IRiSS Predoctoral Researcher

This position has been deemed critical by the School of Humanities and Sciences Dean's Office and is exempt from the hiring freeze.

The School of Humanities and Sciences (H&S) is the foundation of a liberal arts education at Stanford. The school encompasses 24 departments and 25 interdisciplinary programs. H&S is home to fundamental and applied research, where free, open, and critical inquiry is pursued across disciplines. As the university's largest school, H&S serves as the foundation of a Stanford undergraduate education no matter which discipline students pursue as a major. Graduate students work alongside world-renowned faculty to pursue and shape foundational research that leads to breakthroughs and discoveries that shed new light on the past, influence the present, and shape the future. Together, faculty and students in H&S engage in inspirational teaching, learning, and research every day.

Stanford Institute for Research in the Social Sciences (IRiSS)
Expanding access to novel data sources, the development of powerful computing tools, and innovation in quantitative and qualitative research methods are opening a new frontier for social scientists to explore bold, inventive research questions. In this era of burgeoning social-science research, the Stanford Institute for Research in the Social Sciences (IRiSS) facilitates first-rate interdisciplinary collaborations, trains the next generation of scholars, and incubates medium- to long-term research projects to address critical social challenges. IRiSS ensures that world-class, evidence-based research is produced to meet evolving problems in areas of governance and democracy, economic inequality, immigration policy, and other social issues that affect communities across the globe.

IRiSS Predoctoral Researchers Program
The Predoctoral Researchers Program at the Stanford Institute for Research in the Social Sciences (IRiSS) aims to expand research capacity in the social sciences, and strengthen the pool of scholars, while providing opportunities through mentorship of new research scholars.

The IRiSS Predoctoral Researchers Program provides early-career scholars an opportunity to work directly with a faculty mentor to contribute to cutting-edge social science research. During your predoctoral research, you will develop research skills, explore academic research careers, and network with a multidisciplinary community of scholars. The goal of the program is to enhance your capacity to succeed in careers in academia and social science research. Successful outcomes for Predoctoral Researchers include continuing to competitive graduate programs in the social sciences or impactful careers involving social science skills.

IRiSS offers a welcoming and inclusive environment for scholars from diverse backgrounds.

Position Summary: The Stanford Institute for Research in the Social Sciences (IRiSS) is seeking Predoctoral Researchers to participate in our 2026-2027 cohort. The Predoctoral Researchers will work under general supervision of individual faculty in one of the following social science departments: communication, economics, political science, psychology, or sociology. Please see the "How to Apply" section below. The complete list of faculty mentors and Predoctoral Researcher projects for 2026-27 can be found on the program's website.

Predoctoral Researchers are in a staff category allowing them to enroll in one course per year for credit.

This is an 100% FTE 1-year fixed-term non-exempt position, with the possibility of renewal for a second year. The extension is based on renewed funding of the program and individual circumstances of each faculty project. The start date is September 14, 2026. This position will be based on the Stanford campus.

Project Description:

Rob Reich, AI Governance
This project investigates the governance of artificial intelligence through the integrated lenses of political theory, social science, and computer science, examining how democratic societies can shape AI systems that increasingly shape our political, economic, and personal lives. The first workstream, AI and democracy, explores how algorithmic systems affect democratic institutions, deliberation, and participation -- probing questions of how AI concentrates or disperses political power, shapes information environments, and poses risks and opportunities for self-governance. The second workstream, law, policy, and regulation, analyzes the modes of authoritative rule-making that states and intergovernmental bodies are deploying to govern AI -- from global, federal, and state lawmaking. The third workstream, professional norms, standards, and responsibilities within AI and ML development, examines the various forms of self-governance, including how engineers, researchers, and firms develop codes of conduct, safety benchmarks, and accountability frameworks, and how these quasi-regulatory norms interact with, substitute for, or undermine formal governmental oversight. Several projects underway explore the emergence of an ecosystem of independent evaluators. Taken together, these workstreams develop an integrated theory of AI governance that takes seriously both the novelty of the technical systems at stake and the enduring political questions of authority, accountability, and legitimacy.

Ideal candidates will have excellent analytical and organizational skills and outstanding academic credentials.

Key Responsibilities

The pre-doctoral fellow will work on (1) drafting reports, conducting literature reviews, and leading the preparation of research memos, (2) organizing and convening research workshops/symposia with faculty, postdoctoral fellows, and graduate students, (3) leading and organizing public events at which research is discussed and presented, (4) supporting current and future teaching and lecture activities, including a new course on AI governance.

Application Deadline: May 1, 2026

CORE DUTIES:

• Participating in the planning and performing/conducting research tasks by applying basic knowledge and understanding of scientific theory using precedents or other published guidelines and knowledge of theory and methods when specific precedents do not exist. General instruction provided by the supervisor or principal investigator. May interpret study results in collaboration with supervisor or PI.

• Participate in the development and administration of survey instruments and rating scales requiring judgment in applying non-routine procedures or methods. Analyze and summarize results for review with supervisor. Audit the accuracy and validity of data.

• Review and audit case report forms for completion and accuracy with source documents and ensure compliance with research protocols.

• Identify, select, extract and summarize data and structured information. Present summary of findings to supervisor.

• Conduct literature searches, and write literature summaries and manuscripts, requiring preliminary judgments after the supervisor outlines conceptual approach.

• Build and organize data as requested by principal investigator or supervisor; use common statistical programs requiring the application of job control language in generating and organizing data.

• Adapt new, nonstandard methods outlined by supervisor in designing and evaluating phases of research projects, (i.e., educational materials, questionnaires, strategies for recruitment, data quality control procedures and processes). May follow up with to ensure approvals and completion, seeking guidance where necessary.

• Assist with development, communication and design of research findings to internal and external audiences, which may include web updates, social media, and/or white papers, for use in recruitment, educational, or awareness of programs, with guidance from supervisor.

* Other duties may also be assigned.