Södertörn University is a higher education institution in Stockholm that conducts education, research, and collaboration for sustainable societal development. We have around 14 000 students, 80 programmes and 300 courses, and we conduct education and research in the humanities, social sciences, technology and natural sciences. The university also offers police education and teacher education with an intercultural profile. A great deal of our research relates to the Baltic Sea region and Eastern Europe. We combine subjects, perspectives, people and experiences, and are worldminded, curious and questioning, searching for surprising syntheses, challenges and development.
Södertörn University welcomes doctoral proposals in Media and Communication Studies, to be conducted within the Wallenberg AI, Autonomous Systems and Software Program – Humanity and Society (WASP-HS). The successful applicant will write their thesis as part of the AI Welfare State cluster, which is an interdisciplinary collaboration between several universities and is led by researchers at Södertörn University, Lunds University and Karlstad University.
The Wallenberg AI, Autonomous Systems and Software Program – Humanity and Society (WASP-HS) is a national research program in Sweden. The vision of WASP-HS is to foster novel interdisciplinary knowledge in the humanities and social sciences about AI and autonomous systems and their impact on human and social development. WASP-HS enables cutting edge research, expertise, and competence building in the humanities and social sciences. The WASP-HS graduate school trains promising young researchers to understand the challenges and implications of autonomous systems and AI in society. A complement to students’ doctoral studies, the graduate school offers courses, a summer school, a winter conference, a semester abroad, and study visits both within Sweden and internationally. Students work collaboratively to solve real-world problems and are equipped with the theories, methods, and background critical for investigating questions on the consequences of AI and autonomous systems for humanity and society.
Media and Communication Studies at Södertörn University is one of Sweden’s leading environments for media research and education. Research and education are focused on the contemporary digitised media landscape and founded on a historically informed understanding of new communication technologies and their contexts. The research environment currently comprises around 30 researchers/teachers including full professors, associate professors, assistant professors and nine doctoral students. All our doctoral students have an international profile, and the working language of the doctoral programme is English. For more information, please click here (English version) or see www.sh.se/mkv (Swedish version).
Doctoral education at the Department of Media and Communication Studies is part of the research area of Critical Cultural Theory. This is an interdisciplinary research environment which consists of seven subjects in the humanities. Research focuses on critically motivated studies of cultural artifacts and human practices. For more information, please click here. For a Swedish version click here.
Description of the doctoral position
The AI Welfare State cluster addresses the vulnerabilities that arise with the introduction of artificial intelligence into our welfare systems for better service and control. As AI technologies become increasingly embedded in public services, new potential harms are materialising; these imperil both the technical infrastructure and the individuals affected by the systems. The cluster is developing an understanding of emerging AI vulnerabilities, which include the generation of false information, dependence on Big Tech, misuse by malicious actors, disclosure of sensitive data, and bias in automated decision-making. By examining AI vulnerabilities in three research streams, which focus on imaginaries, governance and practices, the cluster will provide a comprehensive analysis of how AI impacts society. It combines infrastructural analysis with an analysis of how citizens relate to AI in welfare in terms of meaning-making, feelings and perceptions. This multidisciplinary effort aims to develop a new theory of the AI welfare state to ensure that AI technologies support, rather than undermine, public values such as justice, transparency, and social cohesion. Through its ambitious empirical and theoretical research as well as a well-integrated outreach programme, the cluster aspires to highlight AI vulnerabilities for policymakers and the public, facilitating a well informed and sustainable AI welfare state.
For more information about the graduate school and the doctoral position, please contact the cluster leader, Anne Kaun (see below).
Entry requirements
- All credits are ECTS credits.
The general entry requirements are:
1. a second-cycle qualification, or
2. fulfilled requirements for courses comprising at least 240 credits, of which at least 60 credits were awarded in the second-cycle, or
3. substantially equivalent knowledge acquired in some other way in Sweden or abroad.
The Faculty Board may permit an exemption from the general entry requirements for an individual applicant, if there are special grounds. (Ordinance 2010:1064)
Specific entry requirements
The specific entry requirements are met by someone who has at least 90 credits in Media and Communication Studies, including an independent work of at least 15 credits. The ability to assimilate academic material in English and a command of the language necessary for work on the thesis are prerequisites for admission to the degree programme.
Admission and employment
This position includes admission to third-cycle education, i.e. research level, and employment on a doctoral studentship at the School of Culture and Education at Södertörn University. The intended outcome for admitted students is a PhD. The programme covers 240 credits, which is the equivalent of four years of full-time study. The position may be extended by a maximum of one year due to the inclusion of departmental duties, i.e. education, research and/or administration (equivalent to no more than 20% of full-time). Other grounds for extension could be leave of absence because of illness or for service in the defence forces, an elected position in a trade union/student organisation, or parental leave. Provisions relating to employment on a doctoral studentship are in the Higher Education Ordinance, Chapter 5, Sections 1-7.
Date of employment: 19 January 2026
General Syllabus for third-cycle programmes in Media and Communication Studies: English version or Swedish version
Information about admission regulations including selection criteria, and third-cycle education at Södertörn University: English version or Swedish version
Application procedure
For more details, see this website under FAQ. Please use Södertörn University’s web-based recruitment system “ReachMee”. Click on the link "ansök" (apply) at the bottom of the announcement.
Your application should be written in English and must include:
- an application letter
- curriculum vitae
- degree certificate and certificates that demonstrate eligibility to apply for the position (if not written in English or Swedish/Norwegian/Danish, you must enclose a version that has been professionally translated)
- Bachelor’s essay and Master’s dissertation in the field in accordance with the entry requirements (if not written in Swedish, Norwegian, Danish or English, you must enclose summaries of approximately 2500 words each, in addition to copies of the essay and the dissertation in the original language)
- a research plan (project plan) of between 1000 and 1500 words. The project’s relevance to Media and Communication Studies, Critical and Cultural Theory and the Graduate School must be clear.
- name and contact details for two reference persons, and a short note on their relationship to the applicant (for example supervisor).
If available, a maximum of three publications may also be attached.
Incomplete applications will not be processed.
Application deadline: 18 August 2025 at 23:59
Further information
Anne Kaun, Cluster Leader, Professor, Media and Communication Studies, [email protected]
Göran Bolin, Director of Studies (third cycle), Professor, Media and Communication Studies, [email protected]
Martina Sundström, Human Resources Officer, School of Culture and Education, [email protected] (questions about employment as a doctoral student)
Welcome with your application! Publications referred to must be attached to the application. An application that is not complete or arrives at Södertörn University after the closing date may be rejected. The current employment is valid on condition that the employment decision becomes valid. Union representatives: SACO: [email protected] ST: [email protected] SEKO: Henry Wölling tel: +46 8 524 840 80, [email protected] Södertörn University has made strategic advertisement choices for this recruitment. Therefore, we decline all contact with advertisers and other salespersons of advertisement.
