The University of Vienna Research Platform ‘Trustworthy Science Communication’ announces a PhD position in the Health Psychology Group, located within the Department of Clinical and Health Psychology at the Faculty of Psychology.
Members of the research platform will conduct science communication research with a specific focus on the question of trust in science. This research will be interdisciplinary, and led by researchers in Communication Science, Computer Science, Psychology, and Science and Technology Studies.
Together, we will examine public trust in science through cutting-edge research on science communication. Our research will be built on the understanding that public trust in science is complex, shaped by perceptions of trustworthiness, communication practices, and shifting social and political contexts. Trust cannot be assumed or manufactured; it must be earned through consistent integrity, transparency, and responsiveness. Because political developments, media narratives, and societal change continually challenge the relationship between science and the public, trust must be actively maintained. Addressing this challenge requires an interdisciplinary approach, as trust in science is conceptualized differently across fields. By integrating these perspectives, this platform aims to advance research on the foundations and practice of trustworthy science communication.
We invite applications for PhD projects located in and beyond each of the participating disciplines. All PhD candidates will work with an interdisciplinary supervision team, and will be able to join one of the doctoral schools at the University of Vienna. Applicants should be able to demonstrate interest in or experience with public science communication, the capacity to carry out interdisciplinary research, and the research skills necessary to complete a PhD. Further details of each position are provided below
The successful candidate for this position will be employed by the Department of Clinical and Health Psychology and their research project will be supervised by an interdisciplinary supervisory team from the University of Vienna.
The employment duration is 4 years. Initially limited to 1.5 years, the employment relationship is automatically extended to 4 years if the employer does not terminate it within the first 12 months by submitting a non-extension declaration.
