellow and Full Professor by Unibasq, she leads or participates in projects funded by Horizon Europe, COST, and the AEI, has co-directed conferences such as the 1st International Congress on Ethics and Regulation of AI and “Women, Technology & Power,” and has advised organizations such as UNESCO, the European Commission, and UNDP on digital rights, data, and sustainability. Her career combines teaching at the undergraduate, master's, and doctoral levels. Her experience includes intense transfer work on algorithmic biases, digital gender violence, and democratic governance of technology, which positions her as a key profile in digital humanities and social sciences oriented towards social change.

We offer:

• Duration: The contract will be for 3 years.
• Amount and terms of paymen An allocation of 37,000€ to 41,000€ gross euros per year will be granted, distributed into 15 monthly installments, depending on the candidate’s experience.
• The contract with the University of Deusto will fall under the associate researcher/investigador/a asociado/a category.
• Expected start date: September 1, 2026.

Application deadline:

• Deadline for submitting applications: 15 April 2026.
• Contact information: dit.apoyo@deusto.es