Northern California HERC

Technology Ethics & Policy Rising Scholars - Predoctoral Researcher

The School of Humanities and Sciences (H&S) is the foundation of a liberal arts education at Stanford. The school encompasses 24 departments and 24 interdisciplinary programs. H&S is home to fundamental and applied research, where free, open, and critical inquiry is pursued across disciplines. As the university's largest school, H&S serves as the foundation of a Stanford undergraduate education no matter which discipline students pursue as a major. Graduate students work alongside world-renowned faculty to pursue and shape foundational research that leads to breakthroughs and discoveries that shed new light on the past, influence the present, and shape the future. Together, faculty and students in H&S engage in inspirational teaching, learning, and research every day.

McCoy Family Center for Ethics in Society (Ethics Center) is committed to bringing ethical reflection to bear on important social problems through research, teaching, and community engagement. To expand research and career opportunities at the intersection of ethics and technology, the Ethics Center has launched a Technology Ethics and Policy (TEP) Rising Scholars Program.

The TEP Rising Scholars program aims to bring early-career scholars who have a bachelor's degree and an interest in issues at the intersection of ethics, policy, society, and technology into full-time research positions at Stanford University. The goal of the program is to serve as a bridge into long-term careers in ethics, technology, and policy. Successful outcomes for participants include going on to competitive graduate programs in related fields or into impactful jobs in government, the private sector, or civil society.

The TEP Rising Scholars Program is seeking a new Predoctoral Researcher to participate in our 2026-2027 cohort. The ideal candidate will have excellent analytical and organizational skills and outstanding academic credentials to support research, teaching, and administrative activities at the Ethics Center.

Ethics and Society Review (ESR) Predoctoral Researcher position description

The ESR is designed to engage researchers in reflections of the ethical and societal consequences of their work. With the ESR, grant funding from participating institutions is not released until the researchers successfully complete an iterative ethics and society review process for their proposed project, with the guidance of an ESR panel of experts from a range of disciplines. This position involves contributing to, both, the administrative and the research aspects of the ESR. The Fellow will assist with a range of essential administrative needs of the program, including (1) managing communications for grant reviews, (2) maintaining detailed

records of each review conducted, and (3) updating the ESR website. Additionally, they will also help with several research tasks, including (1) reviewing relevant literature, (2) collecting, cleaning, and analyzing research data, (3) contributing to the publication of findings by drafting reports, presentations, and other public materials.

Research Fellows will have the opportunity to participate in the intellectual community of the Ethics Center and campus centers, like the Stanford Center for Biomedical Ethics and Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence (HAI), including auditing courses, attending workshops and conferences, and being mentored by prominent scholars in their fields.

This is a 100% FTE, one-year fixed term, non-exempt position. This position will be based on the Stanford campus and will be considered for an option of telecommuting (hybrid of working on-site and off-site), subject to operational need. Ideally, selected candidates will begin in early September 2026.

How to Apply

We invite you to apply for this position by clicking on the "Apply for Job" button.

To be considered, along with your online application, you must submit:

1) Resume/CV

2) 2-page cover letter describing how your academic, personal, and/or professional experiences have prepared you for this position and how the TEP Rising Scholars Program will contribute to your career development. Applicants are encouraged to include reference to related courses, research, or other experiences that may have prepared them for the program.

Thank you for considering employment opportunities with the School of Humanities and Sciences.

CORE DUTIES:

* Plan and perform research tasks requiring initiative and judgment by applying basic knowledge and understanding of scientific theory when precedents do not provide specific guidance. General instruction provided by the supervisor as needed. May interpret study results in collaboration with supervisor or PI.

* Participate in the development and administration of survey instruments and rating scales requiring judgment in applying non-routine procedures. Analyze and summarize results for review with supervisor. Audit the accuracy and validity of data

* Review and audit case report forms for completion and accuracy with source documents, and ensure compliance with research protocols.

* Identify, select, extract and summarize data and structured information. Present summary of findings to supervisor.

* Conduct literature searches, and write literature summaries and manuscripts, requiring preliminary judgments after the supervisor outlines conceptual approach.

* Build and organize data as requested by principal investigator or supervisor; use common statistical programs requiring the application of job control language in generating and organizing data.

* Adapt new, nonstandard methods outlined by supervisor in designing and evaluating phases of research projects, (i.e., educational materials, questionnaires, strategies for recruitment, data quality control procedures and processes). May follow up with Institutional Review Board (IRB) to ensure renewals are approved and completed, seeking guidance where necessary.

* Assist with development, communication and design of research findings to internal and external audiences, which may include web updates, social media, and/or white papers, for use in recruitment, educational, or awareness of programs, with guidance from supervisor.

* May orient and train new staff or students.

* Other duties may also be assigned.