Postdoctoral Fellow (EXPIRED)

For 2019-20, the McCoy Family Center for Ethics in Society seeks to appoint up to four postdoctoral fellows. Selected fellows will be designated as either General Ethics Fellows or Interdisciplinary Ethics Fellows. The two types of fellows have some distinct training opportunities and responsibilities, but they form a common community at the Center and participate together in the Center’s intellectual life. The programs are described in detail below. All applicants will be considered for both types of fellowships and do not need to tailor their application for one or the other fellowship. 

General Ethics Fellowship

Some selected fellows will be part of our longstanding postdoctoral program that is open to candidates with substantial normative research in any area within philosophy or political science. For 2019-20, we are especially interested in candidates with research interests in technology, inequality, global justice and environmental ethics, but we welcome all applicants with strong normative interests. Applicants must have normative training and hold a PhD in philosophy or political science. Scholars with a Ph.D. in Law will also be considered so long as their work focuses on ethical dimensions of public policy or law. General Ethics Fellows participate in the intellectual life of the Center for Ethics in Society (attend weekly workshops; events; professional training opportunities), teach one class per year, interact with undergraduates in the Ethics in Society Program, and contribute to an interdisciplinary ethics community across the campus.

Interdisciplinary Ethics Fellowship

2019-20 will be the fourth year of this fellowship program at the Center, and for the first time, the Stanford Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence (HAI) Initiative will join as a partner center (https://hai.stanford.edu). The program is rooted in the commitment of the Center for Ethics in Society to bringing ethical reflection to bear on pressing social problems. Addressing many of these social problems involves knowledge of the work of social science, law, engineering, and the life sciences. The premise of this program is that the normative scholarship of our fellows will be enhanced by engagement with empirically-oriented scholars. To that end, each fellow in the program will be matched with a partner research center at Stanford that is dedicated to interdisciplinary research, including the HAI initiative and other campus centers depending on applicants' interests. For 2019-20, we are especially interested in candidates with research interests in artificial intelligence, computer science, or biomedical ethics, but all applicants whose work may intersect with empirically-oriented scholarship will be considered. Applicants need not name a possible partner center on campus or tailor their materials for this type of fellowship. The Interdisciplinary Ethics Fellows and partner centers will be selected based on the natural match between their work.   

Applicants must have normative training and hold a Ph.D. in Philosophy or Political Science. Scholars with a Ph.D. in Law will also be considered so long as their work focuses on ethical dimensions of public policy or law. Fellows will participate in the regular intellectual life of the partner center and the Center for Ethics in Society (e.g., attend weekly workshops; events; professional training opportunities), interact with undergraduates in the Ethics in Society Program, and contribute to an interdisciplinary ethics community across campus.

Appointment Requirements and Application Details

For both types of fellowships, the appointment term is Sept. 1, 2019 to Aug. 31, 2020. The initial term may be renewed for an additional year. Applicants must have completed all requirements for their Ph.D. by June 30, 2019. Candidates must also be no more than three years from the awarding of their degree (i.e., September 2016).  

Stanford University is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to increasing the diversity of its scholarly community. We welcome applications from women and members of minority groups, as well as others who would bring additional dimensions to the university's research and teaching missions. Salary is competitive.  

Applicants should submit a cover letter, CV, a writing sample (no more than 25 pages double-spaced), three letters of recommendation, a one-page research statement (single spaced), and list of classes they have taught and/or are prepared to teach. Additional materials will not be considered. All applicants will be considered for both types of fellowships, and finalists will be consulted about whether they may be designated as Interdisciplinary Ethics or General Ethics fellows.  

Applications will be collected via Interfolio. Please refer to the Center's website for information about how to submit your materials: https://ethicsinsociety.stanford.edu/postdoctoral/application-process

Applications will not be accepted by email. If you have questions, please email [email protected].

Application Due Date: Dec. 10, 2018