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The Media & Democracy program at the Social Science Research Council (SSRC) is looking to hire a contractor for its part of the Analysis and Response Toolkit for Trust (ARTT) project. The project, funded by the National Science Foundation’s Convergence Accelerator, is an initiative that is building an online tool focused on helping people engage in trust-building ways and facilitate constructive online exchanges around difficult topics. As part of this work, SSRC will develop the second version the ARTT Catalog, which will contain interdisciplinary scholarly research that offers insight into practical methods for improving conversations, both online and in-person. The ARTT Catalog will ultimately help power the development of the project’s online tool, the ARTT Guide, which will empower users to develop their own responses during complicated exchanges by offering guidance and suggestions about how to best correct or engage with others.

In partnership with the Media & Democracy Program Director, the contractor will: 

• Review extant literature in the first version of the ARTT Catalog and the MediaWell Zotero library 
• Develop an open literature review of research into methods for generating trust, that starts with the nine different categories offered by the current catalog and verifies as well as builds upon them;
• Attend an SSRC-hosted conference (to take place in Q1 2023) that invites experts to add to and expand on the research review;
• Incorporate feedback from the conference to the research review, and build it out further based on recommendations from the broader community of scholars who may be interested in the project. 
• Amend and build the review into a second version of the ARTT catalog, with papers highlighted for methods that may be incorporated by the ARTT tool.

Qualifications: 

• PhD in the social sciences or humanities, in a related field, which could include psychology, communications, political science, conflict studies, and science communication. We would also consider PhD candidates who are writing their dissertations. 
• Knowledge of current academic research on trust and credibility, interpersonal communication and conflict, and/or media literacy.  
• Excellent organizational skills; attention to detail and a high degree of professionalism. 
• Excellent interpersonal skills; team player with demonstrated ability to take initiative, work independently, and respond flexibly to changing demands. 
• Strong writing skills for a range of audiences.

The conference and related work will take place at the SSRC offices in Brooklyn, New York, and preference will be given to local candidates. The position will run through mid-February 2024. Interested applicants should send a resume and cover letter to mediawell@ssrc.org by December 15.

Molly Laas, Ph.D.

Program Director | Media and Democracy

laas@ssrc.org | 413-219-0950
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