Bellwether Postdoctoral Scholar - School of Information

The School of Information at the University of California, Berkeley invites applications for up to three new full-time Bellwether Postdoctoral Scholars to start as soon as July 2026. The exact start date is negotiable. These positions are available for two years, and are non-renewable. J-1 visa sponsorship is available for this position.

These postdoctoral positions are for academics in the early stages of their career who demonstrate exceptional potential as a scholar and researcher. Applicants should either have completed a doctoral degree, or be able to convincingly demonstrate that they will complete the degree before they intend to start this postdoctoral position (e.g. by documenting a scheduled viva/final defense).

We are seeking applicants with active research plans in any of the following areas:

BPS 1) We seek applicants pursuing a research agenda at the intersection of computer science and applied economics, with interdisciplinary training and interests in both topics. The successful applicant will work on projects that address pressing policy issues, using a mix of quantitative and computational methods (e.g., econometrics, data science, AI/ML). Examples of active projects include, but are not limited to, developing theory and methods for robust and equitable decision making in social settings; the use of machine learning and digital data to guide resource allocation and related policies in low-income countries; and creating and validating new techniques for monitoring living standards and well-being in high-stakes policy environments. This position will be supervised by Joshua Blumenstock.

BPS 2) We seek applicants with interdisciplinary training and interests pursuing a research agenda at the intersection of information science, computational social science, and public-interest research. The successful applicant will work on projects that examine how sociotechnical information systems shape high-stakes decision-making across digital and institutional contexts to address pressing issues in information access, trustworthiness, and credibility, using a mix of computational, quantitative, and qualitative methods (e.g., natural language processing, digital trace data, surveys, and interviews). Examples of active projects include, but are not limited to, studying online communities as informal information infrastructures; analyzing how search engines and digital platforms structure the visibility and credibility of information; developing methods to monitor and contextualize misinformation and uncertainty in sensitive or politicized domains; and advancing conceptual frameworks for understanding information ecosystems as structural determinants of equity, autonomy, and well-being, including but not limited to health-related contexts. This position will be supervised by Coye Cheshire.

BPS 3) We seek applicants with active research plans in climate and sustainability informatics, leveraging information and/or information tools to empower individuals, communities, and organizations in tackling the challenges of climate change and biodiversity conservation. We welcome applicants with strong backgrounds in one or more of the following areas: remote sensing, ML, NLP, HCI, participatory design, design research, biosensory computing. The successful applicant will become a core member of the IceBerk Lab (iceberk.berkeley.edu), and be supervised by John Chuang, with possible co-supervision by another IceBerk faculty member where appropriate.

BPS 4) The Cultural Analytics group seeks postdoc applicants to conduct data-driven research across archival heritage and born-digital media. Current projects include, but are not limited to: (i) the study of narrative, belief and resonance, where the goal is to understand how narrative is mutually constitutive of beliefs, and how narrative resonates in and across communities of belief; (ii) extracting narrative elements from literary works, with a strong focus on complex corpora such as the Icelandic sagas to understand composition and social modeling in late medieval fiction; (iii) further developing the approach of archetyptonics along with the SOCKS project at University of Vermont's Complex Systems Center; and (iv) refining a search engine for popular dance, where the search term is the dancer's sequence of poses, here focusing on Kpop dance. Ideal candidates bridge Computational Humanities/Social Science Computing (ML, Networks, and/or Computer Vision) with a qualitative theoretical background. You will be supervised by Tim Tangherlini (with potential I-School co-supervision), and be associated with the Berkeley Institute for Data Science (BIDS) and the AI Futures Lab. We welcome applicants with active research plans ready to contribute to a vibrant, interdisciplinary environment.

BPS 5) The goal of this postdoctoral position is to contribute to the development of an empirically-backed theoretical understanding of how people understand and make sense of the combination of graphic and textual information. We seek a scholar with expertise in some combination of information visualization, the psychology of reading and/or diagram interpretation, and cognitive science or neuroscience more generally to investigate human conception at the intersection of language and information visualization. Expertise in conducting and analyzing eye gaze is a requirement of the position. Expertise or interest in multimodal information, both cognitively and in large vision and language models is a plus. The mentor for this position is Professor Marti Hearst.

BPS 6) Seeking postdoc applicants with a passion for and commitment to equity-driven co-design with local marginalized Indigenous communities. A successful applicant will work on projects that weave together Indigenous knowledge, experiences, and values that address public-facing outcomes, such as informal science education programs and exhibits at local museums and cultural centers. The applicant will help develop theory and methods for world-building equity that integrate marginalized communities' cultural and social struggles. We are seeking applicants with the following attributes: strong background in co-design with marginalized communities, design research, qualitative methods, and experience building mixed reality systems. Knowledge of Indigenous research methods is a plus. This position will be supervised by Kimiko Ryokai.

