Research Assistant in Journalism and Media Studies 60 - 80%

About the job

Research Assistant in Journalism and Media Studies 60 - 80%

You are in the right place with us if you are interested in analysing journalism and patterns of public communication with a scientific perspective and conveying your analyses clearly.

Department: Applied Linguistics

Start of work: From 01.09.2026 or by arrangement. The position is initially limited until 31.08.2027, with the option of extension.

• You will support the Chair of Journalism particularly in research, but also in teaching, further education and consulting as well as in administrative and communicative tasks.
• You are able to take on the following sub-tasks within the framework of application-oriented research projects in the field of journalism and media studies: literature research, development of survey instruments, data collection, data management, data analysis and reporting. In doing so, you use both qualitative and quantitative research methods, especially in surveys and content or discourse analyses.
• You contribute to teaching by supporting the Chair in preparing and following up on courses as well as conducting examinations. This also includes support in maintaining e-learning offerings.

You have a completed university degree (MA) in social sciences with a focus on communication/media studies or similar. You have knowledge and experience in empirical social research and are interested in further academic qualification in the field of journalism. Knowledge of SPSS or R is desirable and advantageous. A prerequisite is at least the willingness to acquire the corresponding know-how and to work with statistical data. If you are also open, communicative and a team player and have an interest in journalism and public communication, we look forward to meeting you in person soon.

The ZHAW Zurich University of Applied Sciences, with over 14,000 students and over 11,000 continuing education participants as well as around 3,700 employees, is one of the largest multi-disciplinary universities of applied sciences in Switzerland.

The Department of Applied Linguistics is the only linguistic department at a Swiss university of applied sciences and one of the largest in Europe. In research and teaching, we create and convey practice-oriented, forward-looking knowledge and skills for language, media and communication professions – with artificial intelligence and human added value.

The IAM, with its around 60 employees, professionalises communication in the professional fields of journalism, communication and marketing – and has been doing so for 25 years. With offerings and services in teaching, further education, research and consulting, the institute fulfils the fourfold mandate of universities of applied sciences.

ZHAW is committed to gender-mixed and diverse teams to promote equality, diversity and innovation.

We offer university-appropriate working and employment conditions and actively promote the personnel development of our employees and managers. A detailed description of the benefits can be found on the "Working at ZHAW" website. Here are the main points:

Jocelyn Schaad

Recruiting Manager