Senior Researcher, AI Civics

Data & Society is an independent nonprofit research organization studying the social implications of data-centric technologies and automation. We recognize that the same innovative technologies that may benefit society can also be abused to invade privacy, provide new tools of discrimination, foreclose opportunity, and harm individuals and communities. Through original research and inclusive engagement, we work to ensure that empirical evidence and respect for human dignity guide how technology is developed and governed.

The Role

Data & Society is seeking a Senior Researcher, AI Civics who is a subject-matter expert who will serve as a lead contributor on an ambitious, two-year program at Data & Society focused on civic action and community control over AI. Drawing primarily on participatory methods, particularly participatory action research methods, the Senior Researcher will be primarily responsible for one or more inter-organizational partnerships with organizations — especially one or more national partner organizations working in the domain of K-12 education, labor, faith, or advocacy. 

The AI Civics program is a newly-launched effort planning to amplify the tools of civic participation to help the public to directly shape the role that AI plays in society, surfacing civic tools the public can use to exert political power over AI systems and tech platforms at the community level. The program will co-create toolkits and training resources with anchor partner organizations, diffuses these resources through a train-the-trainer model, and builds towards a national civic coalition demanding democratic accountability over AI. This program also contributes to Data & Society’s strategic priority of building network power.

The Senior Researcher will be responsible for executing mission-critical co-design and participatory research projects as part of the AI Civics program at Data & Society.

This position will report to the Program Director and is fully remote and will begin in September 2026 with an end date of May 31, 2028. 

The Candidate 

This role will operate at the intersection of partnership relationship management, policy and design research, and curriculum co-design. Specifically, the Senior Researcher will collaborate closely with the AI Civics Program Director and team to co-produce educational materials and other public-facing outputs with partners and community members, such as case studies, templates, reports, research papers, blogs, and public-facing writing. They may also be required to report to organization leadership on the goals of the program and research progress as well as represent D&S in other public venues. They will also participate and help plan research team events and public writing and speaking engagements. 

This role requires strong organizational, analytic, and writing skills, and the ability to express ideas and thoughts with academic literature in their discipline. They should be comfortable completing solo research projects, as well as collaborating with and directing contractors and other collaborators. They must be able to dedicate full-time focus toward the research program of AI Civics. 

Primary Responsibilities 

Participatory Research 

• Draw on expertise in participatory research methods to cultivate and steward relationships with partner organization staff, community members and leaders, allied organizations, and/or public sector workers.
• Lead one or more collaborative relationship(s) with an anchor partner and their local members and constituents for the co-creation and diffusion of AI Civics resources using participatory methods, especially participatory action research. 
• Co-develop and direct the iterative improvement of toolkits, facilitation guides, and training curricula. Help coordinate and/or run piloting, feedback collection, and revision cycles, rooted in community needs and interests to advance the AI Civics objectives.
• Produce D&S case studies, educational materials, templates, reports, academic publications, lectures, and public writing on those topics. 
• Partner with the Program Director with facilitation preparation for co-design workshops, train-the-trainer sessions, and participatory research activities with anchor partner organizations and their local member cohorts.
• Drive forward programmatic work, including developing research questions, strategies, and new external partnerships, in close collaboration with the AI Civics Program Director. 
• Coordinate across internal teams to produce public outputs from the program.
• Contribute to the Data & Society research culture and community, including regularly joining Research team meetings, seminars, and events.

Network Engagement

• Assist with communications to the AI Civics partner network, including updates, event announcements, and follow-up summary notes and agreements from convenings.

Fundraising

• Participate in fundraising efforts, such as applying for grants and drafting materials for the Development Team to use. 

Organizational Development

• Contribute to the intellectual life of the organization as an active participant in internal programming: attending talks, participating in seminars or reading groups, and contributing to the development of research management practices.
• Attend whole-organization activities such as staff meetings, retreats, town halls, listening sessions, workshops, training and social events.
• Participate, where able and appropriate, in contributing to the culture of D&S by participating in working groups and committees.

