Postdoctoral positions: MPI for Social Anthropology 1353 views

The Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology is inviting applications for postdoctoral positions for the new Max-Planck research group “AIming Toward the Future: Policing, Governance, and Artificial Intelligence” for the duration of 3 years beginning 1 April 2020.

About the Project:

• The project will be led by Dr. Maria Sapignoli that will examine the rapidly increasing use of big data, digital technologies, and artificial intelligence technologies in policing and governance, present and future.
• The research team will investigate how these technologies are being developed and applied in the context of law enforcement, extending to the involvement of the private sector in criminal justice.
• The study will have two interconnected research foci, both ethnographically-founded and comparative in scope.

Qualifications:

• Applicants must hold PhD in the Social Sciences (preferably anthropology and/or socio-legal studies, but also computational social science or a related discipline), or submit evidence indicating that their dissertation will be submitted before the designated starting date.
• Candidates should also be fluent in the languages spoken in their respective field sites and in English.
• Applicant must have a strong knowledge of qualitative research methods, with proven competence in ethnographic field research.
• Familiarity with quantitative methods and computational social sciences will also be taken into account, as will expertise in the anthropology of policing, digital ethnography, and the study of new technologies.

Study areas:

• the anthropology of police and/or policing
• the use and impacts of artificial intelligence in criminal justice
• fairness, accountability and transparency (FAT) in automated decision making
• community activism and digital technologies
• predictive policing and surveillance
• data justice and discrimination
• policing platforms and “hacktivism”
• governance by algorithms

Applications:

Apply online and send the following documentation:

• Cover letter- outlining research trajectory and interest in the position (max. 700 words)
• CV, including list of publications
• A writing sample (e.g., a published article or full thesis chapter)
• A summary of the PhD thesis – max. 500 words
• A summary of the proposed research project and plan (max. 1500 words). Photocopies of university degrees
• 2 letters of reference and names and contact details of 2 additional referees