The Brown Institute at Columbia Journalism School is seeking an Associate Research Scholar — someone with a history of “creative research” that expands on traditional forms of journalism and media production, but who also wants to support and inspire new entrepreneurs working at the intersection of tech and media. The person will be hired as an “Impact Fellow” of the Columbia side of the institute and will report to the Director — they will help both assist in managing existing grants, fellowships and seminars offered by the Institute, as well as creating new offerings that engage the Columbia Journalism School and Columbia University communities. The successful applicant will have an interest in nurturing new areas of investigation bridging tech and media, while maintaining their own creative research practice.
The Brown Institute offers financial and development support for projects that span journalism, media and technology. Through its fellowships, grants, seminars, and workshops, the institute points the way to new, interesting areas of research and development. This has historically involved building bridges between Columbia Journalism School and other Columbia University departments, as well as the creative and research communities in New York City and the Bay Area. We offer a mix of events and talks and informal introductions. The “Impact Fellow” should be able to help nurture these kinds of relationships and be excited by coming up with new institute directions. Given the bi-coastal nature of the Brown Institute, this scholar will interface with Stanford on an ongoing basis and should be comfortable and excited about the opportunity to engage with their research groups.
This person will also support and nurture the institute’s grants, helping projects think through sustainability, impact and scalability. The “Impact Fellow” will aid grantees in identifying resources they may require, including professional development, guidance on interdisciplinary collaborations and access to professionals either from Columbia Journalism School, Columbia University or media or tech outlets in New York City and the Bay Area. They will also play a role in supporting the technical aspects of our Impact and Magic Grants.
The institute now offers a number of pedagogical programs, from simple open office hours on topics like Graphic Design, Data Visualization and Mapping, to seminars and conferences. The “Impact Fellow” will help the Director and Brown Institute staff plan and execute novel educational experiences that expand the practice of journalism to new media.
These various tasks mean that the “Impact Fellow” should have a firm grounding in practicalities (be fluent in at least one programming language, have a history of learning new technological platforms, and have a general curiosity about how technology might shape narrative), but also be able to conduct creative research, expanding practices by developing new methods and technologies. The “Impact Fellow” will also be encouraged to seek out and develop their own novel story projects, and might also teach a course in the Columbia Journalism School, with the goal of promoting the mix of technology and journalism in new ways.
This position will be appointed for up to 12 months, renewable for up to 1 additional year, contingent on performance and their continued availability of funding.
Minimum Qualifications
Education:
- Bachelor’s Degree required. Advanced degree preferred.
Experience:
- Experience applying technology in a creative field. Some teaching experience is also desirable but not a requirement.
Other Skills:
- Has the ability to work easily with teams of journalists and other members of the Brown Institute and the CJS community, helping to introduce new forms of technology into their storytelling.
- Fluency in at least one programming language.
- Well-versed and knowledgeable in design processes and has the technical abilities to produce prototypes of new story forms — helping to bring creative ideas to life.
- Should be familiar with current technological innovations in one or more of the following areas: AR/VR, visualization, physical computing, app development, game design, general data and computer science, and computational media.
An appreciation for the power of a good story and the ability to experiment with the technical means of its production are key.