Annenberg Public Policy Center Civic Science Fellow (post doctoral fellowship)
Civic Science Postdoctoral Fellowship in Climate Communication and Action at the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania
Are you passionate about using science to positively impact society? Are you motivated to find innovative ways to conduct science in partnership with communities? Do you want to join a network of individuals and organizations who are committed to advancing science and society through meaningful collaboration between scientists and community members? With support from the Rita Allen Foundation and Burroughs Wellcome fund, we’re recruiting a Postdoctoral Fellow who will serve as a 2024-2025 Civic Science Fellow and develop civically-oriented research projects focused on the science of climate communication, action, and resilience at the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania (APPC), working with APPC’s Climate Communication and Action and Science Communication Divisions, with APPC’s partner center the Penn Center for Science Sustainability and the Media, and with the university’s Netter Center for Community Partnerships.
This appointment is expected to last 24 months, with an initial appointment from March 2024 to February 2025, and a second year, contingent on funding and satisfactory performance, from March 2025 to February 2026. As part of this unique opportunity, this Fellow will be in a cohort through the Civic Science Fellows program and participate in regular professional development and information sharing activities as part of the Fellows program and network. At the University of Pennsylvania, this Fellow will have the opportunity to collaborate with community partners, journalists, and neuroscientists to develop and test interventions to build agency, motivate action, and promote well-being in young people in Philadelphia and beyond. Example projects include: (1) engaging in community-engaged Youth Participatory Action Research with high school students in West Philadelphia to collaboratively co-create youth-focused messages to increase climate change awareness and action; (2) designing an intervention tournament to systematically test and compare the relative efficacy of different climate communication strategies to promote prosocial behaviors to address climate change (e.g., sharing information, signing petitions, engaging in civic action, and making lifestyle changes); and (3) studying individual and interpersonal factors (e.g., agency, hope, social connection) that promote resilience and well-being in the face of ongoing crises like climate change.
More about the Civic Science Fellows program:
The Civic Science Fellows program is building a network of leaders committed to ensuring that all people shape and benefit from science, technology, and innovation. The program brings together scientists, scholars, community leaders, journalists, educators, media producers, public-interest organizations, and funders to seed new collaborations between science, diverse communities, and civil society. Envisioned as a Civic Science Lab, Fellows and the organizations that host them carry out pioneering work to co-create pilots, partnerships, knowledge, models, and new ways of working. Fellows and partners engage as part of a network of learning and action that spans organizations, disciplines, and communities—a growing effort to catalyze civic science culture change. This Fellow will be jointly supported by several institutions at the University of Pennsylvania, including APPC’s Climate Communication and Action and Communication Science Divisions, the Penn Center for Science, Sustainability, and the Media, the Netter Center for Community Partnerships, and the Communication Neuroscience Laboratory.
More about the Climate Communication and Action Division (CCAD): The CCAD at the Annenberg Public Policy Center stands at the forefront of interdisciplinary research in climate communication, action, and policy. We explore and influence the complex interplay of media, public beliefs, and policy-making in the face of climate change. We operate on multiple scales: from local initiatives focused on environmental justice in Philadelphia, to national and global media campaigns and policy development for climate action. Our research is unique in its breadth, examining the neural, psychological, and sociological underpinnings that drive belief, attitude, and behavioral shifts toward a more sustainable future. Education and collaboration are at the heart of our approach. We engage with a diverse array of stakeholders – academics, the public, policymakers, and journalists – not only as audiences but as active partners in co-creating meaningful scholarship and effective solutions. From experimental research and surveys to cutting-edge computational methods, neuroimaging, and participatory action research, we strive for innovation in our quest to understand and catalyze climate sustainability and action. CCAD collaborates extensively within the Annenberg Public Policy Center and with the Communication Neuroscience Lab, fostering a multidisciplinary approach to tackling the most pressing climate issues of our times.
