APPLICATION DEADLINE: December 1, 2020 The Social Media Collective at Microsoft Research New England (MSRNE) is looking for a two-year social media postdoctoral researcher. This position is an ideal opportunity for a scholar whose work draws on communication, media studies, anthropology, sociology, and/or science & technology studies to bring empirical and critical perspectives to bear on complex socio-technical issues. We also consider applications from candidates that might bridge SMC and one or more areas of the MSRNE lab, including machine learning and statistics, economics and computational economics, theoretical mathematics, and computational biology. Postdoctoral researchers receive a competitive salary and benefits package, and are eligible for relocation expenses. Postdoctoral researchers are hired for a two-year term appointment following the academic calendar, starting in July 2021. The position is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The Social Media Collective is comprised of full-time researchers, postdocs, visiting faculty, Ph.D. interns, and research assistants. Current projects in New England include: – How do people build social capital with each other in remote and hybrid work, and how do those processes facilitate or harm inclusion? (Nancy Baym) – How do social media platforms, through algorithmic design and content policies, serve as custodians of public discourse? (Tarleton Gillespie) – What are the cultural, political, and ethical implications of on-demand platform economies as new forms and sites of semi-automated, globally-distributed digital labor? (Mary L. Gray) – how do discourses and designs of ideal social media habits function within apparatuses of platform capitalism? (Niall Docherty) SMC postdocs may also have the opportunity to visit and collaborate with researchers in our sister labs in New York City and Montreal. Microsoft Research provides a vibrant multidisciplinary research environment, with an open publication policy and close links to top academic institutions around the world. The postdoctoral research positions offer emerging scholars an opportunity to develop their research career and to interact with some of the top minds in the research community. ________________________________ Qualifications Required Qualifications: * PhD in anthropology, communications, media studies, sociology, science & technology studies, or a related field. * A research program demonstrated by journal and conference publications. Preferred Qualifications: * A strong social scientific or humanistic methodological, analytical, and theoretical foundation. * Strong communication skills. * The ability to work in a highly collaborative and interdisciplinary environment. * Demonstrated leadership potential in research. Responsibilities Postdoctoral researchers define their own research agenda. Postdocs are expected to be lively contributors to discussions in the SMC research group, and the MSR New England lab. The ideal candidate may be trained in any number of disciplines, but should have a strong social scientific or humanistic methodological, analytical, and theoretical foundation, be interested in questions related to technology or the internet and society or culture, and be interested in working in a highly interdisciplinary environment that also includes computer scientists, mathematicians, and economists. Application process Submit an online application here<https://careers.microsoft.com/us/en/job/924422/Post-Doc-Researcher-Social-Media-Microsoft-Research>. To get started with your application, press the “Apply now” button above. When prompted, upload your CV and provide names and contact information of three referees; one of your letter writers must be your dissertation advisor. In addition, you must upload the following 3 documents, as attachments, to your online application: 1. a single research statement (4 page maximum length) that does the following: * outlines the questions and methodologies central to your research agenda (~ two pages); * offers a description of how your research agenda relates to research conducted by the Social Media Collective (~ one page); * provides an abstract and chapter outline of your dissertation (~ one page) 2+3. two writing samples: journal articles, book chapters, or equivalent (uploaded as two separate attachments). Remember to press the “Submit” button at the last screen. Requests for recommendation letters will be automatically sent to your list of referees on your behalf. NOTE: THE APPLICATION SYSTEM WILL NOT REQUEST REFERENCE LETTERS UNTIL AFTER YOU HAVE SUBMITTED YOUR APPLICATION! We recommend that you warn your letter writers in advance, so they will have their letters ready to submit as soon as they receive the prompt. The email they receive will tell them they have two weeks to respond, but consideration of application begins very quickly after the deadline – so submitting early will give them adequate time to get their letters to us. Please make sure to check back with your referees to ensure they received the request for letters of recommendation and that they sent them. You can also check the progress on individual reference requests at any time by clicking the “status” tab within your application page. To be assured of full consideration, all of your materials need to be submitted by December 1, 2020. For more information, see here.<http://research.microsoft.com/en-us/jobs/fulltime/postdoc.aspx> If you have any questions about the application process, you can contact Tarleton Gillespie at tarleton@microsoft.com<mailto:tarleton@microsoft.com> and please include “SMC postdoc” in the subject line. Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran status, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable laws, regulations, and ordinances. We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements. If you need assistance and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application or the recruiting process, please send a request via the Accommodation request form.