National War College Alumni Association

About the role

Today, as myriad technologies become increasingly vital to politics and public life, policymakers in the U.S. and abroad are reshaping governance of the online sphere. Given the complexity of social platforms, however, policymakers often struggle to understand the ever-developing multi-platform online environment. At the same time, academic groups with the technical expertise to research platforms at scale often lack the capacity to translate their work for policy audiences.

NYU's Center for Social Media and Politics seeks a Researcher (Tech Policy Fellow) to translate our research for policy audiences, enable researchers and policymakers to engage more deeply, and ultimately improve public policy and debate on these critical issues.

This is a new role at CSMaP, so while scoping the exact responsibilities will be a collaborative process, we want to provide a high-level overview of how we envision the role working to advance evidence-based public policy and discourse.

First, this person will use research — from CSMaP and elsewhere in the field — to inform policy. This could take several forms, both public and behind-the-scenes, including:

• Thought Leadership – Writing an essay series about how quantitative research can inform major policy areas (i.e. content moderation, algorithms, polarization, hate speech, data access) currently under consideration by state, federal, and international authorities; writing commentary tied to current tech policy news; and serving as a spokesperson for media.

• Networking – Engaging stakeholders in Washington, D.C. and Silicon Valley —  i.e. congressional staffers, think tanks, and industry leaders — and ensuring their decision making is informed by the best available research.

• Events – Planning regular events bringing together the research and policy communities within the ever-growing network and field.

Second, this person will engage CSMaP's research community on policy issues. As outside researchers, we lack insider knowledge of how the black-boxed platforms we study work, and insight into how policymakers consider regulations. By embedding this position within CSMaP, this role will help researchers better understand the rapidly changing policy environment, both in government and industry, so they can consider how their research can be impactful on policy-relevant topics. Finally, as an academic research institute, one of our primary goals is to train the next generation of scholars and practitioners; this person will support this goal by providing training and mentorship (both formal and informal) on the policy space. 

About CSMaP

Social media and digital technology have transformed our society and presented urgent challenges to democratic governance. As policymakers reshape laws governing the online sphere, it's critical that these policies are informed by high-quality empirical evidence. NYU's Center for Social Media and Politics is a leading academic research institute studying this ever-shifting online environment at scale. We work to strengthen democracy by conducting rigorous research, advancing evidence-based public policy, and training the next generation of scholars. 

CSMaP consists of two core faculty directors in Political Science, as well as software engineers, PhD students in both Political Science and Data Science, affiliated faculty at NYU and other institutions, and undergraduates. We maintain a broad research agenda with many projects moving forward simultaneously. Important publications and/or working papers have centered on the impact of Russian Twitter trolls in the 2016 election, how YouTube's algorithm recommends content, the efficacy of crowdsourced fact-checking, and the consumption of fake news.

Required education

• An undergraduate degree in a relevant field

• No particular academic background is required; a proven track record of results is far more important than credentials, but the ability to understand / interpret quantitative research is a big plus

Required skills / experience

• Significant substantive knowledge of tech policy issues related to social media

• Demonstrated ability to write for policy audiences, including on technical and complex topics

• Professional experience working with the tech policy community

• Ability to build relationships with communities of interest, such as policymakers, regulators, think tanks, and NGOs

While we only require a resume, feel free to provide PDFs or links to any work that demonstrates your experience in and perspective on tech policy issues. 

This role can be based in either New York City or Washington, D.C. In compliance with NYC's Pay Transparency Act, the annual base salary range for this position is $70,000 - $100,000. New York University considers factors such as (but not limited to) the experience of the candidates and the terms of the research grant when extending an offer.

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