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Description of Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Computational Social Science
_________________________________________________________________________ Job Description and Selection Criteria Job title Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Computational Social Science Division Social Sciences Department Sociology Location 42-43 Park End Street, Oxford, OX1 1JD Grade and salary Grade 7: £38,674 - £46,913 with a discretionary range up to £52,539 per annum (pro-rata) Hours Full time Contract type Fixed term for up to 24 months Reporting to Professor Ridhi Kashyap Vacancy reference 179223 Funding Partner The funds supporting this research project are provided by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation The role This is a postdoctoral position on the Digital Gender Gaps project led by Professor Ridhi Kashyap and supported by the Gates Foundation. We are recruiting a postdoctoral researcher to advance scientific understanding and inform policy on the impacts of digital expansion on gender equality and women’s social and economic opportunities. The post holder will develop research using computational, statistical and social data science approaches to expand knowledge on gender inequalities in digital connectivity, as well as the impacts of digital gender inequalities on social, demographic, and economic domains in low and middle-income countries, with a particular focus on Africa and South Asia. The post holder will be responsible for developing and maintaining existing data infrastructures as well as developing methodologies to collect and integrate novel sources of web, social media, and geospatial data with secondary survey datasets for analysing gender inequalities. The post holder’s research areas will include: (1) creation of real-time indicators of digital connectivity by gender at granular spatial resolution using social media, population and survey datasets; and/or (2) analysis of the social and demographic impacts of digital expansion, especially from a gender perspective, using quasi-experimental methods. The research outputs from the project will inform knowledge exchange with various stakeholders for generating an evidence-base for policy, and the post holder will also directly contribute to these impact and partnership building activities. The post holder will report directly to PI, Professor Ridhi Kashyap, and work together within an interdisciplinary research project involving social and computational scientists. The post holder will also be embedded within an interdisciplinary research environment within the Department of Sociology and affiliated also with the Leverhulme Centre for Demographic Science. The post is to start as soon as possible, preferably by July 2025, but with some flexibility. For inquiries about the post, please feel free to contact ridhi.kashyap@nuffield.ox.ac.uk. The Project The post holder will be a part of the Digital Gender Gaps research team, led by Prof Ridhi Kashyap and supported by the Gates Foundation (www.digitalgendergaps.org). External research collaborators include Saarland University’s Societal Computing Group (led by Prof Ingmar Weber) and the University of Applied Sciences and Arts in Southern Switzerland (SUPSI). The project deepens real-time data and evidence on digital gender gaps at the subnational and subpopulation levels, and informs policy and scientific understanding of the impacts of digital expansion on women’s social and economic opportunities. To accomplish these objectives, the project leverages both traditional data sources, such as secondary survey and census data, and new sources of data, such as web, social media, and geospatial data. We use a mix of machine learning, statistical and quasi-experimental (causal inference) methods in the project and welcome researchers with interest in any of these areas. Responsibilities  Develop research using computational, statistical and social data science approaches to advance knowledge on digital gender inequalities and their economic and social impacts  Develop and manage academic research and administrative activities within the scope of the research project.  Maintain current project datasets and pipelines linked to the project  Identify other relevant social media, digital trace and geospatial datasets, develop software code and build data infrastructures to collect and process data, exploit opportunities for data linkage  Regularly write research publications, short reports and policy briefings in collaboration with project team  Keep clear and secure records of research activities, document and share computer code, collate information efficiently to share with the research team, project partners and the wider research community  Participate actively in research group meetings and act as a source of information and advice to other members of the group to ensure a collaborative, cohesive research environment.  Help organize project workshops for research dissemination and outreach. Conduct and support training linked to the project’s methods and approaches.  Support junior research assistants working in the project  Engage in partnership building with stakeholders, including international organizations, NGOs and social enterprise organizations, to enable knowledge exchange and impact from research  Present research at international conferences and public meetings, including interdisciplinary and nonacademic audiences  Proactively identify new potential funding sources for existing and new research projects  Write research proposals within the group’s remit to obtain funding from national and global sources, including donations.  