TECHNOLOGY ETHICS & POLICY RISING SCHOLARS PROGRAM RESEARCH ASSOCIATE

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 and is hiring its third cohort of Research Associates for this 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 Research Associates to participate in our 2025-2026 cohort. Ideal candidates will have excellent analytical and organizational skills and outstanding academic credentials to support research, teaching, and administrative activities at the Ethics Center.
Two positions are available in 2025:
1. McCoy Family Center for Ethics in Society Research Associate, PI Professor Rob Reich
Professor Rob Reich is the McGregor-Girand Professor of Social Ethics of Science and Technology. He is also the Faculty Director of the Ethics, Society, and Technology Initiatives at the McCoy Center for Ethics in Society and Senior Fellow at the Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence. He seeks a rising scholar with excellent analytical and organizational skills and outstanding academic credentials to support his overall research, teaching, and administrative activities. The position will chiefly involve work on supporting the development and delivery of a new course on AI Governance, research initiatives on the governance of frontier science and technology (especially AI), and support on internal and external scheduling and presentations. The Rising Scholar will work on (1) drafting reports, conducting literature reviews, and leading the preparation of research memos (2) organizing and convening research workshops/symposia with faculty, postdoctoral fellows, and graduate students, (3) leading and organizing public events at which research is discussed and presented, (4) supporting current and future teaching and lecture activities, including the new course on AI governance as well as CS182, Ethics, Public Policy, and Technological Change.
2. Institute for Human-Centered AI (HAI) Research Associate, PIs Dr. Jennifer King and Elena Cryst
The Stanford Institute for Human-Centered AI (HAI) Policy team and HAI Privacy and Data Policy Fellow Dr. Jennifer King seek a rising scholar with excellent communication, research, analytical and writing skills to support their policy research projects. The rising scholar will primarily work on a set of research projects on the interplay of AI and data privacy; policy considerations for different AI-enabled technology sectors; and the governance and development of AI in a global context. The rising scholar will work on 1) organizing workshops and roundtable discussions; 2) conducting literature reviews, research memos, and desk research; 3) data collection, analysis, and clear visual presentation; and 4) drafting academic papers and reports. The fellow will be an integrated member of the HAI policy team, including attending bi-weekly working group meetings and engaging with the broader team on conferences, events, and more. This role is shared between the policy team (directed by Elena Cryst) and Dr. Jennifer King.
Research Associates will have the opportunity to participate in the intellectual community of the Ethics Center and other campus centers, like the Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence (HAI), including enrolling in 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 2025.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:

Bachelor’s degree in a field or combination of fields such as computer science, philosophy, data science, sociology, science & technology studies, political science, psychology, public policy, history, communication, and other related disciplines.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES:

• General understanding of scientific theory and methods, typically gained through completion of an undergraduate degree in a related field.
• General computer skills and ability to quickly learn and master computer programs.
• Ability to work under deadlines with general guidance.
• Excellent organizational skills and demonstrated ability to complete detailed work accurately.
• Effective oral and written communication skills.
• Ability to work with human study participants.

In addition, preferred requirements include:

• Passion for investigating issues at the intersection of ethics, technology, society, and policy.

• 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.