Apply

Eligibility

Participation is restricted to Ph.D. students, postdoctoral researchers, and untenured faculty within 7 years of their Ph.D. However, there are no restrictions based on citizenship, country of study, or country of employment. Twelve (12) participants will be invited.

The Summer Institute aims to bring together computational social scientists across all levels of technical experience. Participants with less experience with social science research will be expected to complete additional readings in advance of the Institute, and participants with less experience coding will be expected to complete a set of online learning modules on the R programming language. Students doing this preparatory work will be supported by a teaching assistant who will hold online office hours during the two months before the Institute.

We welcome applicants from all backgrounds and fields of study, especially applicants from groups currently under-represented in computational social science. We evaluate applicants along a number of dimensions: 1) research and teaching in the area of computational social science 2) contributions to public goods, such as creating open source software, curating public datasets, and creating educational opportunities for others 3) likelihood to benefit from participation 4) likelihood to contribute to the educational experience of other participants 5) potential to spread computational social science to new intellectual communities and areas of research. Further, when making our evaluations, we attempt to account for an applicant’s career stage and previous educational opportunities.

How To Apply

Applicants must submit the following documents (all uploads must be in PDF or MS Word document format): (i) Your curriculum vitae (max 2 pages). (ii) A statement describing any current research and your interest in computational social science (max 1 page, single-spaced). (iii) In the second week, you will be asked to present and develop a project using computational methods. Please submit your proposed project here (max 2 pages, single-spaced). (iv) A writing sample (no more than 35 pages). Co-authored work is acceptable – please describe the contributions of each individual author (2-3 sentences). (v) Applicants who are graduate students or postdoctoral researchers must submit 2 (two) letters of recommendation from faculty advisors. Letters of recommendation should be as informative as possible about your standing in your program, general ability, research potential, and (if applicable) special interest in computational social science.

All applications must include an e-mail and second means of contact (e.g., alternative email or phone number).

In order to be guaranteed full consideration, all application materials must be submitted by 12 March 2021 (midnight, GMT+1) All application materials must be submitted through Google Forms. Applications that are not complete by the deadline may not receive full consideration. We will notify applicants solely through e-mail by 26 March 2021, and will ask participants to confirm their participation very soon thereafter.

Inquiries can be sent to sicss-bologna[at]unibo[.]it.