The post holder may have the opportunity to undertake ad-hoc paid teaching (this includes lecturing, demonstrating, small-group teaching, tutoring of undergraduates and graduate students) and supervision of master's projects in collaboration with principal investigators. Permission must be sought in advance for each opportunity. Post-doctoral Researcher Job Description: Gates DGG Postdoc 2 Selection criteria Essential selection criteria  Hold a PhD, or be close to completion of a PhD, in an area with significant quantitative and computational expertise, preferably (although not necessarily) with some application to social science domains, such as Computational Social Science, Social Computing, Statistics, Demography, Economics, Geography, Quantitative Sociology, Computer Science, or related field, with some post-qualification research experience.  A demonstrable track record of excellent research outputs, appropriate to career stage  Experience of, and skills in, managing research projects, including working effectively with a team  Extensive experience in writing computer code, in R and Python for data collection, curation, processing, visualization, and analysis. Experience with building data infrastructures and databases.  Significant experience with working with different types of large and complex datasets, including social media data  Strong grasp of statistical and machine learning methods, including approaches to combine and integrate multiple different types of data  Commitment to engaging with non-academic partners and achieving research impact  Commitment to documenting code, working with code sharing repositories (e.g. GitHub) and maintaining best ‘Open Science’ practices  Ability to work independently, provide guidance and support to other (especially junior) members of the group, and to adapt own skills to new circumstances  Proven ability to meet specified deadlines  Excellent communication skills, written and verbal in English, including report writing and delivering presentations, and the ability to write up research clearly and effectively in multiple forms (e.g. reports, journal articles, policy briefs, collaborative outputs with partners)  Willingness to travel internationally (if possible) to work with research partners and conduct research visits Desirable selection criteria       Experience using social media advertising data Experience using geospatial data Experience with command line interfaces (CLI) and Docker for creating reproducible environments Experience with building web dashboards and apps using open source software in R and Python (e.g. using Shiny, Flask) and working with databases Experience of working effectively with an international group of interdisciplinary collaborators, preferably with social and computational scientists Substantive research interests or experience in questions about gender inequality, population and global development Pre-employment screening Standard checks If you are offered the post, the offer will be subject to standard pre-employment checks. You will be asked to provide: proof of your right-to-work in the UK; proof of your identity; and (if we haven’t done so already) we will contact the referees you have nominated. If you have previously worked for the University we will also verify key information such as your dates of employment and reason for leaving your previous role with the department/unit where you worked. You will also be asked to complete a health declaration so that you can tell us about any health conditions or disabilities for which you may need us to make appropriate adjustments. Please read the candidate notes on the University’s pre-employment screening procedures at: https://www.jobs.ox.ac.uk/pre-employment-checks Post-doctoral Researcher Job Description: Gates DGG Postdoc 3 About the University of Oxford Welcome to the University of Oxford. We aim to lead the world in research and education for the benefit of society both in the UK and globally. Oxford’s researchers engage with academic, commercial and cultural partners across the world to stimulate high-quality research and enable innovation through a broad range of social, policy and economic impacts. We believe our strengths lie both in empowering individuals and teams to address fundamental questions of global significance, while providing all our staff with a welcoming and inclusive workplace that enables everyone to develop and do their best work. Recognising that diversity is our strength, vital for innovation and creativity, we aspire to build a truly diverse community which values and respects every individual’s unique contribution. While we have long traditions of scholarship, we are also forward-looking, creative and cutting-edge. Oxford is one of Europe's most entrepreneurial universities and we rank first in the UK for university spin-outs, and in recent years we have spun out 15-20 new companies every year. We are also recognised as leaders in support for social enterprise. Join us and you will find a unique, democratic and international community, a great range of staff benefits and access to a vibrant array of cultural activities in the beautiful city of Oxford. For more information, please visit www.ox.ac.uk/about/organisation. Department of Sociology Sociology at Oxford has a strong analytical, empirical