Two Postdoctoral Fellow Positions in Computational Social Science at the Social Media Lab, Toronto Metropolitan University

[Anatoliy Gruzd]

• Research Unit: Social Media Lab, Ted Rogers School of Management, Toronto Metropolitan University (Toronto, Canada)
• Position supervisors: Anatoliy Gruzd and Philip Mai
• Contract length: 1 years with the possibility of a 1 year extension
• Yearly Salary: $55-65k CAD per annum (based on experience) plus a comprehensive benefits package.
• Start Date: Onsite Summer or Fall of 2023 – exact date negotiable
• Position type: Postdoctoral Research Fellow
• Deadline date: The review process will start on March 15, 2023 and will continue until the positions are filled.

The Social Media Lab at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) invites applications for two Postdoctoral Research Fellows in Computational Social Science. Successful candidates will join a vibrant and interdisciplinary research lab led by co-directors, Anatoliy Gruzd (PhD) and Philip Mai (JD). We have a strong track record of preparing and placing our postdocs in relevant positions after a short one or two years working at the lab. Many of our postdocs alumni have gone on to secure a tenure track position in academia, in government or the private sectors in North America and in Europe.

Successful candidates will have an opportunity to work on a variety of ongoing initiatives including: 

• Various ongoing mis/dis-information studies, including a Canadian Heritage-funded project that examines the effectiveness of social media soft moderation interventions such as warning labeling and blurring of posts associated with the Russia-Ukraine war. 
• A SSHRC-funded initiative investigating the rise of anti-social behaviour such as hate speech in social media with an international team of researchers, including Anatoliy Gruzd, Jaigris Hodson (Royal Roads), Jenna Jacobson (TMU), Felipe Soares (University of the Arts London), Caroline Haythornthwaite (Syracuse University) and Hazel Kwon (Arizona State University).
• A Canada Research Chair-funded initiative on the adoption and use of blockchain-based social media sites, with the broad goal of understanding their potential as disruptors in the social media space and their role in addressing users’ privacy and data ownership concerns.
• Future iterations of our public reports such as the State of Social Media in Canada, our Misinformation Reports and our Social Media Influencers Report.

THE OPPORTUNITY

As the Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Computational Social Science, you will have the opportunity to work on exciting and diverse projects and contribute to the development of innovative approaches for studying social media platforms. You will be a member of the Social Media Lab, headed by co-directors Dr. Anatoliy Gruzd, Canada Research Chair and Professor at the Ted Rogers School of Management, and Philip Mai, Senior Researcher and Director of Business and Communications. The successful candidate will be required to work on-site at the Social Media Lab in Toronto, Canada.

Your responsibilities will include investigating social media phenomena such as platform usage and adoption, the diffusion and amplification of mis- and disinformation narratives, the proliferation of anti-social behaviors online in the context of digital activism and online participation. You will be responsible for developing and executing research plans, analyzing data, contributing to academic publications, conference presentations, grant writing and grant preparations. You will also be expected to actively participate in the intellectual life of the lab by attending lab meetings, presenting your own work, and collaborating with other researchers associated with the lab.

The Social Media Lab is a leading research laboratory in Canada dedicated to understanding the social and cultural implications of social media and related emerging technologies. Our team comprises scholars from various disciplines, including information science, communication studies, computer science, sociology, and psychology. We approach the analysis of social media and digital technology using various methods, including content analysis, network analysis, and machine learning.

REQUIREMENTS:

• PhD (awarded within five years) in a relevant field such as information science, computer science, applied communication, applied sociology, political science, psychology, statistics, or related disciplines
• Strong background in computational methods and data analysis
• Experience in applying these skills to social media data is highly desirable
• Expertise in one or more areas of computational social science, such as machine learning, social network analysis, or natural language processing
• Excellent analytical and methodological skills
• Strong written and oral communication skills
• Ability to work independently and in a collaborative team environment
• Strong organizational skills and ability to manage multiple tasks and priorities
• Experience with programming languages commonly used in data analysis, such as Python or R (Preferred but not required)

HOW TO APPLY:

To apply, please submit the following materials to in...@socialmedialab.ca

• Cover letter outlining your research interests and how they relate to the work of the Social Media Lab
• CV
• Names of three references

Review of applications will begin on March 15 and continue until the position is filled. Reference checks will be conducted with short-listed candidates.

INSTITUTIONAL BACKGROUND:

The Social Media Lab is an internationally engaged interdisciplinary research laboratory at the Ted Rogers School of Management in Toronto, Canada. The Lab studies how social media is changing the ways in which people and organizations communicate, disseminate information, conduct business and form communities online, and how these changes impact society. The aim of the lab’s various research initiatives is to advance the public’s understanding of the benefits and pitfalls of social media adoption. The Lab was established in 2010 and is the first of its kind in North America. The Lab attracts a diverse range of outstanding multidisciplinary scholars from around the world each year. It is a leader in social media studies and is the convener of the International Conference on Social Media and Society (#SMSociety). It is led by co-directors, Anatoliy Gruzd (PhD) and Philip Mai (JD).

Ted Rogers School of Management is home to nearly 11,000 students and more than 250 industry-connected faculty, the Ted Rogers School of Management in Canada’s leading diverse, entrepreneurial business school centered in an urban learning environment. TRSM offers 12 Bachelor of Commerce degrees, two Bachelor of Health Administration degrees, the Ted Rogers MBA, a Professional Master’s Diploma in Accounting, customized Executive Education courses, a Master of Health Administration (Community Care) and a Master of Science in Management, as well as a new PhD in Management. TRSM is also home to 15 innovative research centres, institutes and labs.

Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University), with over 45,000 undergraduate and graduate students) is located in the heart of one of the world’s most culturally and linguistically diverse urban centres. Research at Toronto Metropolitan is on a trajectory of success and growth, as evidenced by externally funded research doubling in the past 5 years. Longstanding partnerships with community, industry, government, and professional practice drive research and innovation that responds to real-world problems.

At TMU, we firmly believe that equity, diversity and inclusion are integral to this path; our current academic plan outlines each as core values and we work to embed them in all that we do. We welcome those who have demonstrated a commitment to upholding the values of equity, diversity, and inclusion and will assist us to expand our capacity for diversity in the broadest sense. In addition, to correct the conditions of disadvantage in employment in Canada, we encourage applications from members of groups that have been historically disadvantaged and marginalized, including First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples, Indigenous peoples of North America, Black-identified persons, other racialized persons, persons with disabilities, and those who identify as women and/or 2SLGBTQ+.