Doctoral Researcher (Intersemiotic Translation in Digital Cultures) / Väitö

at  Tampereen yliopisto

DOCTORAL RESEARCHER (INTERSEMIOTIC TRANSLATION IN DIGITAL CULTURES) / VÄITÖSKIRJATUTKIJA (INTERSEMIOOTTINEN KÄÄNTÄMINEN DIGITAALISISSA YMPÄRISTÖISSÄ)

(Photo credit: Jonne Renvall / Tampere University)
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The Faculty of Information Technology and Communication Sciences of Tampere University invites applications for a four-year Doctoral Researcher position, starting 1st of March 2025.
The project “InterReal – Exploring Interreal Translation in the Media Multiverse” will take place at Tampere University, from January 2025 to December 2029. The project is funded by European Research Council (ERC Starting Grant 2024) and led by Associate Professor Mattia Thibault. The project offers a supportive and enthusiastic working environment, and excellent opportunities for career-development in an international and interdisciplinary setting.
The InterReal project proposes that our mediascape is developing towards a Media Multiverse, which will encompass a multi-faceted array of media-generated alternative “realities” from immersive Virtual Reality (VR) to layers of Augmented Reality (AR) visualized over the physical world, and the virtual worlds of digital games. The Media Multiverse is permeated by mechanisms of interreal translation, which are intersemiotic transfers of objects, subjects, and spaces from one form of reality to another. InterReal aims to develop an innovative approach to study and understand how translations between realities take place and how they could influence our future.
The project is articulated around two key approaches: an Analytical approach, which will provide a nuanced understanding of the current state of interreal translations, and a Speculative approach, which will offer a critical look to the current ideologies and future possibilities related to the development of the media multiverse. The two approaches will be in constant dialogue, which will intensify in a final Synthesis phase.

JOB DESCRIPTION

We are looking for a Doctoral Researcher in the areas of Semiotics, Translation Studies, and similar. The Doctoral Researcher will work primarily on intersemiotic translations across different virtual spaces (XR, video games, virtual platforms).
The candidate’s work will be focused on conducting doctoral research towards the completion of a doctoral dissertation within the InterReal project. This will mainly consist of research activities including research planning, selection of corpora, case studies, semiotic analysis, article preparation, dissemination, and publishing. Moreover, the candidate is expected to participate in project-wide research efforts, in regular project meetings and in the activities of the multidisciplinary research team. The candidate is expected to present their research at seminars and academic conferences.
In particular, the Doctoral Researcher will focus on intersemiotic translations of objects, avatars, and spaces across different virtual environments. The work will include semiotic and translational analysis on several case studies making use of methods such as shift analysis, Actor-Network mapping, introspective methods, or other applicable methods utilised in semiotics and translation research. Additionally, the candidate will realise a few self-made intersemiotic translations to critically engage with the translation process as well.
The selected candidate will pursue a doctoral degree at Tampere University. Full-time doctoral studies are expected to be completed in four years.
The selected candidate can influence the emphasis of their own research within the scientific scope of the InterReal project. A successful candidate is expected to show interest and enthusiasm towards working in a multidisciplinary team.

QUALIFICATIONS

The selected candidate must hold a Master’s Degree in a relevant field. The degree must be completed before the end of the application period. The selected candidate will have the ability to conduct independent scientific research with different methods from any branch of semiotics (generative semiotics, semiotics of culture, sociosemiotics, cybersemiotics, etc.) and/or from translation studies (intersemiotic and multimodal perspectives, translation as human-computer interaction, critical approaches to translation, etc.). The candidate will have good critical and methodological skills and be able to work both independently and collaboratively as part of a research team. Competence in written and oral English are required.
The successful candidate needs to apply for and be granted a study right for a doctoral degree in the doctoral program of the discipline at Tampere University. Please visit the admissions webpage for more information on eligibility requirements. Pay special attention to the language requirements.
We warmly welcome candidates able to bring different and diverse perspectives in our project. Therefore, we welcome proposals from researchers from all kinds of backgrounds. Interested applicants are encouraged to apply for the position even if the preferred qualifications listed below do not apply directly.

POSSIBLE APPLICANT’S QUALIFICATIONS INCLUDE:

• Track record on conducting research on intersemiotic translations.
• Experience with semiotic analysis.
• Experience with methods from translation studies.
• Basic skills in design and/or development of digital content (XR, games, virtual spaces, avatars and similar).
  Please be prepared to provide proof of your merits upon request.

Please refer the Job description for details