and comparative orientation. Focus is on developing and testing theories that engage with real world problems. Particular strengths include the statistical analysis of social surveys, social demography, crime (including organized crime), family, social mobility and inequalities collection, management and analysis of complex datasets, the development of rational choice theory, microsocial experiments and simulation studies. The Department of Sociology was established in 1999 to provide a renewed focus for sociological research and teaching in the University. The international reputation of Oxford Sociology is widely recognised. Sociology is currently ranked second in the world (and first in Europe) according to QS Rankings by Subject and has been highly successful, given its size, in generating external research income. Oxford has a long and distinguished history of sociological research. It was the number one department in the sociology UOA in the 2021 REF. As well as undertaking cutting-edge research, the Department carries out the full range of postgraduate teaching and research, provides teaching and support for undergraduate courses administered by other departments, and has about 40 staff and around 100 graduate students and academic visitors. The Department offers two taught courses: a one-year MSc in Sociology and a two-year MPhil in Sociology and Demography, which together have an intake of about 40 students per year. In addition, about 12 doctoral students are admitted each year. The Department of Sociology also offers teaching for the undergraduate degree programmes in Human Sciences, and Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE). Academic staff have access to the Social Sciences library, which is housed in the Manor Road Building and also to the library in Nuffield College. There is a very strong research culture within the Department, with two weekly Sociology seminar series running during term. For more information, please visit our website at www.sociology.ox.ac.uk The Department of Sociology holds a bronze Athena Swan award to recognise advancement of gender equality: representation, progression and success for all. The Leverhulme Centre for Demographic Science Demographic research aids society, government and industry to prepare for demands related to population growth and shrinkage, climate change, migration, longevity and ageing, fertility and household change. This interdisciplinary research centre funded by the Leverhulme Trust and directed by Professor Melinda Mills, aims to disrupt and realign how we measure and model populations, by infusing new types of data, methods and unconventional approaches to tackle the most challenging demographic problems of our time. LCDS is embedded Post-doctoral Researcher Job Description: Gates DGG Postdoc 4 within Oxford Population Health (Nuffield Department of Population Health), the Big Data Institute and the Demographic Science Unit, which contains world-renowned population health research groups and is an excellent environment for multi-disciplinary teaching and research. LCDS brings together multiple departments and disciplines from demography, population health, statistics, epidemiology, molecular genetics, economics, statistics, biology, zoology, history, sociology, marketing and business. LCDS is physically located at 42 Park End Street, Oxford. For more information: https://www.demography.ox.ac.uk/ Social Sciences Division The University’s academic departments and faculties are organised into four large groups known as Academic Divisions (Social Sciences, Mathematical, Physical and Life Sciences (MPLS), Medical Sciences, and Humanities). The divisions are responsible for academic strategy and operational planning, oversight of the teaching and research of their constituent departments and faculties, and for personnel and resource management. The social sciences at Oxford are distinctive for both their depth and breadth, with over 1,100 academic and research staff working across fifteen departments, faculties and schools. The Head of the Social Sciences Division is Professor Timothy Power. The Division is a world-leading centre of research and education in the social sciences. The Times Higher Education (THE) University Rankings returned the University of Oxford to the number one spot in the world for Social Sciences in 2024. We have placed first in four of the last five years (2019, 2021, 2022 & 2023). More than 800 researchers were returned to Main Panel C (Social Sciences) for REF 2021 across a diverse range of subject area ‘units of assessment’ – from geography and business to archaeology and law. Over 55% of the research submitted from the Division was judged to be world-leading (4*, the highest score available). More than two-thirds (69%) of the research’s impact was also recognised as world-leading (4*). Research from across the Division was also submitted to subject areas across Panels A (Medicine, health and life sciences), B (Physical sciences, engineering and mathematics), and D (Arts and Humanities), highlighting the enormous breadth and diversity of research expertise across the Division. Our academic and research staff and students are international thought leaders, generating new evidence, insights and policy tools with which to address some of the major global challenges facing humanity, such as sustainable resource management, poverty and forced migration, effective governance and justice. Particular research highlights in recent years have