About PRL
The Polarization Research Lab (PRL) is a cross-university lab at Dartmouth College, the University of Pennsylvania, and Stanford University. Our lab focuses on measuring attitudes related to affective polarization, perceptions, trust, and anti-democratic attitudes, capturing the dynamics in elite rhetoric that may affect these attitudes, and finding interventions that improve outcomes. We conduct weekly surveys of Americans on issues, use cutting-edge computational approaches to measure the dynamics of the information environment, and regularly run experiments. We plan to expand the project across the globe and to conduct elite surveys.
About the Positions
We are looking for postdoctoral fellows (up to four) to join our team and collaborate on and develop projects related to polarization and anti-democratic attitudes. The main job of the postdocs will be to write academic articles, design and implement survey experiments, use methods of causal inference to assess the impact of changes in the information environment on changes in attitudes, and conduct descriptive studies of the data. They will be involved in all aspects of the research, with the goal of co-authoring academic publications and creating reports for widespread consumption.
Postdocs will have the chance to co-author (and lead) papers and work on scientific projects with researchers from institutions around the world. While the majority of the time will be dedicated to collaborative lab projects, there will be opportunity (and space on the survey instrument) to develop related independent research. The appointment will be for one year. Salary is standardized based on the University of Pennsylvania pay schedule ($65,000). Benefits are provided. The postdoc can work at Stanford or in Philadelphia.
To be successful in this role, you will bring:
- A Ph.D. with a preference for political science, communication, psychology, economics, sociology, statistics, or computer science.
- A range of statistical and data skills, including graduate-level knowledge of causal inference methods, computational data management, and data analysis.
- Experience managing large datasets and executing data analysis in complex environments is highly valued.
Stanford University, Dartmouth College, and the University of Pennsylvania are equal-opportunity employers. We welcome nominations of, and applications from, women and members of minority groups, as well as others who would bring additional dimensions to the university’s research missions.
Submitting Your Application
A complete application consists of:
- Cover Letter
- CV
- Three letters of recommendation
- Two example papers– Published peer-reviewed articles preferred.
Please email the application to: polarizationresearchlab@gmail.com
Timeline
We will begin reviewing applications on December 15, 2022 and continue until the positions are filled. Because of the volume of applications, we are unable to read drafts of submissions. Incomplete or late applications will not be considered. Applicants should arrange for their letters of recommendation to be sent to the same address by the same date.