Job Description

Position Overview

Applications are invited for a full-time Cyber-Social Fellow position with the Center for Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies (CREES) at the University of Kansas. The initial appointment will begin August 15, 2023. The Fellow will pursue research on regional and global cybersecurity and disinformation challenges arising from Russia, Eastern Europe, and Eurasia and their social, cultural, and historical contexts. The Fellow will contribute to CREES’ research and teaching mission and collaborate with KU’s new Center for Cyber-Social Dynamics to advance understanding of the societal causes and consequences of leading cybersecurity issues. The Center for Cyber-Social Dynamics is devoted to developing new approaches to cybersecurity and disinformation that take into account the crucial role played by cultural dynamics, social factors, and human-machine interaction.

Initial appointment is for one year, position may be renewed for one additional year based on satisfactory progress.


Job Description

Job Duties:

70% Research:
1. Perform research on cybersecurity and disinformation challenges arising from Russia, Eastern Europe, and Eurasia and their social, cultural, and/or historical contexts
2. Participate in group discussions and meetings with collaborators in CREES and the Center for Cyber-Social Dynamics
3. Deliver at least one public lecture per year to present research findings to the KU community
4. Create a publicly-accessible digital resource based on research to be featured on the CREES website

20% Teaching:
1. Teach one course per year on a relevant aspect of Russian, East European, and Eurasian studies in coordination with CREES
2. Mentor graduate and undergraduate students in research, including CREES’ Graduate Assistants undertaking projects in the digital humanities
3. Hold regular office hours for students

10% Service:
1. Deliver at least one public lecture per year to communities beyond KU, including community colleges and minority-serving institutions in Kansas and the Great Plains region
2. Participate in broader interdisciplinary initiatives relating to ethics and social justice in the University and in the Lawrence community

Required Qualifications

1. PhD in Anthropology, Communications, History, Linguistics, Political Science, Slavic Languages & Literatures, Sociology, or a related field (ABD candidates must have PhD in hand within 6 months of appointment).
2. Expertise on Russia, Eastern Europe, and/or Eurasia, demonstrated by work experience, dissertation chapters, working papers, presentations, or publications of relevance to the region
3. Expertise on disinformation and/or cybersecurity, demonstrated by work experience, dissertation chapters, working papers, presentations, or publications
4. Demonstrated ability to pursue research in an academic or professional setting as evidenced by research publications, presentations, and/or other research activities.


Preferred Qualifications

1. Research proficiency in Russian or another East European or Eurasian language
2. Demonstrated commitment to excellence in teaching at the undergraduate and/or graduate level
3. Demonstrated commitment to interdisciplinary and/or collaborative approaches to research