A program of the Cyber Policy Center, a joint initiative of the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies and Stanford Law School.
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.
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.
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:
Online Application Instructions
We are not currently accepting applications. Applications for the 2023-2024 academic year will be due in December 2022.