Stanford
Social Media Lab

Opportunities | Postdoctoral Fellowship

Postdoctoral Fellowship: AI & the Global Narrative

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. 

 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.  

Applicates 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. 

    Online Application Instructions 

  1. Click the Apply button. 
  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. 

 Apply