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:
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
Required skills / experience