More about the Communication Science Division (CSD): Questions that are addressed by APPC’s CSD involve the science of understanding how knowledge, attitudes, and intentions translate into behavior and when and how communication can increase that those changes will occur and will benefit individuals and society at large. Answering these cross-cutting questions is necessary to advance public well-being and curb the effects of misinformation, as well as to ensure support for democratic institutions. The division focuses on and anticipates communication-related challenges. The Communication Science division’s research involves experiments, surveys, meta-analysis, big data, and modeling. Its goal is informing science and policy with theoretically-driven, evidence based research.
More about the Penn Center for Science, Sustainability and the Media (PCSSM): The PCSSM, an APPC partner center, focuses on the challenges and opportunities in communicating climate and environmental sustainability to the public and policymakers. Toward this goal, the PCSSM draws upon these diverse academic assets at Penn to synthesize an innovative vehicle for improving the public conversation surrounding issues of environmental sustainability and climate. The center not only brings together scientists, policy experts, and communication experts at Penn, but brings in leading outside voices from the worlds of science, academics, journalism, policy and governance to join and enhance that conversation.
More about the Netter Center for Community Partnerships: Founded in 1992, the Barbara and Edward Netter Center for Community Partnerships is the University’s primary vehicle for advancing civic and community engagement at Penn. It brings together the resources and assets of both the University and the wider community to help solve universal problems such as poverty, health inequities, environmental sustainability, and inadequate, unequal education as they are manifested in the University’s local geographic area of West Philadelphia and Philadelphia at large. The Netter Center develops and helps implement democratic, mutually transformative, place-based partnerships between Penn and West Philadelphia that advance research, teaching, learning, and service. These partnerships help improve the quality of life on campus and in the community. The Netter Center works with and serves as a model for other higher education institutions across the United States and around the world.
More about the Communication Neuroscience Lab: The Communication Neuroscience Lab studies what makes people happy and healthy, and how communication can help people make better decisions. Research in the lab connects neuroscience measures to real-world outcomes, with a focus on health and well-being for individuals and society (e.g., smoking, exercise, alcohol, social connection, mood, climate change, inequality). We believe that our science is better with a diverse team. Across all of these groups, we embrace and encourage our team’s differences in age, color, disability, ethnicity, family or marital status, gender identity or expression, language, national origin, ability, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, veteran status, and other characteristics that make our lab members who they are. Alumni from our lab have gone on to successful careers in research, academia, government, non-profit, and business arenas. Many of them continue to collaborate with us and with one another.
Training Activities
● Develop and lead a civically-oriented research project focused on the science of climate communication, action, and resilience ● Collaborate with community partners on research projects of mutual interest and benefit ● Collaborate closely with PIs, research directors, graduate students, and research staff to conduct the research to ensure deadlines are met ● Manage the research project and supervise any graduate students and research staff working on the project ● Mentor graduate students and research staff ● Clean, check, and analyze data using reproducible methods ● Lead and co-author research papers ● Present research findings to academic and public audiences
Qualifications Necessary
● A Ph.D. in communication, psychology, or another relevant field, within the last three years ● Excellent organizational and project management skills ● Demonstrated ability to independently develop research projects ● Demonstrated ability to write research papers Preferred expertise (in a subset of the following) ● Conducting community-engaged and/or participatory research ● Working with youth and/or young adults ● Using mixed methods approaches ● Employing advanced quantitative methods ● Using R, Python, or other coding languages
The Fellowship is in-residence in Philadelphia, PA. A modest relocation allowance will be made available to defray relocation costs. The position carries a competitive monthly stipend and Fellows can choose from several university health benefit plans, with co-insurance amounts varying based on the plan selected and number of dependents. Fellows will also have access to travel funding for presentation of APPC research at scientific meetings. The Fellowship is contingent on external funding.
To apply for this position, please email CivicScience@falklab.org with your CV and a statement of interest (subject line: Civic Science Fellowship Application)! We will begin reviewing applications on January 15, 2024, and priority will be given to applications received before that.