Postdoc – DARPA Semafor Research Program in Misinformation and Disinformation

Syracuse University

S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications

Postdoc – DARPA Semafor Research Program in Misinformation and Disinformation

Syracuse University S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications seeks to hire a Post Doc to assist in the research agenda for the DARPA Semafor research program in misinformation and disinformation research.  The post doc would work to research and generate falsified multi-modal media data sets for use in the development of AI/ML analytics capable of detection, attribution, and characterization of various forms of falsified media.  The manipulated modalities being investigated include text, images, video, and audio formats for both traditional news formats as well as social media and other emerging digital platforms.  Proficiency in image, audio and video manipulation is required and experience in the areas of technical propaganda, deepfakes and puppeteering is preferred but not required. The position is a two-year appointment.

The candidate: will be expected to develop research in line with the referenced agenda for the DARPA Semafor research program in misinformation and disinformation research; will be expected to research grant opportunities, consult with team members to develop research proposals, assist in the execution of grant applications, work on peer-reviewed journal articles, and oversee Ph.D. and/or Master’s level students, as well as research aides at any academic level. It is expected that the individual will cultivate a personal research agenda. Additional responsibilities might include support of related research proposed by other team members.

A Ph.D. is required.

Widely regarded as the nation’s leading school of communications, the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University is home to approximately 2,000 undergraduates, 200 residential master’s degree students, 200 online master’s degree students and 15 doctoral degree students. They are among the best in the country, having secured a place in the class through a highly competitive admissions process. The typical admitted first-year student has a 3.8 GPA and an SAT score in the 1300s.

The school’s 250,000-square-foot, three-building complex is a leading-edge learning environment where students are exposed to the tools and technologies used by professionals in the field. Features include Dick Clark Studios, a high-tech entertainment production facility that rivals many Hollywood studios; the Diane and Bob Miron Digital News Center, complete with a contemporary news set, a green screen, state-of-the-art lighting systems and cameras; the Alan Gerry Center for Media Innovation, a creative hub where Newhouse expertise in content development and production meets the latest media technology and programming trends; the Emerging Insights Lab, a state-of-the-art social media command center; and the Collaborative Media Room, home to the student-produced multimedia news site, The NewsHouse.

In January 2020, the S.I. Newhouse Foundation announced a $75 million gift to the Newhouse School, the largest donation to Syracuse University in its 150-year history and one of the largest ever to any communications school.

To learn more about the Newhouse School, visit https://newhouse.syr.edu.

The Newhouse School encourages applicants who will help us broaden the diversity of our faculty. Syracuse University is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.

For full description and online application instructions, go to https://www.sujobopps.com/postings/92941. Cover letter, resume or vitae and names, addresses, and information for four references must be attached online.

For more information, contact search chairs Jason Davis, Research Professor (jdavis72@syr.edu) and Regina Luttrell, Associate Dean of Research and Creative Activity (rmluttre@syr.edu).