Researcher (Research Communications Manager)

The Research Communications Manager will oversee the Center's public facing communications. To do so, you will work closely with the Center's directors, postdocs, and students to communicate the Center's research to key stakeholders—media, foundations, policymakers, and other academics. The outputs you produce will take many forms. You will develop and manage the Center's website and social media accounts; edit and/or write data reports, blog posts and press releases, and foundation and annual reports; and manage the Center's relationship with key external stakeholders. As such, we are looking for someone with initiative, tenacity, creativity, and a diverse toolkit. 

We are looking for applicants from a variety of backgrounds, such as (but not limited to) foundations, journalism, academia, and public policy. However, successful applicants will demonstrate a deep interest in and understanding of our research, a never-give-up approach to problem solving, a willingness to jump in wherever needed, and an ability to wear many hats at once.

Currently, we have a portfolio of over 40 projects on a wide range of questions related to social media and politics, each of which has different substantive and methodological motivations. While you will not be asked to carry out research, you will be asked to translate our academic outputs for non-technical audiences. To this end, a fluency with social science research, as well as an ability to write precisely and accessibly about technical topics, is a must.

Responsibilities will include:

• Edit and/or write reports for consumption by non-technical audiences, including foundation reports, white papers, data reports, blog posts, and op-eds

• Track public impact of lab research and activities, and strategize how to increase impact

  • Stay up-to-date on the state of the field, identify new opportunities for us to highlight our work, and work collaboratively with colleagues to carry out new initiatives  

• Develop the center website and social media accounts in a way that engages academics, policy makers, and civil society groups

  • Identify areas for improvement, implement new features / strategies, and gather data to track progress

• Steward current and build new relationships with key external stakeholders, including media, policymakers, civil society organizations, and foundations

• Publicize and coordinate external Center events

• Search for and inform Center Directors of opportunities for leveraging lab research products into additional dissemination venues and publishing outlets

The Center for Social Media and Politics consists of three core faculty directors covering fields of Political Science, Computer Science, and Computational Biology, as well as software engineers, data scientists, PhD students in both Political Science and Data Science, affiliated faculty both at NYU and other institutions, and undergraduates. The Center maintains a broad research agenda with many projects moving forward simultaneously. Recent publications and/or working papers have centered on the consumption of fake news, the distribution of media consumption by individuals, the links shared by IRA Troll accounts in the 2016 US election, how (competitive) authoritarian regimes respond to online opposition, and the prevalence of hate speech on Twitter.

The Center has weekly general meetings, bi-weekly post-docs meetings, and many project-specific meetings throughout the week. Centrally located in Manhattan, the Center hosts frequent visitors. You will be given the opportunity to participate in the Center's research environment, including attending conferences and seminars and working closely with a broad group of researchers associated with the Center. For the duration of the pandemic, telecommuting is fine (and may be required), but this is an in person position once NYU resumes normal operations.

The directors of the Center are actively seeking a diverse community and encourage applicants from all backgrounds to consider applying for this position. We believe in the importance of diversity as a key to the long-range health and vibrancy of the field, as well as its ability to create a more stimulating intellectual environment.

For additional information, feel free to contact any of the faculty directors: Rich Bonneau (rb133@nyu.edu), Jonathan Nagler (jonathan.nagler@nyu.edu), or Joshua Tucker (joshua.tucker@nyu.edu). Or, of course, check out our website.