Stanford University Program on Democracy and the Internet Postdoctoral Fellowship
- Employer
- Stanford University Program on Democracy and the Internet
- Location
- California, United States
- Salary
- $70,000.00 - $70,000.00
- Date posted
- Dec 9, 2021
View more
- Position Type
- Faculty Positions, Communications, Digital Media, Science, Technology & Mathematics, Computer Sciences & Technology
- Employment Level
- Post-Doc
- Employment Type
- Full Time
The following information applies to applications for the 2022-23 cohort of postdoctoral fellows. The application cycle for this cohort will close on January 31, 2022.
The Program on Democracy and the Internet brings promising new
scholars to Stanford University for 1 year appointments
as postdoctoral fellows with potential for extension. Each fellow
will be primarily affiliated with the Program on Democracy and the
Internet, and potentially cross-affiliated with a department or
school at Stanford University depending on the fellow’s specific
disciplinary focus.
The annual fellowship stipend is $70,000, plus the standard
benefits that postdoctoral fellows at Stanford University receive,
including health insurance and travel funds. The fellowship program
falls under U.S. Immigration J-1 Exchange Visitor Visa
activities.
The start date of the fellowship will be September 2022, unless
otherwise agreed. To assume a postdoctoral fellowship, scholars
must have a PhD in hand by July 1, 2022. We cannot consider
applications from scholars who earned a PhD earlier than September
1, 2019. We encourage applications from candidates
representing a broad range of disciplines including the social
sciences, humanities, law, computer science and engineering.
Please note: Postdoctoral scholars are expected to
participate fully in a biweekly seminar series at the Stanford
Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society and attend the weekly
Cyber Policy Center seminar. They will also collaborate with one of
the PDI faculty on research relevant to their field of study and
current line of scholarship. The fellows will spend 20 percent of
their time working on their own research and 80 percent assisting
in the research of one of the PDI directors. In addition, fellows
may be asked to coordinate speaker series, seminars and assist in
teaching.
About the Program on Democracy and the
Internet
The Program on Democracy and the Internet (PDI) envisions digital technologies supporting rather than subverting democracy by maximizing the benefits and minimizing the threats through changes in policy, technology, and social and ethical technological norms.
Digital technologies are having a profound impact on democracy in
the United States and around the world. New communication platforms
that give voice to the previously unheard also empower nefarious
actors who seek to undermine democracy, silence journalists and
minority groups, manipulate search engines, sow distrust, and more.
Concerns about virality, deception, anonymity, echo chambers, and
platform information monopolies pose new challenges for democracy
in the digital age. Current research to understand these challenges
and, on the basis of theory and evidence, craft solutions, remains
nascent, fragmented, and incomplete. A strong knowledge base is
critical for policy makers, corporate leaders, and technologists to
make decisions that protect and promote democracy in the digital
age.
The Program on Democracy and the Internet is investigating key
research themes which include:
- Government censorship, propaganda, and information operations on digital media platforms
- Reform options for platforms to combat hate speech, bots, and disinformation
- Algorithmic bias
- Deteriorating health of digital information ecosystems and its effect on democracy and civil rights
- Changes in the media landscape due to shifts caused by digital innovation
- Impact of the internet on election campaigns and voting
The Program on Democracy and the Internet’s work draws from the social sciences, humanities, engineering, computer science, and the law to understand the challenges digital technologies pose to liberal democracies around the world. The program is led by Principal Investigators Nathaniel Persily, James B. McClatchy Professor of Law at Stanford Law School and Co-Director of the Cyber Policy Center, Francis Fukuyama, Senior Fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute, and PACS Faculty Co-Director and Professor of Political Science, Rob Reich.
PDI is a joint initiative of the Stanford Center on Philanthropy
and Civil Society (Stanford PACS) and the Cyber Policy Center at
the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies. For a sense
of the scholarship that PDI supports, see:
https://pacscenter.stanford.edu/research/program-on-democracy-and-the-internet/projects/
Questions about the Program on Democracy and the Internet should be directed to Haifa Badi-Uz-Zaman at cyber-center@stanford.edu
How to Apply
To be considered for a postdoctoral fellowship with the Program on Democracy and the Internet, submit an application via the online application portal: https://stanfordpacs.slideroom.com/#/login/program/64444
Applicants will be asked to include the following:
- Cover letter detailing the reasons for the applicant’s interest in the fellowship;
- Curriculum Vitae;
- Fellowship proposal detailing the research that the applicant would undertake while at Stanford, and how it fits within the research agenda of the specific initiative to which the applicant is applying. In this section, please disclose if you have additional funding arrangements.
- Writing sample consisting of either a dissertation chapter or a recent published paper. There are no specific page length or formatting requirements for this sample;
- Graduate transcript with proof that the applicant has completed all the requirements for the PhD, or a letter from their PhD advisor stating when they will do so;
- Two (or more) Letters of Recommendation. These should be submitted via the application portal.
- Stanford University is an affirmative action and equal opportunity employer, committed to increasing the diversity of its workforce. It welcomes applications from women, members of minority groups, veterans, persons with disabilities, and others who would bring additional dimensions to the university’s research and teaching mission.
Stanford University is an affirmative action and equal opportunity employer, committed to increasing the diversity of its workforce. It welcomes applications from women, members of minority groups, veterans, persons with disabilities, and others who would bring additional dimensions to the university’s research and teaching mission.
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