[Air-L] Job listing: Principal Researcher, studying sociotechnical systems, at MSR New England

[Tarleton L. Gillespie]

Thrilled to share the folowing news: we may have the chance to hire a new, full-time Principal Researcher for the SMC! We haven’t grown our permanent research team in more than a decade, even as the questions we study feel like they change about every hour and half. So this is exciting news for us, and may be exciting news for you or someone you know: We are looking for a social scientist working at the intersection of information technologies, people, institutions, labor, culture, and power; someone who draws on sociotechnical perspectives, and uses qualitative, interpretivist, or mixed methods, to analyze the critical issues of our time.

The entire job listing is attached below. But to make the requirement clear: “Principal Researcher” means we are looking for someone with three or more years of experience beyond their PhD (PhD must have been received before July 2022.) We want someone who already has an established research arc, who can devise and direct their own research agenda, and who can think collaboratively with others across disciplines.

Microsoft Research (MSR) New England, located in Cambridge MA, provides a vibrant, multidisciplinary research environment, with an open publication policy and close links to top academic institutions around the world. 

The job listing<https://jobs.careers.microsoft.com/global/en/job/1849026/Principal-Researcher-%E2%80%93-Sociotechnical-Systems-%E2%80%93-Microsoft-Research> is live: more detail on the position, instructions for applying, and the application link itself can all be found there. Please feel free to contact us with any questions that are not answered by the job listing. There is no deadline, we will be looking at applications on a rolling basis.

Please also circulate this call to your finest colleagues. Thank you!

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Microsoft Research (MSR) New England is looking for a new full-time, Principal Researcher who brings sociotechnical perspectives to analyze critical issues of our time. You will join the Sociotechnical Systems area, a team of social scientists who draw on empirical and critical methods to study the social, political, and cultural dynamics that shape technologies and their consequences. Our research group spans several disciplines, including anthropology, communication, gender and sexuality studies, history, information studies, law, media studies, organizational and management sciences, science & technology studies, and sociology. 

This is an ideal opportunity for a scholar with a Ph.D. plus 3+ years of related research experience to conduct original research addressing critical sociotechnical issues. You would be expected to devise and direct your own research agenda and to think collaboratively with others. We are especially interested in candidates whose work complements any of the following themes:

  *   the politics and public responsibilities of algorithms, generative AI, machine learning, platforms, metrics, and other manifestations of computational cultures 
  *   the intersectional dimensions of identity as they are entangled with sociotechnical systems, including: race, caste, and indigeneity; gender and sexual identities; socioeconomic status and class  
  *   how institutions, organizations, networks, and infrastructures (across sectors and domains) configure and are configured by sociotechnical systems  
  *   notions of cooperation, participation, mutual aid, and community engagement and their relationships to the design and governance of responsible technologies   
  *   political economies and emerging organizational forms in digital labor, community, government, non-profit, creator economy, and private-sector contexts for sociotechnical undertakings 

Our team is comprised of full-time researchers, postdocs, visiting faculty, Ph.D. interns, and pre-doctoral research assistants. You would also have opportunities to collaborate with others across the New England lab, all of MSR, and across Microsoft Corporation. Microsoft Research provides a vibrant, multidisciplinary research environment, with an open publication policy and close links to top academic institutions around the world. 

RESPONSIBILTIES

  *   continue developing an academically novel research agenda.  
  *   advance that research agenda through one or more research projects, yielding new theories, methods, analyses, insights, or collections of data in one or more sub-areas or a broad area of research.  
  *   present and publish research in high-quality conferences and journals. 
  *   continue to contribute to the field through activities such as reviewing papers or organizing conference panels. 
  *   contribute to discussions in the Social Media Collective, the MSR New England lab, and the Sociotechnical Systems research group across the Northeast labs. 
  *   all employees are responsible for treating others with fairness and respect, and showing empathy and compassion.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

  *   Doctorate in relevant field (including anthropology, communication, history, information science, media studies, science & technology studies, sociology, or related)
  *   AND 3+ years related research experience, or equivalent experience. [ Ph.D. must be awarded before July 2022]
  *   A research program demonstrated by top-tier, peer-reviewed scholarship, as a lead author or essential contributor, shared through publishing venues such as journal articles, conference proceedings, and books.  

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

  *   5+ years related research experience, or equivalent.
  *   A methodological, analytical, and theoretical foundation in the social or humanistic sciences. 
  *   Demonstrated leadership potential in research. 
  *   Proven ability to work in a highly collaborative and interdisciplinary environment that also includes computer scientists, biologists, and economists.

APPLICATION PROCESS

Applications can be submitted here<https://jobs.careers.microsoft.com/global/en/job/1849026/Principal-Researcher-%E2%80%93-Sociotechnical-Systems-%E2%80%93-Microsoft-Research>. As part of the application, please upload:

  *   Curriculum vitae (CV) listing all peer-reviewed publications and preprints.
  *   A single research statement (4 page maximum length) that does the following: 
     *   outlines the questions and methodologies central to your research agenda (~ three pages);
     *   offers a description of how your research agenda relates to sociotechnical systems research (~ one page). 
  *   Two writing samples: these can be journal articles, book chapters, or equivalent (uploaded as two separate attachments).
  *   References – Please include a minimum of two (2) references.
     *   After submission of application, the system will send a request for letters to list of referees on candidate’s behalf.
     *    Note: Candidates should tell their recommenders that, despite the auto-request for a letter of recommendation, they do not need to submit letters unless they are directly contacted and asked to do so by a member of the search committee, after the initial review of applications.

Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, citizenship, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, immigration status, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran or military status, race, ethnicity, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable local laws, regulations and ordinances. If you need assistance and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application process, read more about requesting accommodations.