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Postdoctoral Scholar - Voting Law/Data Analysis- Goldman School of Public Policy

Position overview

Position title: POSTDOC-EMPLOYEE
Salary range: The UC postdoc salary scales set the minimum pay determined by experience level at appointment. See the following table for the current salary
for this position: https://www.ucop.edu/academic-personnel-programs/_files/2024-25/oct-2024-scales/t23.pdf. A reasonable estimate for this postion
$66,737 to $80,034

Percent time: 100

Position duration: The initial appointment is for two years with the possibility of a third year

Application Window
Open date: July 21, 2025

Next review date: Monday, Aug 4, 2025 at 11:59pm (Pacific Time)
Apply by this date to ensure full consideration by the committee.

Final date: Monday, Sep 15, 2025 at 11:59pm (Pacific Time)
Applications will continue to be accepted until this date, but those received after the review date will only be considered if the position has not yet been filled.

Position description

The UC Berkeley Goldman School of Public Policy seeks applications for a post-doctoral fellow in public policy, political science, economics, business, psychology, sociology, or related social research or analytic fields, at 100% time. The UC Berkeley Goldman School of Public Policy (GSPP) is partnering with the Brennan Center for Justice (BCJ) to compile and produce the Voting Laws Roundup. The Voting Laws Roundup is a nationally recognized database and quarterly publication that tracks legislation in every state legislature related to the right to vote.

The Voting Laws Roundup partnership will be affiliated with the Democracy Policy Lab, part of the new Democracy Policy Initiative at GSPP. The fellow will be working under the supervision of the Research Director on data collection, coding, and analysis of state voting legislation for the Voting Laws Roundup. This work includes developing computational tools (e.g., using large language models, machine learning for text analysis and classification, etc.) to assist in the collection, cleaning, and coding of legislation; working with the Brennan Center representatives in the development, writing, creation, and dissemination of the Voting Laws Roundup publication; and assisting GSPP Democracy Policy Lab affiliate scholars in using the Voting Laws Roundup database in academic research.

The position is a full-time mentored research opportunity, with expectations to collaborate with GSPP and BCJ faculty, faculty affiliates, and research staff on current and new research projects. Successful candidates will have a strong proven interest in applied research that helps to inform and support Voting Law and legislation analysis.

Qualifications
Basic qualifications (required at time of application)
Enrolled in a PhD (or equivalent international degree) at the time of application.

Additional qualifications (required at time of start)
PhD (or equivalent international degree) program in public policy, political science, economics, business, psychology, sociology, or related social research or analytic fields.

Preferred qualifications

• Substantive knowledge of and interest in American politics and policy, especially with regard to voting rights, election administration, and democratic institutions.
• Experience and expertise in understanding and summarizing the substantive content of legislation, especially at the state level.
• Proficiency in managing databases in Excel and Google Sheets.
• Experience with data cleaning, management, and quantitative analysis using R.
• Experience in computational text analysis, using machine learning and/or large language models (e.g., ChatGPT) for tasks such as classification, topic modeling, or sentiment analysis.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Must be organized, dedicated, and attentive to detail.

Application Requirements

Document requirements

• Curriculum Vitae - Your most recently updated C.V.
• Cover Letter
• Statement of Research (Optional)
• Writing Sample (Optional)

Reference requirements

• 3 required (contact information only)

Apply link: https://aprecruit.berkeley.edu/JPF04879

Help contact: jakegrumbach@berkeley.edu

About UC Berkeley

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.

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

Job location
Berkeley, CA


To apply, visit https://aprecruit.berkeley.edu/JPF04879