Postdoctoral Research Scholar

The ASU Consortium for Science, Policy & Outcomes in Washington, DC has a position available for a Postdoctoral Research Scholar (“postdoc”) for 2024-2025 to join a project examining the history of science and technology policy (S&T policy) in the United States. The project is led by CSPO Director Prof. Arthur Daemmrich and is funded through a grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. The ideal candidate will have research interests in the history of S&T policy, and/or the history and sociology of disciplines and professions.

The project is researching the emergence of science policy as a field, exploring why it has not become a “discipline” in the traditional sense, mapping career paths of policy professionals over the past 70 years, and evaluating what needs to change to increase its diversity and societal responsiveness for the future. This project aspires to a new analysis of the history of S&T policy as a field, going beyond describing it in terms of “science advice” or as an instrumental exchange of ever-greater funding for science and engineering in exchange for knowledge and technology that create economic growth. The postdoctoral fellow will collaborate to research the role of S&T policy professionals within science and regulatory agencies who have long being asked to simultaneously accelerate and regulate new technology and more recently to engage with diverse communities. Providing historical perspective on these developments and analyzing what they mean for the S&T policy field is at the core of this project.

Specific activities of the postdoctoral fellow will include:

• Conducting interviews (ranging from shorter information-focused to longer oral history interviews) with retired and contemporary S&T policy leaders.
• Archival research, including reviewing notes, files, memos, and other unpublished materials that shed insight on questions about disciplinary status and identity of the S&T policy field.
• Constructing a database of career pathways for S&T policy professionals, focused to historical changes in scientific and social science disciplinary backgrounds/identities over time as well as specializations within the field.
• Helping design and organize a workshop that brings together key scholars and practitioners of S&T policy to discuss the history and future of the field, including its institutional arrangements and training programs.
• Contributing to co-authored publications and propose and lead one or more publications, including focused to policy audience readers.

As part of this position, the postdoc will be expected to participate in bi-weekly team meetings and engage with CSPO’s policy work. The postdoc will have time to pursue independent research and publishing and can access funds for academic conference travel. The postdoc also will receive active mentoring and support to pursue their professional development.

In addition, the postdoc will have opportunities to participate in S&T policy programming at CSPO, including seminars, panels, and workshops that attract a diverse mix of professionals from science and regulatory agencies, academia, and NGOs. They also will have opportunities to participate remotely in the intellectual community of the ASU School for the Future of Innovation in Society and the Global Futures Laboratory (both located in Tempe, Arizona), and in other programs of interest in the nation’s capital.

Arizona State University is a new model for American higher education, an unprecedented combination of academic excellence, entrepreneurial energy and broad access. This New American University is a single, unified institution comprising four differentiated campuses positively impacting the economic, social, cultural, and environmental health of the communities it serves. Its research is inspired by real world application blurring the boundaries that traditionally separate academic disciplines. ASU serves more than 70,000 students in metropolitan Phoenix, Arizona, the nation’s sixth largest city. ASU champions intellectual and cultural diversity, and welcomes students from all fifty states and more than one hundred nations across the globe.

For more information on the Consortium for Science, Policy & Outcomes, visit: https://cspo.org.

For more information on the School for the Future of Innovation in Society, visit: https://sfis.asu.edu.

Details:

• Location: Washington, DC (Office location: 1800 I Street, NW, Washington, DC 20006).
• Duration: 1-year. This position is a full-time, fiscal year (12-month) appointment with benefits.
• Anticipated start date: August 2024.
• Application deadline: Open until filled, review of applications begins March 22, 2024.

Required qualifications and experience

• Doctoral degree completed by the date of hire. Applicants must be within five years of the doctoral degree award.
• Graduate training in science & technology studies (STS), history of science, history, sociology, government, or a related field.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Experience with archival research and other relevant social science research methods.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a multidisciplinary team.
• Organizational and time management skills.

Desired qualifications, in addition to the above

• Experience conducting research interviews and/or oral history.
• Familiarity with science and technology Policy institutions and organizations.
• Research interest in the history and sociology of scientific and social science disciplines.
• Research interest in the history and sociology of the professions.

To apply: Only electronic submissions will be reviewed. Incomplete applications will not be considered. Applications must include the following:

1. A cover letter, including a discussion of the required and desired qualifications, together with your motivations and aspirations for this position and beyond.

2. Current CV.

3. A writing sample, either a dissertation chapter, article or other publication, or graduate seminar term paper.

4. Names and contact information for three references.

Review of applications will begin March 22, 2024. Selected applicants will be contacted for zoom based interviews. Official transcripts are required for employment. If you have questions, please email Arthur.Daemmrich@asu.edu.