Deadline: 30-Jan-23
The Social Science Research Council seeks applicants for the second cohort of its Just Tech Fellowship.
The Just Tech Fellowship supports and mobilizes diverse and cross-sector cohorts of researchers and practitioners to imagine and create more just, equitable, and representative technological futures. Fellows will identify and challenge injustices emerging from new technologies, and pursue solutions that advance social, political, and economic rights.
Funding Information
- Fellows receive two-year awards of $100,000 annually, robust supplementary funding packages to subsidize additional expenses, and seed funding to work on collaborative projects with other Just Tech Fellows.
Eligibility Criteria
- Positionality: This fellowship seeks to center the perspectives of individuals from social, racial, or ethnic groups that have been historically marginalized, oppressed, or excluded by emerging technologies, such as Black/African
- Americans, Latinx/Hispanics, Indigenous peoples, Alaska Native groups, gender nonconforming individuals, LGBTQIA+ individuals, and people with disabilities.
- Residency: Citizens of any country may apply, but fellows will be expected to reside in the United States during their fellowship term. The SSRC will not sponsor visas and may not be indicated as an affiliate or sponsor of visa applications. To learn more about visa requirements, please refer to the US State Department.
- Education: Applicants must have a demonstrated track record of success in their respective fields, OR hold academic credentials, such as a degree in the arts, fine arts, or sciences.
- Commitment: Full-time must be dedicated to the fellowship (Full Time Equivalent 90% = 36 hours/week).
- Candidates with teaching or other permanent positions must be able to take leave or obtain course buyouts for at least one year during their time as a fellow.
- Experience: All candidates need to have a track record and experience working on the intersection of digital and novel technologies, power, and social justice. The fellowship is not for dissertation completion or to finance postdoctoral positions.
Selection Criteria
- Fellows will be selected on the basis of a rigorous review process. They will evaluate applications according to the following criteria:
- Alignment with Fellowship Goals: Applicants must champion vital research into tech’s impact and its potential for both harm and benefit; must center historically minoritized or racialized perspectives; must show commitment to building and sustaining a diverse community of researchers and practitioners; and must demonstrate a commitment to vision and build toward technological futures that manifest justice, agency, knowledge, and joy.
- Scope of Work: Project must address the relationship between digital and novel technologies, power, and social justice.
- Clarity of Purpose: Applicants should communicate how they would use their time as a fellow to systematically uncover evidence, build understanding, and shape public interest solutions to advance the goals of Just Tech.
- Public Impact: Applicants should communicate how their proposed work will contribute to equity and social justice. Applicants should also demonstrate a track record of successful, public-facing work that engages broad audiences through different forms of media or organizing.
- Collaboration: Applicants should demonstrate a track record of successful collaboration, as well as a willingness to share, learn, and create with others.
For more information, visit Just Tech Fellowship.
