Postdoctoral Researcher in Race and Digital Politics (Asian-American Community Media)

Job Description

This Postdoctoral Researcher position offers an exciting opportunity to pursue collaborative and independent research in the area of race, digital politics, and critical disinformation studies. The researcher is expected to join an interdisciplinary team of engaged researchers investigating Asian-American community media, contemporary and historical narratives and visuals of racial trauma and “hate”, and media manipulation strategies that sow distrust and conflict between and among communities of color.

Supported by a National Science Foundation Convergence Accelerator grant entitled “Co-Insights”, the postdoctoral researcher is expected to collaborate with Co-PI Jonathan Corpus Ong and Co-Is Ethan Zuckerman, Wayne Xu, and Brendan O’Connor, along with a range of exciting Asian-American community organizers. This two-year fellowship is ideal for researchers with interest and experience in community-engaged research and public communication, as the broad research team contributes toward diverse academic outputs, journalist toolkits and training guides, disinformation monitoring tools, and public policy recommendations.

This two-year fellowship offers flexibility for the researcher to pursue independent and guided research in a range of areas that include but are not limited to:

• Asian-American history and public communication
• critical disinformation studies
• media and data justice
• strategic communication and narratives of social justice movements
• mediated solidarities, joy and conflicts between and among communities of color

Requirements

• The candidate must have completed PhD at the time of the appointment.
• Have been academically active for no longer than four (4) years post-PhD.

Preferred Skills

• Diverse disciplinary backgrounds, including Communication, Sociology, Anthropology, History, Ethnic Studies, Public Policy and related fields.
• Candidates with methodological expertise and experience in digital ethnography, organizational ethnography, computational social science, discourse analysis, and archival research in history.
• Candidates with prior research in the area of Asian-American history and politics are particularly welcome.

Additional Information

• The two-year position starts in the Spring semester of 2023, with an ideal start date of February 1 (negotiable).
• The successful candidate is encouraged to relocate to Amherst in 2023, however, remote work arrangements will be considered.
• This is a research position. The postdoc is not expected to carry out any teaching but may work with graduate and undergraduate student assistants.
• The postdoc will be mentored by Dr. Jonathan Corpus Ong and Ethan Zuckerman.

Application Instructions

Candidates should submit the following materials:

• Cover letter addressed to Dr. Jonathan Corpus Ong, Chair of the Search Committee, Department of Communication, University of Massachusetts at Amherst.
• CV.
• One writing sample.
• Contact information for three (3) academic references.

Review of applications will begin December 15, 2022, and will continue until the position is filled. For inquiries about the post and the application process, contact Search Committee Chair Dr. Jonathan Corpus Ong at jcong@umass.edu. 

UMass Amherst is committed to a policy of equal opportunity without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, age, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, disability, military status, or genetic information in employment, admission to and participation in academic programs, activities, and services, and the selection of vendors who provide services or products to the University.  To fulfill that policy, UMass Amherst is further committed to a program of affirmative action to eliminate or mitigate artificial barriers and to increase opportunities for the recruitment and advancement of qualified minorities, women, persons with disabilities, and covered veterans.  It is the policy of the UMass Amherst to comply with the applicable federal and state statutes, rules, and regulations concerning equal opportunity and affirmative action.