Post-Doctoral Fellow, AI-Enabled Scams – Systemic Security Challenge

Data & Society Research Institute

Post-Doctoral Fellow at Data & Society researching AI-enabled scams and their impact on youth financial cultures. Conducting qualitative research and contributing to policy recommendations.

Posted 6/16/2026full-timeRemote • 🇺🇸 United StatesMid-LevelSenior💰 $68,000 - $80,000 per yearWebsite

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Contribute to the AI-Enabled Scams as a Systemic Security Challenge project as a full participant, including ideation, literature reviews, recruitment, conducting interviews and/or focus groups, conducting content/discourse analysis, coding data, memoing, writing, and other research needs as necessary
Publish op-eds, blog posts, and papers related to ongoing research for academic and non-academic audiences
Contribute to the culture of the Research Management team, the AI & Democracy initiative, and the broader Data & Society community
Attend and collaborate with both internal and external researchers on outreach and network activities, including meetings, presentations, webinars, events, and conferences;
Participate in team activities, including meetings, presentations, webinars, hearings, and conferences, which may require occasional travel

Requirements

What you’ll need

PhD in Communication, Media Studies, Information Studies, Sociology, or similar applicable field; degree must be completed before the starting date.
Excellent research, writing, and communication skills supported by a strong empirical foundation.
Ability to independently conduct high-level qualitative research, including interviews, focus groups, content/discourse analysis, and other research methods.
Experience with study recruitment.
Expertise/interest in financial cultures, scams, generative AI, youth studies, economic sociology, or other topic relevant to the project at hand.
Ability to work independently in a remote environment.
Collaborative and generous intellectual partner.
A strong history of work demonstrating a desire to understand how technology and power shape our sociotechnical society.
Ability to translate research for non-academic audiences, including journalists, policymakers, practitioners, organizers, civil society, and the broader community.
A deep commitment to social change and the practical applications of research for practice, design, and governance of new technologies.
Must be able to travel for conferences, workshops, or team meetings during the appointment.

Benefits

Comp & perks

Medical, dental, and vision insurance
Access to a range of opt-in products and services
401k management
Paid time off
Paid federal holidays

ATS Keywords

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Applicant Tracking System Keywords

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Hard Skills & Tools

qualitative researchcontent analysisdiscourse analysisinterviewingfocus groupsstudy recruitmentwritingempirical research

Soft Skills

communication skillscollaborationindependenceintellectual partnershipcommitment to social change

Certifications

PhD in CommunicationPhD in Media StudiesPhD in Information StudiesPhD in Sociology