Postdoctoral Research Opportunity – Generative AI in the Newsroom (GAIN)
Northwestern University is seeking applicants for a postdoctoral scholar position. Candidates will work with
Prof. Nick Diakopoulos
from the
Computational Journalism Lab
(School of Communication) and
Prof. Jeremy Gilbert
from the
Knight Lab
(Medill
School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communication) to
develop and advance a research agenda that will support the
Generative AI in the Newsroom (GAIN) Initiative
.
The research agenda is broadly scoped to research, prototype, and
evaluate uses of generative AI in news production, such as in news
discovery, content creation, dissemination, or audience
interaction/consumption, as well as to develop research that connects
technical developments with broader ethical, legal, and social
implications in the practice of journalism and the wider
media/technology ecology.
Our
priority is to attract technically strong researchers who can work with
the technology to prototype new experiences or explore new
possibilities for journalistic work, but who can also execute empirical
human-centered evaluations of the technology both in the lab and in
wider deployments with industry partners. This role is oriented towards
leveraging a technical background but with an interest in (news)
information and/or journalism. Candidates should demonstrate a proven
record of publications and projects that showcase their ability to
develop and evaluate data-driven applications and work with generative
AI models (e.g. through APIs, or open-sourced and fine-tuned models).
The
postdoctoral scholar will publish research papers and help translate
research for broader audiences of news industry practitioners and
professionals.
This is a one-year position with the possibility for renewal upon performance review.
Preferred Qualifications
-
Completed
doctoral degree in Human Computer Interaction, Human Centered Design,
Information Science, Computer Science, Computational Social Science,
Computational Journalism, or related fields;
-
Prior
experience and proficiency in working with generative AI models
including programming, application to various use-cases, and/or
human-centered evaluation;
-
Ability to work in highly collaborative and interdisciplinary teams;
-
Strong
communication skills both written and oral, including communicating
research results to broader audiences (e.g. engaged scholarship).
-
Applications should include:
-
Cover letter describing your interest in and qualifications for this position;
-
Curriculum Vitae;
-
Two published papers or equivalent writing samples that best demonstrate your expertise and fit for the position;
-
Research Statement (up to 2 pages) outlining your research achievements and agenda;
-
Names and contact information for two written references;
-
Link to a professional webpage.
-
The
target hiring range for this position will be between $70,000-$75,000
per year. Offered salary will be determined by the applicant’s
education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities, as well as
internal equity and alignment with market data.
Applicants can submit their application materials to
Professor Diakopoulos