included COVID-19 and Climate Change. As well as active interdisciplinary links with researchers in other divisions at Oxford, we engage and collaborate extensively with other universities and a wide range of governmental and non-governmental practitioner communities such as law, business, public health and welfare, international development and education around the world. The Division has an extensive portfolio of external funders, partners and supporters, with competitively-awarded external research income exceeding £50 million per year and philanthropic income over £25 million a year. As part of our commitment to equality of opportunity, thirteen of our departments have achieved Bronze awards under the Athena Swan Charter (a UK accreditation scheme recognising organisations’ commitment to equality and diversity, particularly in gender). Our School of Geography and the Environment and our Department of Economics hold Athena Swan Silver awards. In February 2023, for the first time, the University as a whole was awarded an institutional Athena Swan Silver award, acknowledging the progress that has been made in addressing a number of gender gaps across the University over the last five years. The Division delivers an exceptional range of high-quality educational programmes all underpinned by the innovative research being undertaken by our academics. The student body is made up of over 2,000 undergraduate students, nearly 3,000 students studying postgraduate taught programmes and 1,200 postgraduate research students. The programmes we offer are wide-ranging, often interdisciplinary and include professionally-oriented provision in areas such as business, law and education. The Division is home to several of Oxford’s most widely recognised teaching programmes, such as Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE) at undergraduate level; and at the Masters level programmes such as the Bachelor in Civil Law (BCL), Environmental Change and Management, International Relations, and Social Data Science. For more information, please visit: www.socsci.ox.ac.uk Post-doctoral Researcher Job Description: Gates DGG Postdoc 5 How to apply Applications are made through our online recruitment portal. Information about how to apply is available on our Jobs website https://www.jobs.ox.ac.uk/how-to-apply. Your application will be judged solely on the basis of how you demonstrate that you meet the selection criteria stated in the job description. As part of your application you will be asked to provide details of two referees and indicate whether we can contact them now. You will be asked to upload a CV and a supporting statement. The supporting statement must explain how you meet each of the selection criteria for the post using examples of your skills and experience. This may include experience gained in employment, education, or during career breaks (such as time out to care for dependants) Please upload all documents as PDF files with your name and the document type in the filename. All applications must be received by midday UK time on the closing date stated in the online advertisement. If you currently work for the University please note that: - as part of the referencing process, we will contact your current department to confirm basic employment details including reason for leaving - although employees may hold multiple part-time posts, they may not hold more than the equivalent of a full time post. If you are offered this post, and accepting it would take you over the equivalent of fulltime hours, you will be expected to resign from, or reduce hours in, your other posts(s) before starting work in the new post. Information for priority candidates A priority candidate is a University employee who is seeking redeployment because they have been advised that they are at risk of redundancy, or on grounds of ill-health/disability. Priority candidates are issued with a redeployment letter by their employing department(s). If you are a priority candidate, please ensure that you attach your redeployment letter to your application (or email it to the contact address on the advert if the application form used for the vacancy does not allow attachments). If you need help Application FAQs, including technical troubleshooting advice is available at: https://staff.web.ox.ac.uk/recruitment-support-faqs Non-technical questions about this job should be addressed to the recruiting department directly at hr@sociology.ox.ac.uk To return to the online application at any stage, please go to: www.recruit.ox.ac.uk. Please note that you will receive an automated email from our online recruitment portal to confirm receipt of your application. Please check your spam/junk mail if you do not receive this email. Post-doctoral Researcher Job Description: Gates DGG Postdoc 6 Important information for candidates Data Privacy Please note that any personal data submitted to the University as part of the job application process will be processed in accordance with the GDPR and related UK data protection legislation. For further information, please see the University’s Privacy Notice for Job Applicants at: https://compliance.admin.ox.ac.uk/job-applicant-privacypolicy. The University’s Policy on Data Protection is available at: https://compliance.admin.ox.ac.uk/dataprotection-policy. The University’s policy on retirement The University operates an Employer Justified Retirement Age (EJRA) for very senior research posts at grade RSIV/D35 and clinical equivalents E62 and E82 of 30 September