TU Dresden
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PhD Position in Computational Social Science, Network Science, and Data Science at TU Dresden TU Dresden in Germany
Degree Level
PhD
Field of study
Computer Science
Funding
Funded position (Financing: yes), Research Associate / PhD Student (m/f/x) at salary group E13 TV-L, limited until September 30, 2029, within the TRACE project funded by the Mercator Foundation. Includes 30 days paid annual leave, year-end bonus payment, and additional pension provision (VBL).
Deadline
Sep 8, 2026
Country
Germany
University
TU Dresden
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About this position
TU Dresden’s Center for Synergy of Systems (SynoSys) is advertising a full PhD / Research Associate position in Computational Social Science within the Research Group Computational Social Sciences. The project, TRACE: Transparent Research on Algorithmic Content Exposure in Europe, is funded by the Mercator Foundation and focuses on the societal impact of digitalization, especially how platform algorithms shape information propagation, content dynamics, political behavior, democracy, and offline outcomes.
The successful candidate will work at the intersection of computer science, law, and social sciences, collaborating with the Institute of International Law, Intellectual Property and Technology Law at TU Dresden to draft applications for access to research data under Article 40 of the Digital Services Act. Core research tasks include analyzing resulting datasets and conducting causal inference on algorithmic influence. The group uses methods such as agent-based modeling, time-series analysis, network science, natural language processing, and behavioral experiments, with data from online platforms, recruited participants, and data donation approaches.
Eligibility highlights: a university degree in applied computational sciences; strong interest in transdisciplinary research; methodological interest in platform data and causal inference; experience with the Digital Services Act and data access rights; proficiency in Python or R; and ideally experience with NLP, large language models, longitudinal data, and data privacy/anonymization. Good spoken and written English is required.
Funding and conditions: the position is financed, paid at E13 TV-L, and runs until 30 September 2029. The post includes 30 days of paid annual leave, a year-end bonus, additional pension provision (VBL), flexible working hours, home office arrangements, health and work-life balance support, and access to training and university sports.
Application deadline: 8 September 2026. Applicants should submit a motivation letter, CV with publications, optional English summary of dissertation/master thesis, degree certificate, and two references. Applications should be sent as a single PDF via the TUD SecureMail Portal or by email to [email protected], quoting reference number w26-219.
Location: Dresden, Germany.
Funding details
Funded position (Financing: yes), Research Associate / PhD Student (m/f/x) at salary group E13 TV-L, limited until September 30, 2029, within the TRACE project funded by the Mercator Foundation. Includes 30 days paid annual leave, year-end bonus payment, and additional pension provision (VBL).
What's required
University degree in an area of applied computational sciences; strong interest in a trans-disciplinary research environment at the interface of computer science, law and social sciences; methodological interest in platform data and causal inference; experience with the Digital Services Act and its data access rights; proficiency in data science applications in Python or R; ideally experience with NLP, large language models, longitudinal data and data privacy/anonymization; ability to work collaboratively in an interdisciplinary environment; good spoken and written English.
How to apply
Prepare the required documents in English: motivation letter, CV with publications, optional English summary of dissertation/master thesis, degree certificate, and two references. Submit as a single PDF preferably via the TUD SecureMail Portal or by email to [email protected], quoting reference number w26-219, by 8 September 2026.
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