Indicators and assessment of place-based climate misinformation resilience (Communication and Information)

Start dates & application deadlines: Starting September 2027. Application deadline not specified.

Language: English

Credits: 30 ECTS (courses for PhD students)

Delivered: On Campus

Campus Location: Vilnius, Lithuania

Disciplines: Area & Cultural Studies, Communication Studies, Sociology

Overview

Climate misinformation shapes how people interpret climate knowledge, decide whom to trust and whether climate action feels necessary. The problem is particularly pronounced in low-urgency contexts where climate change is experienced as gradual, ambiguous or not personally salient and where attention spikes only episodically. In such settings (e.g., Lithuania), climate communication cannot depend on crisis framing to mobilize engagement. Relevance has to be built through local meanings, credible messengers and public sense-making that connects scientific evidence to everyday experience without overstating immediacy.

What you'll learn

This Indicators and assessment of place-based climate misinformation resilience (Communication and Information) PhD topic at VILNIUS TECH proposes to study climate misinformation through a science communication lens with a specific focus on local framing. Local framing is understood as the set of communication choices that translate climate evidence into place-based meanings: which impacts are emphasized, which time horizons are used, how uncertainty is explained, which co-benefits and trade-offs are highlighted and who is positioned as a credible voice. A core assumption is that misinformation often gains traction by filling narrative gaps created when climate knowledge is communicated primarily through abstract global indicators, technical visualizations and decontextualized facts. When local resonance is weak, misleading narratives can localize more effectively than scientific communication by attaching to familiar weather experiences, sectoral concerns (e.g., agriculture, energy prices) and identity-linked cues.

The PhD would develop and validate a methodology to evaluate and support misinformation resilience in low-urgency contexts. Empirically, the research could combine comparative case studies across settings such as local media debates, municipal climate communication, education initiatives and citizen-facing climate programmes. The study would examine: how misinformation narratives localise and which framing strategies they use; how digital platforms and media routines shape visibility and engagement with both reliable and misleading content; which participation-oriented interventions (eg citizen science, stakeholder co-creation, community dialogues) strengthen trust, relevance and interpretive capacity.

Expected outcomes include a conceptual model linking perceived urgency, local framing and misinformation dynamics, a practical indicator set for evaluating communication and participation outcomes and guidance for designing place-based climate communication that remains persuasive when climate change feels distant.

The selected candidate will work on the PhD thesis under the supervision of dr. Monika Mačiulienė. The successful applicant will have to attend scientific conferences, meetings and internships in the other universities.

Programme Structure

Curriculum includes

• Independent research under supervision;
• Courses for PhD students (approximately 30 ECTS credits);
• Participation in research networks, including placements at other, primarily foreign, research institutions;
• Teaching or another form of knowledge dissemination, which is related to the PhD topic when possible;
• The completion of a PhD thesis.

Admission Requirements

Academic requirements

We are not aware of any specific GRE, GMAT or GPA grading score requirements for this programme.

English requirements

TOEFL® IBT: 70

IELTS: 6

FCE (First Certificate in English): A

CAE (Certificate in Advanced English): C

CPE (Certificate of Proficiency in English): C

B2 Certificate in English

Other requirements

General requirements

• Postgraduate diploma (or higher)
• The entry qualification documents are accepted in the following languages: English.
• You must take verified copies of the entry qualification documents along with you when you finally go to the university.
• At least 2 reference(s) must be provided.
• Certified copies of the Master’s degree diploma and its supplement with grades or higher education equivalent to it;
• Curriculum Vitae (CV);
• List of scientific publications and their copies or research proposal (if scientific publications are not included);
• Copy of a personal data page of a passport or a copy of a personal ID;
• Other documents that an applicant wants to submit.

Fees and Funding

Tuition fees are shown in AUD and the most likely applicable fee is shown based on your nationality. International tuition fees apply to students who are not citizens or permanent residents of the study country. In some regions, like the EU/EEA, or under certain agreements, students from partner countries may also pay domestic fees.

Non-residents: 20,415 AUD / year ≈ 12,680 EUR / year. Part-time tuition fees for part time studies: €8,453.

Living costs in Vilnius, Lithuania: 789–1,378 AUD / month. The living costs include the total expenses per month, covering accommodation, public transportation, utilities (electricity, internet), books and groceries.

Funding: The PhD studies can be financed by the companies or enterprises financial resources or a PhD student’s personal finances.