Doctoral Researcher

Doctoral Researcher Part‑time 65 %, E 13 TV‑L

Reference No.: 2026/020. The start date is April 1st, 2026. The position is available until the end of 2029.

The University of Konstanz is a dynamic and internationally successful research university with approximately 10,000 students. The campus university’s architecture promotes interdisciplinary cooperation and a sense of community among researchers, lecturers and students. The University of Konstanz has been continuously funded by the German Excellence Strategy since 2006.

The newly granted SFB 1760 investigates the role of silence and noise in our capacity for perceiving, learning and producing linguistic signals. The first phase will run from April 2026 to December 2029 and encompasses a wide variety of theoretical, experimental, computational and empirical research within linguistics, in collaboration with projects from computer science, computational social science, media studies and sociology.

The advertised position is assigned to subproject D02 “Ambiguous Signals:
Exploring Noise and Silence in Gaming Situations” and is dedicated to the completion of a PhD thesis in the field of media and game studies. The project combines media and game theory with ethnographic research and practice‑oriented transfer. The successful candidate will work as a doctoral researcher in a project investigating silence, noise, and signal in digital gaming environments. The position is based at the University of Konstanz in the Media Studies group of Prof.

Dr. Beate Ochsner.

• Designing and conducting a media‑ethnographic case study on Among Us with a focus on interaction, communication, and situated practices in online gaming environments
• Analysing the collected data (e.g. participant observation, video/audio recordings, interviews, chat logs)
• Writing a PhD monograph in English or German based on this case study
• Active participation in events and publication projects
• Solid background in media studies, preferably with a focus on game studies (Master’s degree in Media Studies or a related/comparable field)
• Demonstrable media‑ethnographic experience (e.g. observation, interviews, conversation analysis, digital ethnography)
• Very good command of English; good command of German or willingness to acquire it
• Ability to work independently in research, strong teamwork skills, enthusiasm for interdisciplinary collaboration

• Excellent, interdisciplinary research environment within the CRC “Silence, Noise and Signal in Language”
• Opportunity to complete an independent PhD in media ethnography and game studies
• Close supervision and collaboration within an engaged research and publication team
• Access to qualification opportunities (workshops, summer schools, methods and academic writing training)
• Remuneration according to TV‑L E 13 (65 %) in line with DFG pay scales

Applications should contain: i) short motivation letter, ii) an academic CV, iii) copies of all previous degrees including detailed transcripts of records, iv) the names and email addresses of 2 academic referees. Additionally, please submit a project outline for your proposed doctoral dissertation (maximum two pages), indicating how your project would relate to subproject D02 and to the overall framework of SFB 1760 ().

The University of Konstanz is committed to ensuring an environment that provides equal opportunities and promotes diversity, as well as a good balance between university and family life. As an equal opportunity employer, we strive to increase the number of women working in research and teaching. We also support working couples through our dual career programme. Persons with disabilities are explicitly encouraged to apply.

They will be given preference if appropriately qualified (contact , + 49 7531 88‑4016).