Skills & Qualifications

Required Qualifications

• Graduate degree or equivalent required.
• Expertise in one or more sectors of interest to the program: K-12 education, labor, faith groups, or another institutional pillar of civic life as it relates to data-centric technologies and AI.
• Minimum of 7- 10 years experience in research organizations or research environment within organizations (university, public policy, advocacy, government, etc), inclusive of graduate work.
• Expertise in participatory research methods and strong research skills required.
• Strong track record of seeing research through to publication.
• Public profile and ability to connect with non-academic audiences via writing and speaking.
• Strong interpersonal skills and demonstrated experience working with colleagues to see research through to successful outcomes.
• Ability to coordinate and conduct in-depth qualitative research.
• Comfort with a fast-paced work environment at a rapidly evolving organization.
• Strong organizational, analytic, and writing skills, and familiarity with academic literature in their discipline.
• Ability to coordinate with other team members and the D&S community.

Preferred Qualifications

• Doctoral degree in information science, education, social sciences, or similar field. 
• Established contributions to and/or relationships with relevant organizations within a theme of interest to the program, such as K-12 education, labor, faith groups, advocacy groups, or similar. 
• Experience with civic engagement, organizing, or similar activities, ideally in a nonprofit, labor, advocacy, research, or public interest technology context. 
• Experience in education, research, design, program evaluation, and/or policy applied in organizational contexts.
• Familiarity with relevant academic literature across several areas, developing or deep mastery in one or two areas.
• Willingness to dedicate a full-time level of effort to the AI Civics program for the duration of the program.

Core Competencies

• Strong communication skills; exhibits good listening and comprehension, as well as outstanding writing and editorial ability.
• Demonstrated ability to manage complex projects with inter-organizational dependencies
• Familiarity with issues around the intersection of technology and public power.
• Strong analytical, reasoning, organizational, argumentation, and problem-solving skills.
• Confronts difficult situations, adapts to changes in the work environment, maintains objectivity, able to deal with frequent change, delays, or unexpected events, changes approach or method to best fit the situation.
• Leadership ability to make timely decisions, includes appropriate people in decision-making process, exhibits sound and accurate judgement.
• Displays ability to facilitate groups to come to consensus.
• Inspires respect and trust, exhibits confidence in self and others.

Organizational Values and Participation

• Commitment to advancing organizational diversity, equity, and inclusion.
• Actively participate in programs and professional development opportunities that work to ensure we continue our commitment to being an anti-racist and anti-discrimination organization.
• To attend, where able, whole-organization activities such as staff meetings, retreats, town halls, listening sessions, workshops, training, and social events. 
• To participate, where able and appropriate, in contributing to the culture of D&S by participating in working groups and committees (e.g. DEIA Working Group).

To Apply, please submit the following items by July 30, 2026: 

1. A cover letter explaining your interest in this role and why you would be a good fit for this position.
2. An academic CV is required.
3. The names, affiliations, and contact information for three (3) references. Please include the name, title, email addresses, and phone numbers for each reference. Only candidates who reach the final round of interviews may have their references contacted.

Applications will be reviewed beginning July 31, 2026.  Please feel free to contact us at jobs@datasociety.net should you have any questions about the role. Questions about the opportunity or process will not reflect negatively on your application.

Practical Considerations 

1. Data & Society has committed to safety requirements to protect our staff from the COVID-19 pandemic. We require that prospective employees are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 before joining our organization. Please note that any reasonable accommodation request is not guaranteed to be approved, and we will comply with ADA-related requirements to evaluate the accommodation against business needs.
2. This is currently a full-time, remote position in the AI Civics program with an expected start date in September 2026 and an end date of May 31, 2028. This is a 2-year position, with no expectation for extension. Data & Society is based in New York City, and will for the foreseeable future operate as a Remote-First organization. The role may involve occasional onsite meetings in the future. 
3. You must be living and authorized to work in the United States; we are unable to sponsor visas. 
4. The salary range for this role is $78,000 to $97,000 annually, commensurate with experience. This salary offer will include a generous benefits package including medical, dental, and vision insurance and access to a range of opt-in products and services including additional insurance and 401k management as well as paid time off and paid federal holidays.

The salary range for this position is noted within this job posting. Where a prospective employee or employee is compensated within this salary range is dependent upon, among other factors, actual compensation for current/former employees in the subject position; market considerations; budgetary considerations; tenure, and standing with the organization (applicable to current employees); as well as the employee’s/applicant’s overall qualifications: knowledge, skills, pertinent experience, and abilities.