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 at nad@northwestern.edu.