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Opportunities

op·por·tu·ni·ties

Fellowships, Assistantships and Internships at the Internet Observatory

    Postdoctoral Fellowship
  • Postdoctoral Fellowship
  • Policy Analyst (Full-Time)
  • Student Research Assistant Positions

Postdoctoral Fellowship

Stanford Internet Observatory Fellows will pursue research on policy and technical issues related to Stanford’s research into the misuse of new technologies to cause harm to individuals and societies. Research focus areas may include studying current geopolitical events driven by information operations against elections, researching the use of communication platforms to cause harm to at-risk groups, designing strategies to mitigate the harm of new technologies, and developing regulatory and governance frameworks for tech companies and governments. Fellows will be housed at the Cyber Policy Center and will be a part of the larger fellowship program at the Center for International Security and Cooperation (CISAC) at Stanford University. All SIO fellows are expected 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. Fellows with backgrounds in the natural sciences, engineering, data science, social sciences, history, and law 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.

 

Online Application Instructions

  1. Access application portal by selecting link below. 
  2. Click "Sign up to get started" (at the bottom of the page). Input the requested information to create a username and password.
  3. Click "Stanford University Center for International Security and Cooperation Fellowship Program".
  4. Proceed through the application, entering information into all required fields.
  5. Submit your application.

 

We are now accepting applications for the 2022-2023 academic year. Applications are due December 3, 2021.

Apply

Policy Analyst (Full-Time)

The Stanford Internet Observatory has a new opening for a full-time Policy Analyst to be based in Washington, DC. This position will work closely with SIO’s technical research manager Renee DiResta and form the core of our policy outreach presence in Washington, DC.  We’re looking for a bright, outgoing and engaged individual with experience working on the Hill or in government, and a passion for building a safer and more trustworthy social media ecosystem. The ideal candidate will have familiarity with the ongoing tech policy debates and an understanding of the government and non-profit entities working in this space. They will also be a strong writer able to distil complex topics for diverse audiences.

This is a two year fixed-term position, with the possibility of extension, based in Washington and working remotely with our team at Stanford.

Apply

Student Research Assistant Positions

The Stanford Internet Observatory student research assistant program engages students with SIO’s dynamic research team, giving students the opportunity to work directly with SIO researchers on specific projects, collaborate with the broader team on rapid response projects, and develop their own research ideas. We give preference to students who have taken at least one of our courses and to students with functional fluency in at least one language other than English. Technical and data science skills are a plus.

Interested RAs must submit an online application and upload a copy of their CV/resume and transcript.

We have filled our Fall Quarter RA openings. Winter Quarter open positions will be posted in December.
We accept applications on a rolling basis for generalist RAs but will be in touch only if an opening arises. 

General RA (Undergraduate or Graduate, 8-15 hrs/week)

Project description: Interested in working with us but not interested in the specific projects above? We always have needs for generalist RAs and for RAs willing to join us for specific rapid-response projects.

Desired Skills:

  • Foreign language skills (we are particularly interested in students who can read/write Arabic, Chinese (all topolects), Farsi, Russian, Spanish and Portuguese)
  • Interest in information operations or information interference, tech policy, platform self-regulation, fringe platforms
  • Experience with open-source investigations
  • Strong writing and research skills
You must be logged in to your Stanford Google account to access this form. You will be asked to submit a resume and unofficial transcript with your application.
APPLICATION