Postdoc & PhD positions in Computational Social Science/Climate Disinformation at University of Miami (Florida, USA)
Supran, Geoffrey
Dear colleagues,
I am currently looking to fill 4 new positions (2 PhDs, 2 Postdocs) in my group at the University of Miami:
Post Doctoral Associate – Computational Social Science (job description below)
Senior Software Engineer – Computational Social Science (job description below)
PhD position – Computational Social Science: Climate change discourse on social media (job description below)
PhD position – Corporate capture of academic research and government agencies by fossil fuel interests (job description below)
The first two jobs have the same job description but are at two different pay grades depending on candidates’ experience and qualifications. Details and application instructions below.
Thanks very much!
geoffrey
Geoffrey Supran, Ph.D. | @GeoffreySupran | Schedule a meeting
Associate Professor of Environmental Science and Policy
Director of Climate Accountability Lab
Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science
University of Miami
Post Doctoral Associate – Computational Social Science
Position description:
The Climate Accountability Lab headed by Prof. Geoffrey Supran at the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science has a funded opening for a full-time postdoctoral researcher in the area of computational social science focused on social media. The researcher will work on interdisciplinary research projects computationally analyzing textual and audiovisual data on social media and other digital platforms, with a focus on climate change narratives and social networks. The research will leverage large-scale advertising and media messaging datasets and is ideal for individuals with strong backgrounds in Computer Science, Data Science, Machine Learning, Communication Science, Psychology, or quantitative Political Science, History of Science, and Sociology.
The researcher will be part of a growing team of graduate and postgraduate colleagues and will collaborate with computer scientists at the Algorithmic Transparency Institute (a project of the National Conference on Citizenship) and other academic and non-profit organizations on data collection, analysis, academic reporting, website development, and other public outreach and engagement.
Key responsibilities:
- Design and execute large-scale data collection strategies from social media and other digital platforms using APIs, web scraping, and other proprietary techniques.
- Develop, test, and evaluate algorithms and software, including Large Language Models, to analyze social media data, with a focus on the volume, content, communication patterns, and effects of media messaging concerning climate change.
- Prepare peer-reviewed articles, white paper reports, and presentations.
- Collaborate with colleagues to design and build interactive websites and/or dashboards to publicly communicate research insights.
- Contribute to grant proposals and other funding opportunities.
- No mandatory teaching duties.
Required qualifications:
- Minimum educational qualification is a PhD or equivalent in fields including but not limited to Computational Social Science, Data Science, Computer Science, Political Science, Communication Science, quantitative History of Science, Sociology, Psychology, and other fields related to social media data mining.
- Strong capabilities in relevant research methods, which could include social network analysis, statistical analysis (such as multinomial logistic regression, structural equation modeling, vector autoregression, and cross-lagged panel analysis); open-ended data mining; applied machine learning including Natural Language Processing, Large Language Models, and image recognition; web scraping; and API interaction.
- Demonstrated proficiency in programming languages such as Python, R, or similar.
- Demonstrated background in Computational Social Science, Data Science, Computer Science, Political Science, Communication Science, quantitative History of Science, Sociology, Psychology, and other fields related to social media data mining.
- Strong publication record in relevant fields.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
Preferred qualifications:
- Experience with interactive data visualization and website development.
- Proficiency in using cloud-based platforms for data storage and computation.
- Familiarity with climate change misinformation, obstructionism, politics, and/or communication.
- Experience working with interdisciplinary research teams or in cross-sector collaborations (for example between academia and NGOs)
Salary:
$70,000 to $90,000 per year, depending on experience
Start date/Appointment term:
As soon as possible. The position is for one year with the possibility for extension. Exceptional performance can lead to promotion to a permanent, non-tenured research staff role.
Required application materials:
Cover letter, a one-page statement of research experiences and interests, curriculum vitae, and contact information for three references.
Senior Software Engineer – Computational Social Science
Position description:
The Climate Accountability Lab headed by Prof. Geoffrey Supran at the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science has a funded opening for a full-time Senior Software Engineer in the area of computational social science focused on social media. The researcher will work on interdisciplinary research projects computationally analyzing textual and audiovisual data on social media and other digital platforms, with a focus on climate change narratives and social networks. The research will leverage large-scale advertising and media messaging datasets and is ideal for individuals with strong backgrounds in Computer Science, Data Science, Machine Learning, Communication Science, Psychology, or quantitative Political Science, History of Science, and Sociology.
