Apply before 14/08/2026 (DD/MM/YYYY) 23:59 (Brussels Time)
- Department: LW07 - Letterkunde
- Occupancy rate:60%
- Number of positions: 1
- Type of employment: Contract of limited duration
- Term of assignment: 9 maanden
- Wage scale: WM1 to WM4 (master degree)
- Required diploma:Master
ABOUT GHENT UNIVERSITY
Ghent University is a world of its own. Employing more than 15,000 people, it is actively involved in education and research, management and administration, as well as technical and social service provision on a daily basis. It is one of the largest, most exciting employers in the area and offers great career opportunities. With its 11 faculties and more than 80 departments offering state-of-the-art study programmes grounded in research in a wide range of academic fields, Ghent University is a logical choice for its staff and students.
YOUR TASKS
DELIAH: Democratic Literacy and Humour (UGent) seeks a highly motivated and independent Research Assistant (part-time [60%]; fixed-term [1 October 2026 – 30 June 2027]) to lead the design, production, testing, and finalisation of a media-literacy toolkit focusing on anti-democratic humour online, including far-right, extremist, conspiratorial, and broadly harmful political humour.
DELIAH: Democratic Literacy and Humour (https://deliaheu.substack.com/) is a Horizon Europe research project (2025–2029) involving more than twenty researchers and practitioners from universities across Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Spain, Slovakia, and Estonia and an NGO in the Netherlands. Led by Ghent University, DELIAH investigates how humour shapes democratic participation in artistic and cultural spaces, both online and offline.
The Research Assistant will lead the development, testing, and refinement of one of DELIAH’s principal deliverables for Work Package 4: “D4.2: Toolkit for Promoting Democratic Literacy.” The toolkit will help educators, students, civil society organisations, journalists, and members of the public to recognise, interpret, and respond critically to anti-democratic humour by understanding how humour functions rhetorically in digital environments, how it can normalise anti-democratic ideas, and how democratic resilience can be strengthened through critical media literacy. Following development, the toolkit will undergo testing with stakeholders and end-users before final revision and public dissemination across Europe.
The Research Assistant will work closely with Prof. Andrew Bricker (Academic Coordinator of DELIAH and Associate Prof. of English Literature, UGent: https://research.flw.ugent.be/en/andrew.bricker) and alongside (potentially) an MA student intern from the MA Programme in Gender & Diversity in the English Section of UGent’s Department of Literary Studies (Blandijnberg 2). The Research Assistant will be assigned a desk in a shared office space with the possibility of hybrid work.
Tasks of the successful applicant will include:
- reviewing existing educational toolkits from Europe and elsewhere and transforming academic research into accessible educational resources;
- leading development of the toolkit, including developing educational modules on anti-democratic humour and democratic literacy; designing classroom activities, discussion exercises, worksheets, case studies, and explanatory materials; creating media-literacy resources addressing memes, irony, satire, visual culture, social media, and online extremist communication; identifying examples and case studies suitable for educational contexts; and user testing, evaluation, and revision of the toolkit in consultation with educational stakeholders across both Belgium and Europe more generally; and
- collaborating with researchers from DELIAH partner institutions in Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Estonia, and Slovakia; contributing to accompanying documentation and dissemination materials; participating in and taking minutes during project meetings; and helping with the organisation and planning of DELIAH events and initiatives.
Because the project examines anti-democratic humour, applicants should be comfortable working with material involving racism, antisemitism, misogyny, conspiracy theories, political extremism, and other potentially disturbing online content.
The successful applicant will:
- contribute directly to a Horizon Europe project;
- gain experience producing public-facing educational resources with European impact;
- collaborate with an interdisciplinary international consortium;
- work closely with leading researchers in humour studies, media studies, literary studies, political science, law, linguistics, folklore, anthropology and ethnography;
- be acknowledged for contributions to DELIAH project outputs where appropriate;
- have opportunities to participate in project meetings, workshops, and dissemination events (including, potentially, a consortium meeting in Bratislava, Slovakia [17-19 March 2027]).
WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR
- You hold a Master’s degree (or expect to obtain one by October 2026) in a relevant field (e.g., Education, Literary Studies and Linguistics, Art History, Cultural Studies, Sociology, etc.)
- Written and spoken English (CEFR at least C1)
- Written and spoken Dutch (CEFR at least C1)
- Written and spoken French (CEFR B2, C1)
- You possess excellent organisational and research skills, the ability to communicate complex research clearly to non-specialist audiences, and an interest in democracy, media literacy, online culture, humour, or political communication
- Desirable: Experience in educational resource development, curriculum or instructional design, media literacy, digital literacy, online platforms and internet cultures, internet memes and visual communication, or political extremism and disinformation research would be an asset.
- Optional: Competence in other languages relevant to DELIAH (i.e., Spanish, Basque, German, Ukrainian, Estonian or Slovak).
WHAT WE CAN OFFER YOU
- We offer you a part-time contract (60% appointment) of definite duration (i.e., a fixed-term contract) for the period from 1 October 2026 until 30 June 2027.
- Your contract will start on 1/10/2026 at the earliest.
- Your remuneration will be determined by salary scale WM1 to WM4. Click here for more information about our salary scales (under Research staff member [WP] .
- All Ghent University staff members enjoy a number of benefits, such as a wide range of training and education opportunities, 36 days of holiday leave (on an annual basis for a full-time job) supplemented by annual fixed bridge days, bicycle allowance and eco vouchers. Click here for a complete overview of all the staff benefits.
INTERESTED?
Apply online through the e-recruitment system before the application deadline of midnight on 14 August 2026. We do not accept late applications or applications that are not submitted through the online system.
Your application must include the following documents:
- In the field ‘CV’ (3pp max): your CV and a transcript of your academic record/study results (merged into one pdf file)
- In the field ‘Cover letter’ (2pp max): your application letter describing your interest in the DELIAH project and explaining how your background prepares you to lead the development of the toolkit in particular (one pdf file)
- In the field ‘Diploma’: a transcript or photo of the required degree (if already in your possession). If you have a foreign diploma in a language other than Belgian national languages (Dutch, French or German) or English, please add a translation in one of the mentioned languages.
- In the field “other documents”: proof of language competency for languages not formally studied, demonstrating language competency in English, Dutch, and French in particular.
Note that the maximum file size for each field is 10 MB.
As Ghent University maintains an equal opportunities and diversity policy, everyone is encouraged to apply for this position.
MORE INFORMATION
For more information about this vacancy, please contact Prof. Andrew Bricker (
[email protected]). Important: do NOT send your application by email, but apply online.
Do you have a question regarding the online application process? Please read the FAQ or contact us via [email protected].