The Bellwether Postdoctoral Scholar program is designed to allow exceptionally promising young researchers the time to develop their own research while collaborating with leading established faculty. It is designed to accelerate careers, and to maximize the ability of Bellwether Postdoctoral Scholars to build independent research trajectories. To accomplish this, a portion (30-40%) of each post-doc's time will be reserved for their own independent research and publication efforts, including publishing results from their dissertation.

Additionally, all Bellwether Postdoctoral Scholars will work with a mentor or mentors on research projects in the areas listed above (60-70%), all of which are either already active or will be at the time of the start of the post-doc. All have significant publication opportunities planned.

These postdoctoral positions are research-focused and do not include teaching. However, all post-docs will be given opportunities for guest lecturing and will be expected to give public talks about their research. Post-docs will also contribute to planning and hosting public talks for others, and will be expected to be active participants in I School academic events such as research talks.

Each postdoctoral scholar will have access to up to $5,000 annually for research expenses and travel to professional conferences and research opportunities. A laptop computer will also be provided for the duration of the post-doc.

For all of the above positions, we only seek candidates with excellent research and leadership abilities and a commitment to contributing to the UC Berkeley I School and the field of information more broadly while accelerating their career.

The Berkeley School of Information (I School) is a global bellwether in a world awash in information and data, boldly leading the way with education and fundamental research that translates into new knowledge, practices, policies, and solutions. I School scholars and practitioners thrive in the intersections where people, organizations, and societies interact with information, technology, and data. Faculty comprise a mix of disciplines, including information, computer science, economics, political science, law, sociology, design, media studies, and more.

The I School offers three professional master's degrees and an academic doctoral degree. The MIMS program trains students for careers as information professionals and emphasizes small classes and project-based learning. The MIDS program trains data scientists to manage and analyze the coming onslaught of big data, in a unique high-touch online degree. The MICS program prepares cybersecurity leaders with the technical skills and contextual knowledge necessary to develop solutions for complex cybersecurity challenges. The Ph.D. program equips scholars to develop solutions and shape policies that influence how people seek, use, and share information. Our cohorts and classes are small enough to support intense student engagement; and we encourage collaboration among the students, faculty, and staff in the I School community. Our alumni have careers in diverse fields, such as data science, user experience design and research, product management, engineering, information policy, cybersecurity, and more.

UC Berkeley has an excellent benefits package as well as a number of policies and programs to support employees as they balance work and family, if applicable.

School: https://www.ischool.berkeley.edu/

School: https://www.ischool.berkeley.edu/about/community

PhD (or equivalent international degree), or enrolled in a PhD or equivalent international degree-granting program at the time of application.

PhD (or equivalent international degree) required by start date.

No more than three years of postdoctoral research experience.

• 3-5 required (contact information only)

We may contact your references at any stage in the hiring process unless you request otherwise. Please only provide contact information and do not request letters be sent at the time of application. Letters will be solicited for all finalists.

UC Berkeley is committed to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging in our public mission of research, teaching, and service, consistent with UC Regents Policy 4400 and University of California Academic Personnel policy (APM 210 1-d). These values are embedded in our Principles of Community, which reflect our passion for critical inquiry, debate, discovery and innovation, and our deep commitment to contributing to a better world. Every member of the UC Berkeley community has a role in sustaining a safe, caring and humane environment in which these values can thrive.

The University of California, Berkeley is an Equal Opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, or protected veteran status.

For more information, please refer to the University of California's Affirmative Action and Nondiscrimination in Employment Policy and the University of California's Anti-Discrimination Policy.

In searches when letters of reference are required all letters will be treated as confidential per University of California policy and California state law. Please refer potential referees, including when letters are provided via a third party (i.e., dossier service or career center), to the UC Berkeley statement of confidentiality prior to submitting their letter.

As a University employee, you will be required to comply with all applicable University policies and/or collective bargaining agreements, as may be amended from time to time. Federal, state, or local government directives may impose additional requirements.

Unless stated otherwise, unambiguously, in the position description, this position does not include sponsorship of a new consular H-1B visa petition that would require payment of the $100,000 supplemental fee.

As a condition of employment, the finalist will be required to disclose if they are subject to any final administrative or judicial decisions within the last seven years determining that they committed any misconduct.

• "Misconduct" means any violation of the policies or laws governing conduct at the applicant's previous place of employment, including, but not limited to, violations of policies or laws prohibiting sexual harassment, sexual assault, or other forms of harassment or discrimination, as defined by the employer.
• UC Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment Policy
• UC Anti-Discrimination Policy
• APM - 035: Affirmative Action and Nondiscrimination in Employment