[Air-L] New Fellowship Opportunity with the Berkman Center and the Center for Civic Media at MIT: Media Cloud Fellowship

[Amar Ashar]

The Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University and the 
MIT Center for Civic Media seek a fellow to join Media Cloud 
<http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/research/mediacloud>, a project led by 
Yochai Benkler <http://benkler.org/> and Ethan Zuckerman 
<http://www.ethanzuckerman.com/blog/> and driven by an interdisciplinary 
team of staff and researchers. The fellow will lead the production of 
scholarly papers and outputs, advance specific research threads, and 
contribute to the development of research methods and tools.

Media Cloud is an open source, open data platform that allows 
researchers to answer complex quantitative and qualitative questions 
about the content of online media and helps to support a novel, 
data-driven perspective on the dynamics of online conversations.

This fellowship offers an early-stage researcher in social science, data 
science, or Internet & society to explore the state of digital media 
through analysis of networks, big data, social media, mobilization, and 
attention online. This is a unique opportunity to study the networked 
public sphere and its impact on current political debates.

A full position description for the job can be found below and on the 
Harvard Human Resources website 
<https://sjobs.brassring.com/TGWEbHost/jobdetails.aspx?partnerID=25240&siteID=5341&AReq=30986BR>. 


Please note that applications for this fellowship must be submitted 
through the Harvard Human Resources website, and will not be collected 
or coordinated directly through the Berkman Center.  Apply for the Media 
Cloud fellowship here 
<https://sjobs.brassring.com/TGWEbHost/jobdetails.aspx?partnerID=25240&siteID=5341&AReq=30986BR>.

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Key Responsibilities Include*

  * leading a research effort to study online debates related to Sexual
    and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR), investigating the framing
    of terms around sexuality, reproductive health and rights, as well
    as training a small subset of advocates working on these issues on
    the use of our tools;
  * working closely with project members from the Berkman Center and
    Center for Civic Media to coordinate and conduct research, writing,
    project outputs, and preparing publications;
  * documenting processes and strategies for using Media Cloud;
  * cultivating and supporting relationships among faculty and other
    experts in media, social science, law, computer science, journalism,
    data visualization, and other fields to understand substantive
    issues and objectives, assess needs and capabilities, and
    collaboratively develop research methods to meet the project's
    broader goals;
  * contributing to the development of the research and technical
    platforms;
  * planning, communicating, and implementing Media Cloud workshops and
    convenings;
  * managing the selection, oversight, and mentorship of student
    researchers;
  * developing plans and timelines to advance project priorities and
    meet deadlines; and
  * providing additional project support as needed.

The fellowship is positioned to share time between the Berkman Center 
and the Center for Civic Media at MIT, working closely with researchers, 
staff, and faculty at both institutions. The community of fellows and 
researchers at the two Centers includes a wide range of people working 
on issues related to Internet and society, including scholars, 
practitioners, innovators, and others committed to understanding and 
advancing the public interest.*

Basic Qualifications*

Bachelor's degree required.*

Additional Qualifications*

Candidate should be energetic and passionate about working on issues 
related to social mobilization and network analysis. Superior writing 
and verbal skills, sound judgment, exceptional ethical standards, and 
proven abilities in interpersonal communication, supervision, project 
management, and team building are required. The fellow will have heart, 
verve, and vigor; a can-do attitude; a very good sense of humor; and a 
strong desire to affect change in the world.

Demonstrable knowledge of statistical and content analysis, text 
analysis and natural language processing, visualization, and the ability 
to produce large social science research outputs is preferred. 
Familiarity with the intersections of policy with technology, 
regulation, and social impact is beneficial.

An advanced degree in a related field is strongly preferred. Experience 
with technical, substantive, and organizational work for 
non-governmental or academic organizations is useful, in addition to 
experience in managing and guiding participating researchers and 
collaborators.*

Additional Information*

The Centers encourage and support inviting and rigorous intellectual 
environments. The right candidate will thrive in a committed, 
collaborative, and tight-knit community that encourages creativity and 
humor, supports deep inquiry, values novel approaches to solving 
problems, strives for transparency, continually builds upon 
best-practices and lessons learned, and supports its community members' 
independent and collective goals.

In order to most fully and efficiently carry out her duties, the 
candidate will attend workshops and conferences, and will have frequent 
opportunities to expand his/her knowledge.

The annual salary is $48,000, and is eligible for health benefits.

The position is administratively housed at the Berkman Center, and will 
report to the Research Director at the Berkman Center.

As with all Berkman Center positions, this is a term appointment 
expected to continue through 12/31/14, subject to department need and 
funding, with strong potential for continuation based on funding and 
institutional need.*

About Media Cloud*

Using Media Cloud, academic researchers, journalism critics, and 
interested citizens can examine what media sources cover which stories, 
what language different media outlets use in conjunction with different 
stories, and how stories spread from one media outlet to another. Media 
Cloud was the research tool used to develop the recent publication, 
"Social Mobilization and the Networked Public Sphere: Mapping the 
SOPA-PIPA Debate <http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/node/8416>."  For more 
information about Media Cloud, visit: http://mediacloud.org.*

About the Berkman Center for Internet & Society*

The Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University is a 
research program founded to explore cyberspace, share in its study, and 
help pioneer its development. Founded in 1997, through a generous gift 
from Jack N. and Lillian R. Berkman, the Center is home to an 
ever-growing community of faculty, fellows, staff, and affiliates 
working on projects that span the broad range of intersections between 
cyberspace, technology, and society. More information can be found at 
http://cyber.law.harvard.edu.*

About the MIT Center for Civic Media*

The MIT Center for Civic Media works hand in hand with diverse 
communities to collaboratively create, design, deploy, and assess civic 
media tools and practices. We are inventors of new technologies that 
support and foster civic media and political action, we are a hub for 
the study of these technologies, and we coordinate community-based 
design processes locally in the Boston area, across the United States, 
and around the world. Bridging two established programs at MIT---one 
known for inventing alternate technical futures, the other for 
identifying the cultural and social potential of media change---the 
Center for Civic Media is a joint effort between the MIT Media Lab and 
the MIT Comparative Media Studies Program. It is made possible by 
funding from the Knight Foundation.  More information can be found at 
http://civic.mit.edu/.*

Commitment to Diversity*

The work and well-being of the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at 
Harvard University are strengthened profoundly by the diversity of our 
network and our differences in background, culture, experience, national 
origin, religion, sexual orientation, and much more. We actively seek 
and welcome applications from people of color, women, the LGBTQIA 
community, and persons with disabilities, as well as applications from 
researchers and practitioners from across the spectrum of disciplines 
and methods.

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More About Berkman Center Fellowships and Information About Berkman's 
Open Call for Fellowship Applications*

If the Media Cloud fellowship is not for you, but you are interested in 
Berkman's fellowship program, please read more on Berkman's fellowship 
page <http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/getinvolved/fellowships>.  
Applications are currently being accepted for 2014-2015 fellowships 
through the open call 
<http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/getinvolved/fellowships/opencall20142015>, 
a channel through which applicants propose their own course of study.  
Open call applications will be accepted through December 8, 2013.
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The Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University was founded to
explore cyberspace, share in its study, and help pioneer its development. For
more information, visit: http://cyber.law.harvard.edu.


To change your Berkman Center subscriptions, visit:
http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/signup