before the 70th birthday. The justification for this is explained at: https://hr.admin.ox.ac.uk/the-ejra. For existing employees on these grades, any employment beyond the retirement age is subject to approval through the procedures: https://hr.admin.ox.ac.uk/the-ejra. There is no normal or fixed age at which staff in posts at other grades have to retire. Staff at these grades may elect to retire in accordance with the rules of the applicable pension scheme, as may be amended from time to time. Equality of opportunity Entry into employment with the University and progression within employment will be determined only by personal merit and the application of criteria which are related to the duties of each particular post and the relevant salary structure. In all cases, ability to perform the job will be the primary consideration. No applicant or member of staff shall be discriminated against because of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy or maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation. Post-doctoral Researcher Job Description: Gates DGG Postdoc 7 Benefits of working at the University Employee benefits University employees enjoy 38 days’ paid holiday, generous pension schemes, flexible working options, travel discounts including salary sacrifice schemes for bicycles and electric cars and other discounts. Staff can access a huge range of personal and professional development opportunities. See https://hr.admin.ox.ac.uk/staff-benefits Employee Assistance Programme As part of our wellbeing offering staff get free access to Health Assured, a confidential employee assistance programme, available 24/7 for 365 days a year. Find out more https://staff.admin.ox.ac.uk/health-assured-eap University Club and sports facilities Membership of the University Club is free for University staff. It offers social, sporting, and hospitality facilities. Staff can also use the University Sports Centre on Iffley Road at discounted rates, including a fitness centre, powerlifting room, and swimming pool. See www.club.ox.ac.uk and https://www.sport.ox.ac.uk/. Information for staff new to Oxford If you are relocating to Oxfordshire from overseas or elsewhere in the UK, the University's Welcome Service includes practical information about settling in the area, including advice on relocation, accommodation, and local schools. See https://welcome.ox.ac.uk/ There is also a visa loan scheme to cover the costs of UK visa applications for staff and their dependants. See https://staffimmigration.admin.ox.ac.uk/visa-loan-scheme Family-friendly benefits We are a family-friendly employer with one of the most generous family leave schemes in the Higher Education sector (see https://hr.web.ox.ac.uk/family-leave). Our Childcare Services team provides guidance and support on childcare provision, and offers a range of high-quality childcare options at affordable prices for staff. In addition to 5 University nurseries, we partner with a number of local providers to offer in excess of 450 full time nursery places to our staff. Eligible parents are able to pay for childcare through salary sacrifice, further reducing costs. See https://childcare.admin.ox.ac.uk/. Supporting disability and health-related issues (inc menopause) We are committed to supporting members of staff with disabilities or long-term health conditions, including those experiencing negative effects of menopause. Information about the University’s Staff Disability Advisor, is at https://edu.admin.ox.ac.uk/disability-support. For information about how we support those going through menopause see https://hr.admin.ox.ac.uk/menopause-guidance Staff networks The University has a number of staff networks including for research staff, BME staff, LGBT+ staff, disabled staff network and those going through menopause. Find out more at https://edu.admin.ox.ac.uk/networks The University of Oxford Newcomers' Club The University of Oxford Newcomers' Club is run by volunteers that aims to assist the partners of new staff settle into Oxford, and provides them with an opportunity to meet people and make connections in the local area. See www.newcomers.ox.ac.uk. Research staff The Researcher Hub supports all researchers on fixed-term contracts. They aim to help you settle in comfortably, make connections, grow as a person, extend your research expertise and approach your next career step with confidence. Find out more https://www.ox.ac.uk/research/support-researchers/researcher-hub Oxford’s Research Staff Society is a collective voice for our researchers. They also organise social and professional networking activities for researchers. Find out more https://www.ox.ac.uk/research/supportresearchers/connecting-other-researchers/oxford-research-staff-society Post-doctoral Researcher Job Description: Gates DGG Postdoc 8
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Department of Sociology, 42-43 Park End Street, Oxford, OX1 1JD
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JD - 179223 Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Computational Social Science
