Doctorate (Ph.D.) Position in Theoretical Legal Sciences (with a focus on Digital Legal Sciences)

The research project “Digital Public Sphere: Deliberative Identity Constitutionalism as a Way to Reduce the Polarization of Society,” funded by the Czech Ministry of Education and hosted at the Institute for the Interregional Study of Constitutionalism, Faculty of Law, Charles University in Prague, is offering a four-year, full-time PhD position.

About the Research Project
This project investigates polarization in the digital public sphere and deliberative democracy in the context of social media. By employing methods such as machine learning, statistical analysis, content analysis, and social media experiments, the project will explore the dynamics of polarization, evaluate the effects of current regulations on public speech and propose strategies to enhance public discourse and reduce polarization. Your doctoral research will examine one of these aspects.
 

Your Tasks

• Use tools like text mining and machine learning to collect and analyze social media content (discourse analysis).
• Program social bots for research purposes.
• Conduct research on one of the following topics: identity politics, the public sphere, deliberative democracy, or constitutionalism.
• Collaborate with the research team on the conduct of the research.
• Develop your doctoral thesis within the project’s framework.
• Participate in team meetings and training sessions.
• Help organize seminars and conferences
   

Your Profile

• You hold a master’s degree in law, political science, philosophy, psychology, anthropology,
  cultural studies or sociology with a focus on digital technologies (digital humanities, digital social science, or digital psychology).
• You have an interdisciplinary profile combining the humanities or social sciences with computer science or related fields.
• You possess knowledge and experience with computational methods for text classification and analysis.

Expertise in social, moral, and political psychology is an advantage.

• You have a strong academic record with excellent study results.
• You have excellent academic writing skills.
• You are a team player with a high degree of autonomy.
• You are fluent in English and have excellent communication skills. Knowledge of Arabic is a plus.
   

What We Offer

• A financially competitive salary.
• Flexible working conditions.
• An opportunity to work in a dynamic, interdisciplinary research environment.
• Start date: October 2025.
   

How to Apply
Please submit the following documents in a single PDF file by February 24, 2025 in one PDF document:

• A motivation letter.
• Your CV.
• A short writing sample.

Email your application to Volker Kaul (kaulv@prf.cuni.cz), who can also be contacted for any further inquiries. 
 

Further Information
Shortlisted candidates will be invited for an online interview. Selected candidate(s) will need to apply to the Ph.D. program “Theoretical Legal Sciences – Law and Legal Theory in European Context” at the Faculty of Law, Charles University. For more details, please visit: https://www.prf.cuni.cz/en/phd-in-english. Alternatively, the selected candidate(s) can apply to the Ph.D. program in Czech.

More information can be found here: https://www.prf.cuni.cz/doktorske-studium-phd.