Postdoctoral Scholar in Systematic Approaches to Reducing Digital Harms
University of California Berkeley School of Information
United States

Recruitment Period

The Center for Long-Term Cybersecurity is searching for a Postdoctoral Scholar to assist in the development of an emerging research program focused on new ways to define, measure, and mitigate globally and culturally contextualized harms of digital products. The objective is to extend economic, cultural, and other conceptual understandings of how societies deal with physical waste streams (such as carbon) and other externalities, to the digital environment as a means of developing practical solutions that mitigate harms. The Postdoctoral Scholar will play a critical and active role in helping to shape this research agenda, and will assist in laying the research foundations for an interdisciplinary program.

The role is well suited for candidates interested in researching emerging issues in technology and the digital economy through an interdisciplinary lens, making connections between technical developments and their implications on policy, politics, and society. Working on campus at UC Berkeley, the Postdoctoral Scholar will be exposed to a rich network of researchers across disciplines such as information and data science, electrical engineering and computer science (EECS), law, public policy, economics, and political science.

The Center for Long-Term Cybersecurity (CLTC) is a premier research and collaboration hub dedicated to building secure digital futures. It was founded in 2015 to build bridges between academic research communities, corporations, government policy makers/regulators, and civil society, and to envision solutions that enable the potential of digital technologies to advance and protect institutions, societies, and individuals. The CLTC is based in UC Berkeley’s School of Information (I School), a graduate research and education community dedicated to advancing knowledge and practice everywhere humans interact with digital technologies. Through interdisciplinary research and teaching, the I School is committed to expanding access to information and to improving its usability, reliability, and credibility while preserving security and privacy. I School faculty conduct research in areas such as human-computer interaction (HCI), security and privacy, applied data science, and technology in developing regions. The school currently offers three professional master’s degrees and an academic doctoral degree.

Appointment Length

This is a full-time, one-year position with option of a second year extension based on demonstrated performance. Anticipated start date is Summer 2021.

This position will remain open until filled.

Responsibilities

Postdoctoral Scholars will work closely with CLTC’s Faculty Director, Executive Director, staff researchers, and external collaborators to explore the concept of digital externalities; develop and test hypotheses that emerge from that exploration; and put forward actionable proposals which follow from the analysis. All interested applicants should first review “Digital Global Warming” by Sekhar Sarukkai and Sundar Sarukkai to better understand the research agenda and the types of questions that most interest us.

The Postdoctoral scholar will have opportunities to propose and implement research projects that align with the Center’s programming, including authoring peer reviewed publications, white papers, and other written documents; designing and leading workshops focused on the research agenda; and reviewing projects submitted to the Center. They will also be responsible for compiling literature reviews; conducting data collection and analysis; transcribing interviews and handling additional raw data as necessary; and writing research briefs and drafts of final reports. We value academic and intellectual entrepreneurs who wish to build and extend a research agenda in ambitious ways.

Basic Qualifications (By Date of Application)

· PhD or equivalent international degree or enrolled in a PhD degree program (or equivalent international degree) at the time of application.

Additional Qualifications (by start date)

· A Ph.D. or international equivalent degree is required by the start date of the job.
· No more than four years of post Ph.D. research experience.

Preferred Qualifications

· Ph.D. in a relevant technical or social science discipline such as environmental and resource economics, political economy, information science, or science, technology & society studies
· Experience conducting technical, social science, or policy research, particularly related to resource economics, trade policy, social aspects of technology, or related fields.
· Skills to communicate complex and technical information in a clear and concise manner both verbally and written.
· Organizational and communication skills necessary for effective project management
· Strong writing skills, demonstrated through experience drafting and editing research papers
· Working knowledge of cybersecurity, information security, privacy, or related fields
· Curiosity and enthusiasm about emerging technologies and their implication on politics and society; a commitment to thinking creatively about a quickly developing problem space.
· A desire to write both peer-reviewed and public facing research (white papers, op-eds, etc.)

Salary

Salary will be commensurate with qualifications and experience and based on UC Berkeley salary scales. This position provides full benefits.

Application Procedure

To apply go to https://aprecruit.berkeley.edu/apply/JPF02882
Please direct all questions for this position to cltc@berkeley.edu with the subject line: CLTC Post-Doctoral Scholar: Systematic Approaches to Reducing Digital Harms.

Letters of reference will only be solicited for finalists. We will seek your permission before contacting your references.

All letters will be treated as confidential per University of California Policy and California State law. Please refer potential referees, including when letters are provided via a third party (i.e., dossier service or career center), to the UC Berkeley statement of confidentiality: (http://apo.berkeley.edu/evalltr.html) prior to submitting their letters.

This position is covered by a collective bargaining agreement for Postdoctoral Scholars. The current contract can be found here:
https://ucnet.universityofcalifornia.edu/labor/bargaining-units/px/index.html. Additional information can be found on the website: http://uaw5810.org/welcome-new-postdocs/

We are interested in candidates who will contribute to diversity and equal opportunity in higher education through their research.

The University of California is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age or protected veteran status. For the complete University of California nondiscrimination and affirmative action policy see: http://policy.ucop.edu/doc/4000376/NondiscrimAffirmAct.

• Curriculum Vitae - Your up-to-date, full academic C.V.
• Cover Letter - Cover letter explaining your interest in and experience with this research agenda. The group values contributions to diversity, equity and inclusion in STEM fields, and to outreach; these should be described in the cover letter.
• Statement of Research - Research Proposal - 1-2 pages. This proposal is not necessarily a commitment of what you will work on in your project, but serves a way for the application committee to assess your ability to plan a research project. We understand that your research project may change and evolve as you begin collecting and analyzing data.
• Graduate School Transcript
• Writing sample - Samples of research papers or other similar work products preferred)

• 3 required (contact information only)

• Berkeley, CA