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**About the role** This is a postdoctoral position on the Digital Gender Gaps project led by Professor Ridhi Kashyap and supported by the Gates Foundation. We are recruiting a postdoctoral researcher to advance scientific understanding and inform policy on the impacts of digital expansion on gender equality and women’s social and economic opportunities. The post holder will develop research using computational, statistical and social data science approaches to expand knowledge on gender inequalities in digital connectivity, as well as the impacts of digital gender inequalities on social, demographic, and economic domains in low and middle-income countries, with a particular focus on Africa and South Asia. The post holder will be responsible for developing and maintaining existing data infrastructures as well as developing methodologies to collect and integrate novel sources of web, social media, and geospatial data with secondary survey datasets for analysing gender inequalities. The post holder’s research areas will include: (1) creation of real-time indicators of digital connectivity by gender at granular spatial resolution using social media, population and survey datasets, and statistical and machine learning approaches; and/or (2) analysis of the social and demographic impacts of digital expansion, especially from a gender perspective, using quasi- experimental methods. The research outputs from the project will inform knowledge exchange with various stakeholders for generating an evidence-base for policy, and the post holder will also directly contribute to these impact and partnership building activities. The post holder will report directly to PI, Professor Ridhi Kashyap, and work together within an interdisciplinary research project involving social and computational scientists. The post holder will also be embedded within an interdisciplinary research environment within the Department of Sociology and affiliated also with the Leverhulme Centre for Demographic Science. The post is fixed-term for a period of up to 24 months, commencing as soon as possible and preferably by July 2025, but with some flexibility. **Application process** The closing date for applications is 12:00 midday UK time on 09 May 2025, with interviews expected to take place in the w/c 26 May 2025. You will be required to upload a covering letter/supporting statement, including a brief statement of research interests (describing how past experience and future plans fit with the advertised position), CV and the details of two referees as part of your online application. Further details for this position, including how to apply, are outlined in the job description. For informal enquiries about the posts, please email: ridhi.kashyap@nuffield.ox.ac.uk.
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Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Computational Social Science
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Research Grade 7: £38,674 - £46,913 with a discretionary range up to £52,539 per annum (pro-rata)
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About the role This is a postdoctoral position on the Digital Gender Gaps project led by Professor Ridhi Kashyap and supported by the Gates Foundation. We are recruiting a postdoctoral researcher to advance scientific understanding and inform policy on the impacts of digital expansion on gender equality and women’s social and economic opportunities. The post holder will develop research using computational, statistical and social data science approaches to expand knowledge on gender inequalities in digital connectivity, as well as the impacts of digital gender inequalities on social, demographic, and economic domains in low and middle-income countries, with a particular focus on Africa and South Asia. The post holder will be responsible for developing and maintaining existing data infrastructures as well as developing methodologies to collect and integrate novel sources of web, social media, and geospatial data with secondary survey datasets for analysing gender inequalities. The post holder’s research areas will include: (1) creation of real-time indicators of digital connectivity by gender at granular spatial resolution using social media, population and survey datasets, and statistical and machine learning approaches; and/or (2) analysis of the social and demographic impacts of digital expansion, especially from a gender perspective, using quasi-experimental methods. The research outputs from the project will inform knowledge exchange with various stakeholders for generating an evidence-base for policy, and the post holder will also directly contribute to these impact and partnership building activities. The post holder will report directly to PI, Professor Ridhi Kashyap, and work together within an interdisciplinary research project involving social and computational scientists. The post holder will also be embedded within an interdisciplinary research environment within the Department of Sociology and affiliated also with the Leverhulme Centre for Demographic Science. The post is fixed-term for a period of up to 24 months, commencing as soon as possible and preferably by July 2025, but with some flexibility. Application process The closing date for applications is 12:00 midday UK time on 09 May 2025, with interviews expected to take place in the w/c 26 May 2025. You will be required to upload a covering letter/supporting statement, including a brief statement of research interests (describing how past experience and future plans fit with the advertised position), CV and the details of two referees as part of your online application. Further details for this position, including how to apply, are outlined in the job description. For informal enquiries about the posts, please email: ridhi.kashyap@nuffield.ox.ac.uk.
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