Opportunities at the CPC

The country is facing a mental health crisis. The Stanford Social Media Lab invites
applications for a postdoctoral researcher to examine the connections between social media and
mental health, with an emphasis on young people and design interventions and transformative
solutions to this societal challenge.

Under the mentorship of Professor Jeff Hancock, the selected postdoc will operate within
the Cyber Policy Center's ambit. Moreover, they will integrate into the expansive fellowship
program offered by the Center for International Security and Cooperation (CISAC) at Stanford
University.

We are particularly interested in a postdoctoral scholar that focuses on the intersection of
social technologies and mental health in the domain of social sciences. Prospective research
areas span, but are not confined to, the relationship between social media and well-being,
strategic interventions concerning youth mental health, the policy ramifications tied to social
media, and the ripple effects new technologies like large language models may have on these
relationships.

This role is slated as a full-time position for one year, with a potential extension for a
second year. The selected candidate will benefit from a competitive compensation package
inclusive of an array of benefits.

Application Deadline: December 4th, 2025
 

Responsibilities:
 

Conduct research on the nexus between social media and well-being, demonstrating
proficiency in handling large datasets.
 

Work closely with the research teams at Stanford Social Media Lab and the Cyber Policy
Center. We expect our fellows to participate in Cyber Policy Center research seminars
and produce policy-relevant work, which could include media appearances, published
articles, or briefings to or workshops for government or international organization
officials, ideally in collaboration with researchers from other disciplines.
 

Collaborate with a team of researchers from various disciplines to develop new methods
and approaches for applying, evaluating and reporting the impact of social media on
mental health.
 

Write and publish research papers in leading conferences and journals.
 

Contribute to the development of new research projects and grant proposals.
Applicates with backgrounds in psychology, communication, human-computer
interaction, and data science are encouraged to apply. All fellows are expected to be in the final
stages of or have recently completed a terminal degree in their discipline, ideally a Ph.D.

Application Details

Submission of a formal application is required for all individuals who wish to be in residence as visiting fellows, whether they need funding or have independent support.

 Applications are run in partnership with the CISAC Fellowship Program and require a SlideRoom account. All application materials, including recommendations, must be in English. Applicants are responsible for ensuring that all materials, including letters of reference, are submitted by the deadline stated above. Please do not submit supplemental materials such as books, lengthy manuscripts, or more than the required number of recommendations.

Online submission of application must include:

● Completed online application form
● Resume/CV
● Graduate school transcript (Unofficial transcripts are acceptable. All pre- and
postdoctoral applicants must include a transcript. Junior faculty and professionals may
include a transcript, but are not required to do so.)
● Research project prospectus or description of dissertation (1,500 words max, not
including footnotes/endnotes)
● Research abstract (200 words max)
● Writing sample (50 pages max)
● Three confidential letters of recommendation. Please note that recommendation letter services, such as Interfolio, may not use our online recommendation letter submission system. Please advise your recommenders to upload their letters directly to the SlideRoom system. 

AI applications and models are reshaping the global narrative, offering transformative solutions to myriad societal challenges. The Stanford Social Media Lab invites applications for a postdoctoral researcher to explore the topic of AI-mediated communication and its potential effects across both social and psychological domains.
 

Under the mentorship of Professor Jeff Hancock, the selected postdoc will operate within the Cyber Policy Center's ambit and work with the Stanford Social Media Lab. Moreover, they will integrate into the expansive fellowship program offered by the Center for International Security and Cooperation (CISAC) at Stanford University.
We are particularly interested in a postdoctoral scholar seeking to examine and develop research on AI and human communication broadly speaking. We are interested in people examining the psychological and human aspects of AI technology. Potential areas of exploration include, but are not restricted to, the transformation of interpersonal and group communication dynamics by AI, such as trust and relationships, and the paradigm shifts in writing and overall communication methodologies influenced by AI, the use of AI to simulate communication and media dynamics, the transformation of social sciences with AI technologies, etc. This role is slated as a full-time position for one year, with a potential extension for a second year. The selected candidate will benefit from a competitive compensation package inclusive of an array of benefits.

Application Deadline: December 4th, 2025
 

Responsibilities:
 

Conduct research on AI-mediated communications.
 

Conduct research at the intersection of large language models and the social and psychological sciences, including how to use AI in social science, using large language
models to tackle important questions in the field and society. 

Work closely with the research teams at Stanford Social Media Lab and the Cyber Policy Center. We expect our fellows to participate in Cyber Policy Center research seminars and produce policy-relevant work, which could include media appearances, published articles, or briefings to or workshops for government or international organization officials, ideally in collaboration with researchers from other disciplines.
 

Collaborate with a team of researchers from various disciplines to develop new methods and approaches for applying, evaluating and reporting the impact of large language models in the social sciences.
 

Write and publish research papers in leading conferences and journals
 

Contribute to the development of new research projects and grant proposals.
 

Applicants with backgrounds in psychology, communication, political science, human- computer interaction, and data science are encouraged to apply. All fellows are expected to be in the final stages of or have recently completed a terminal degree in their discipline, ideally a Ph.D.
 

Application Details

Submission of a formal application is required for all individuals who wish to be in residence as visiting fellows, whether they need funding or have independent support. Applications are run in partnership with the CISAC Fellowship Program. All application materials, including recommendations, must be in English. Applicants are responsible for ensuring that all materials, including letters of reference, are submitted by the deadline stated above. Please do not submit supplemental materials such as books, lengthy manuscripts, or more than the required number of recommendations.

Online submission of application must include:

● Completed online application form
● Resume/CV
● Graduate school transcript (Unofficial transcripts are acceptable. All pre- and
postdoctoral applicants must include a transcript. Junior faculty and professionals may
include a transcript, but are not required to do so.)
● Research project prospectus or description of dissertation (1,500 words max, not
including footnotes/endnotes)
● Research abstract (200 words max)
● Writing sample (50 pages max)
● Three confidential letters of recommendation. Please note that recommendation letter
services, such as Interfolio, may not use our online recommendation letter submission
system. Please advise your recommenders to upload their letters directly to the
SlideRoom system.