With the PostdocLab, the College for Social Sciences and Humanities has established a funding programme for postdoctoral researchers from the University Alliance Ruhr. It is designed to foster intensive cross-university collaboration in the social sciences and humanities and support early-career researchers in further developing their academic profiles and networks.
The programme PostdocLab | College UA Ruhr enables postdoctoral researchers from the University Alliance Ruhr to build cross-university collaborative working groups, each working on a research topic of their own choice. Funded for a period of 1.5 years, the working groups are provided with financial resources for academic activities that allow aspiring postdocs to further develop their academic profiles and promote the establishment of sustainable academic networks within the Ruhr region and beyond.
The PostdocLab programme is fundamentally open for both discipline-specific and interdisciplinary working groups.
The PostdocLab working groups consist of two to three members, representing at least two of the member universities of the University Alliance Ruhr. They will integrate scholars from abroad into their research activities. Considered associate members of the College, the working groups can use the facilities in Essen for meetings and events.
Four working groups were selected for the funding period from 15 April 2026 until 14 October 2027.
This working group brings together communication studies and journalism to address disinformation across academia, politics, and civil society. Building on two EU projects, the group will strengthen counter-disinformation efforts through enhanced narrative analysis and examining collaboration structures of practitioners.
The working group ‘Circuits of Mistrust and Misinformation in the Americas’ investigates the historical and contemporary dynamics of misinformation and mistrust from Alaska to Patagonia. It examines how what many describe as a ‘post-truth’ era coincides with a broader crisis of trust affecting politics, journalism, education, healthcare, and other areas of public life.
The School Development and AI Agency Research Lab (SD-AI) conducts research on school development, considering the role of agency in implementing artificial intelligence (AI) at different levels in schools. The overarching question of the working group is: can epistemic accountability be ensured when AI is used in the complex school system?
The working group explores co-production in the field of spatial planning as a key concept for facilitating transformative change towards more sustainable and just futures in the face of accelerating environmental and societal challenges. Increasingly recognised in planning research and practice, co-production refers to multi-stakeholder collaboration that positions citizens as active partners in shaping their communities.
During the first funding period (mid-October 2024 to mid-April 2026), three working groups participated in the PostdocLab programme.
11/05/2026, Essen
Four working groups selected for the second cycle of the PostdocLab programme of the College for Social Sciences and Humanities launched their cross-university research projects in mid-April. They focus on disinformation and mistrust, AI agency in school development, and civic participation in urban planning.
23/04/2026
How do young people perceive and react to AI-generated scientific content? Do AI-generated images of scientists reinforce stereotypes? Maximilian Krug and Valentina Nachtigall conducted two studies to explore the role and effects of using generative AI in science communication.
01/10/2025
The College for Social Sciences and Humanities is calling for applications for its PostdocLab programme. It offers funding for cross-university working groups initiated by postdoctoral researchers from the University Alliance Ruhr. Applications are welcome until 26 November 2025.
24/06/2025
In order to investigate the attitudes and demands of homeless activist groups, researchers of the PostdocLab working group 'Urban Conflicts and Property' conducted a workshop with homeless activists from different German cities. Among other aspects, the activists criticise the capitalist logic of the housing market and see homelessness as a structural problem.
16/01/2025
What factors foster civic skills and political participation? The PostdocLab working group 'Civic Education Research Lab (CERL)' explores influencing factors in civic education. In this interview, the members explain their interdisciplinary approach and give insights into their collaboration.
