Student assistants (m/f/d) from the social sciences

The Weizenbaum Institute, founded in 2017, researches the effects of advancing digitalization on our society. With its recommendations for action, it contributes to ensuring that the digital transformation is sustainable, self-determined and responsible. The Weizenbaum Institute is supported by a network of seven partners, including the Free University of Berlin, the Humboldt University of Berlin, the Technical University of Berlin, the Berlin University of the Arts, the University of Potsdam, the Fraunhofer Institute for Open Communication Systems (FOKUS) and the Berlin Science Center for Social Research (WZB). The institute is financed by the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR) and the state of Berlin. It is located in Berlin.

For our research group "Local Digital Public Spheres" at the Weizenbaum-Institut e.V. we are looking as of 1 August 2026 for two Student assistants (m/f/d) from the social sciences with 25,64 percent of regular working hours (10 hours per week). The position is initially limited until 31 December 2028. Further employment will be sought.

Work content

The junior research group “Place-Based Issue Publics” is funded as part of the German Research Foundation’s (DFG) Emmy Noether program. It investigates how contemporary local public spheres are formed under conditions of digitalization and globalization, as local issues and events often gain national or even international attention. The project investigates digital discourses on places which have gained public notoriety in the fields of (a) illiberalism and backlash against plural societies and (b) industrial transformations and environmental concerns. It further investigates how residents respond to such public attention and organize around these issues locally. The group employs a mixed-methods design of computational (text-as-data, network analysis) and qualitative approaches (interviews, ethnographic field work) to investigate six local digital public spheres in three countries (Poland, Germany, the United Kingdom). Based on this empirical data, it will develop a theory of the spatial dimension of digital public spheres. You can take a closer look at the team and their work here.

Your tasks:

• Support in the collection and processing of social media and mass media data
• Support in the preparation and follow-up of fieldwork, including transcription of interviews
• Literature research and reference management
• Support in the preparation of presentations and publications
• Support in the organization of events

Your profile:

• Studies in Communication Science, Sociology or a related social science, at least in the third semester
• Basic knowledge of computational, quantitative or qualitative social science methods
• Knowledge in MaxQDA, R or Python or willingness to learn these programs
• Interest in interdisciplinary research in the areas of digital communication, public sphere and space
• Proficiency in at least two of the following languages at a high level: Polish, German or English
• High motivation for scientific work in social science research
• Enjoyment of working in a team

Your chance:

• flexible working hours and the option of mobile working on certain days per week (in consultation with team lead)
• remuneration analogue to TV Stud III
• insight into current research and everyday scientific work
• close cooperation with the scientific staff
• inspiring academic and international working environment in the heart of Berlin (near Bahnhof Zoo) with broad, interdisciplinary networks in research, media and politics

Further information:

Severely disabled applicants with equal qualifications will be given preference. We value diversity and welcome all applications, regardless of gender, nationality, ethnic or social origin, religion, disability, age, or sexual orientation. The Weizenbaum Institute expressly encourages women* and people with a migration background to apply.

You can submit your application, consisting of a letter of motivation, CV, your current proof of matriculation and your academic certificates and grades, in our application portal. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Maite Vöhl from our HR team (personal[at]weizenbaum-institut.de) at any time. We look forward to receiving your documents.

Apply here