Call for Applications: Host Research Teams for Stanford Impact Labs Postdoctoral Fellowship

We are pleased to open a new round of applications for the Stanford Impact Labs Postdoctoral Fellowship Program. We are requesting applications from research teams interested in hosting a postdoctoral fellow for two years, beginning in the 2023 academic year. Applications are due Monday, October 31, 2022. 

The postdoctoral fellowship is for early career academics whose scholarship is oriented towards problem-solving and public impact. The program is intended to help expand training and opportunities for these scholars while also providing valuable research support to selected teams. Ideal placements help to increase the diversity of scholars leading impact-focused research, and SIL is interested in partnering with hosting labs who encourage applications from women, minority, and first generation PhD recipients.

Postdoctoral fellows are placed for two years in research teams with a commitment to public impact and partnership. The fellowship includes a $75,344 minimum salary per year plus benefits, in a 50% cost-shared model between Stanford Impact Labs and the participating research team. As a general guideline, successful research teams will need to budget approximately $50,000 per year for two years, which covers 50% of a postdoc’s salary, fringe benefits, and research fund.

The research roles and agendas of the selected fellows are defined by the respective hosting team and faculty leads, who are responsible for crafting the specific job description. As a general guideline, having fellows be an integral part of the respective research team is seen as a critical component of the program, with the goal of preparing participating postdocs to do collaborative, impact-focused research and allowing for sufficient publication opportunities. The fellows are also expected to engage in a suite of programming and activities held by Stanford Impact Labs over the course of the two years of the fellowship. This programming is designed to further develop the skills necessary to advance impact- and partnership-focused research.

Application process

For this cohort, starting in the 2023 academic year, we are able to support three research teams to each host a postdoctoral fellow. These teams will be selected on a competitive basis by a panel of faculty, SIL staff, and current postdoctoral fellows, based on the below criteria. Selected teams will be expected to generate the job description specific to their team, with support from SIL to widely advertise the opportunity to PhD students nationally and internationally. (Note: this fellowship cannot be used to support prospective postdoctoral students already at or who completed their PhD at Stanford University.) Research teams will be responsible for leading their review and selection process, with final decisions made in coordination with SIL to ensure candidates meet the goals of the postdoctoral fellowship program. 

Key criteria for participating research teams

Commitment to public impact

Stanford Impact Labs aims to support research teams that are committed to using research for public impact. This includes a demonstrated importance of the social problem that the research team is aiming to address, a strong orientation towards developing and testing solutions, and a clear theory of change for how the research leads to outcomes that improve people’s lives.

Partnership-focused

Strong and meaningful partnerships between scholars and partners in the social, public, and private sectors is critical to how we see the pathway of research to impact. We are looking to support teams that have strong partnerships with external practitioners and a set of co-created goals and processes to which the scholars and practitioners are committed to engage over multiple years.

Team-based, collaborative science

SIL postdoctoral fellows are intentionally placed within a team-based, collaborative research environment that enables them to directly engage with the teams’ research projects and participate in the full scope of the social scientific process: generating new research questions, forging partnerships, analyzing and interpreting data, publishing, communicating insights to broader audiences, and co-creating policies or programs. Individual faculty may apply, but SIL will prioritize applications where fellows will be an integral member of a vibrant and diverse research team. 

Demonstrated benefit to research team

The postdoctoral fellow should be a valuable resource to the host research team. Selected teams should be able to articulate how the fellow will meaningfully contribute towards the team’s ability to advance their partner- and impact-focused research agenda.

Clear value, opportunity for postdoctoral fellow

As well as providing a key resource to the team, the main purpose of the fellowship is to build a diverse pipeline of early career academics who are enthusiastic and equipped to use research to tackle challenging social problems. We are looking for teams that are able to support postdoctoral fellows with the necessary skills and knowledge in an inclusive environment that will help to launch their impact-focused research careers.

Please note that Stanford labs and research teams that have been the recipient of a different Stanford Impact Labs investment are eligible to apply to and be selected for this opportunity.

How to apply

• Please complete and submit your application here. Applications are due Monday, October 31, 2022.

Questions? Contact acarr2@stanford.edu.