Postdoctoral Research Associate Positions in Datafied Welfare State, Critical Data Studies, and European Welfare Regimes Goldsmiths, University of London in United Kingdom

Goldsmiths, University of London is advertising three postdoctoral research associate positions on the ERC Advanced Grant project State-tech relations in the datafied welfare state [STATETECH], led by Prof. Lina Dencik in the School of Media, Communications and Cultural Studies.

The project examines how digital technology providers and European welfare states interact in the context of data-driven innovation, with a focus on the computational transformation of the European social model. The roles are research-intensive and collaborative, and they sit at the intersection of critical data studies, media studies, sociology, anthropology, political economy, and economic sociology.

Two positions are for ethnographic research on public sector bureaucracies across central pillars of the welfare state such as health, education, social protection, or housing. One position is for document analysis on partnerships between governments and digital technology providers across different European countries.

Eligibility highlights: applicants must hold a PhD or equivalent. For the ethnography-focused role, experience with qualitative methods and interviews is required, along with knowledge of European welfare regimes and preferably linguistic skills relevant to the project settings (UK, Denmark, Germany, Spain, or comparable welfare-state traditions). For the document-analysis role, experience in qualitative research and document analysis is required, together with knowledge of public-private partnerships, government data systems, and digital strategy in Europe.

Funding and terms: each post is a fixed-term appointment of 36 months at 1.0 FTE. Salary is £44,753–£49,738. The project is funded by an ERC Advanced Grant.

Deadline: 21 June 2026. Interviews are scheduled for the week commencing 6 July 2026, and the start date is 1 October 2026.

Applicants should use the Goldsmiths vacancy pages to apply for the relevant postdoctoral research associate role and ensure their materials match the research package they are targeting.