The researcher will be part of a growing team of graduate, postgraduate, and postdoctoral colleagues and will collaborate with computer scientists at the Algorithmic Transparency Institute (a project of the National Conference on Citizenship) and other academic and non-profit organizations on data collection, analysis, academic reporting, website development, and other public outreach and engagement.
Key responsibilities:
- Design and execute large-scale data collection strategies from social media and other digital platforms using APIs, web scraping, and other proprietary techniques.
- Develop, test, and evaluate algorithms and software, including Large Language Models, to analyze social media data, with a focus on the volume, content, communication patterns, and effects of media messaging concerning climate change.
- Prepare peer-reviewed articles, white paper reports, and presentations.
- Collaborate with colleagues to design and build interactive websites and/or dashboards to publicly communicate research insights.
- Contribute to grant proposals and other funding opportunities.
- No mandatory teaching duties.
Required qualifications:
- While a minimum educational qualification of a PhD or equivalent in relevant fields is preferred, candidates demonstrating exceptional relevant expertise - for example AI engineers and others looking to transition from industry to academia - will also be given full consideration.
- Strong capabilities in relevant research methods, which could include social network analysis, statistical analysis (such as multinomial logistic regression, structural equation modeling, vector autoregression, and cross-lagged panel analysis); open-ended data mining; applied machine learning including Natural Language Processing, Large Language Models, and image recognition; web scraping; and API interaction.
- Demonstrated proficiency in programming languages such as Python, R, or similar.
- Demonstrated background in Computational Social Science, Data Science, Computer Science, Political Science, Communication Science, quantitative History of Science, Sociology, Psychology, and other fields related to social media data mining.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
Preferred qualifications:
- Experience with interactive data visualization and website development.
- Proficiency in using cloud-based platforms for data storage and computation.
- Familiarity with climate change misinformation, obstructionism, politics, and/or communication.
- Experience working with and managing interdisciplinary research teams, projects, and cross-sector collaborations (for example between academia and NGOs).
- Strong publication record in relevant fields.
Salary:
$100,000 to $130,000 per year, depending on experience.
Start date/Appointment term:
As soon as possible. The position is for one to two years (subject to negotiation) with the possibility for extension.
Required application materials:
Cover letter, a one-page statement of research experiences and interests, curriculum vitae, and contact information for three references.
PhD position – Computational Social Science: Climate change discourse on social media
Position description:
Social media is the new frontier of climate change disinformation and propaganda. Between 2018-20, ExxonMobil spent more on political advertising on Facebook and Instagram than any other corporation. To date, however, this topic has received little systematic attention.
The Climate Accountability Lab has funded opportunities for graduate students to work on high-impact, interdisciplinary research projects computationally analyzing textual and audiovisual data on social media and other digital platforms, with a focus on climate change narratives and social networks.
The projects are ideal for individuals with strong backgrounds in statistical analysis; open-ended data mining; social network analysis, applied machine learning including Natural Language Processing, Large Language Models, and image recognition; web scraping; and API interaction.
Salary: $40,140 per year, tuition and health insurance included
Course information: https://graduate.earth.miami.edu/phd-and-ms-programs/environmental-science-and-policy/index.html
Application deadline: 8 January 2025
Interested candidates please complete this form ASAP: bit.ly/UMGradSurvey
Position description:
Conflicts of interest between academic research and corporate funders – such as tobacco, pharmaceutical, and junk food companies – have been studied and managed in medical research and public health for decades. By comparison, climate and energy research funded by fossil fuel interests – including oil, gas, and animal agriculture companies – has received almost no scrutiny. Likewise, the revolving door of personnel between government agencies and fossil fuel interests has been under addressed.
The Climate Accountability Lab has funded opportunities for graduate students to work on high-impact, interdisciplinary research projects analyzing the scale, consequences, and antidotes to these major threats to climate change action.
Projects vary from qualitative (descriptive, historical, and sociological) to quantitative (statistical and computational, including open-ended data mining; social network analysis, applied machine learning; web scraping; and API interaction). Strong analytical skills are essential.
Salary: $40,140 per year, tuition and health insurance included
Course information: https://graduate.earth.miami.edu/phd-and-ms-programs/environmental-science-and-policy/index.html
Application deadline: 8 January 2025
Interested candidates please complete this form ASAP: bit.ly/UMGradSurvey