Postdoctoral researcher in social identity, politics, and computational methods

About the role

The Politics, Identities, and Communication Lab (PICL) at the University of Pennsylvania's Annenberg School for Communication is hiring a postdoctoral researcher specializing in politics, social identity, and computational methods. The successful candidate will work under the supervision and mentorship of Dr. Deen Freelon, PICL's director.

Responsibilities

• Work on PICL projects at Dr. Freelon's direction
• Devote half of their time to independent projects and collaborations with other research groups
• Build a strong CV under the mentorship of a seasoned innovator in political communication and computational social science
• Extend the position to a second year based on effective performance in the first year

Requirements

• PhD in communication or a related field with expertise in:
• Communication across or relating to lines of social identity
• Computational social science methods
• AI as a social science method
• Development of open-source software tools for research
• Experience analyzing non-textual media types quantitatively, including video, images, and audio
• Political communication
• Experience with Python, R, and/or other relevant programming languages for social science research
• Advanced data visualization skills
• A strong publication record
• Experience leading self-directed research and collaborating with teams under the supervision of a PI
• Interest in establishing professional connections

Qualifications

• Strong interest in politics, social identity, and computational methods
• Experience with digital sources such as social media, video-sharing platforms, podcasts, music streaming, and LLMs
• Experience analyzing under-studied media types including audio, images, and video

Skills

• Expertise in communication across or relating to lines of social identity
• Proficiency in computational social science methods
• Experience with AI as a social science method
• Ability to develop open-source software tools for research
• Experience analyzing non-textual media types quantitatively, including video, images, and audio
• Knowledge of political communication
• Proficiency in Python, R, and/or other relevant programming languages for social science research
• Advanced data visualization skills
• Strong publication record
• Experience leading self-directed research and collaborating with teams under the supervision of a PI

Benefits

• Mentorship from a seasoned innovator in political communication and computational social science
• Opportunity to build a strong CV
• Flexibility to work on both PICL projects and independent projects

Pay

Salary details not specified.

Schedule

Hours and schedule not specified.