GW has everything you need to succeed in discovery. Outstanding , state-of-the-art facilities and world-class faculty support discovery and innovative solutions. Researchers and faculty advance interdisciplinary and emerging research and scholarship. Our active welcomes your engagement in social and professional activities as you join our research teams. Research guides, coding and data management solutions as well as extensive online journals from help to guide your study. The (OVPR) supports the research infrastructure and facilitates several .

The and aims to transform the practice of AI from one driven primarily by technological innovation to one driven with attention to ethics, human rights, and support for communities whose voices have been marginalized in mainstream AI. TRAILS is a joint research, education, and outreach institute led by the University of Maryland, the George Washington University, Morgan State University, and Cornell University.

TRAILS is seeking talented, highly motivated applicants for multiple postdoctoral fellowship positions to conduct research and scholarship focused on approaches to AI that advance trust and trustworthiness. The George Washington University is located in Washington, DC. These are one- or two-year fellowships, with flexible start dates in 2024. Please see a parallel call for applications at the University of Maryland.

As a TRAILS Postdoctoral Associate, you will have the opportunity to pursue your own research agenda, interact with our Institute's diverse array of researchers, and contribute to ongoing research projects. These positions offer an opportunity to work closely with faculty and graduate students in TRAILS, a unique interdisciplinary research community that brings together researchers across AI, incorporating insights from algorithm development, systems engineering and architecture, human psychology, sociology, law, science and technology studies, economics, and policy studies.

Faculty and students in TRAILS will collaborate extensively with other labs and centers on campus at the George Washington University, such as the , the , the , the Center for Machine Learning, and the Human-Computer Interaction Lab at UMD, and the Center for Equitable AI and Machine Learning Systems at MSU.

We are seeking candidates in any area of research related to developing AI techniques, tools, scientific theories, as well as design and policy recommendations that are intended to promote the trustworthiness of AI systems. TRAILS Postdocs will be mentored by at least two TRAILS faculty members, and applicants whose research interests bridge multiple faculty across different disciplines or institutions will be given preference.

Applicants must have fulfilled their Ph.D. degree requirements, possibly excluding the final submission of their dissertation, prior to joining TRAILS. We encourage candidates with tenure-track academic job offers to apply - with the option of doing a one-year rather than two-year postdoc - provided they are able to defer their start date by at least one year to accept our position.

We encourage applicants with a wide range of backgrounds and life experiences to apply. We are committed to supporting the diversity of TRAILS and to promoting equal opportunity in higher education.

To ensure full consideration, please submit all application materials by February 28, 2024, for full consideration.

1) A curriculum vitae
2) An academic statement of no more than three pages that discusses research interests and goals, as well as your teaching, mentoring, and leadership experiences.
3) Two representative conference or journal articles, book chapters, or equivalent (potentially unpublished) writing samples that you are most proud of, and which best demonstrate your expertise.
4) The names and contact information for two or three references (in nearly all cases, one will be your dissertation advisor/supervisor).

We will request letters of recommendation shortly after the date for best consideration, so you may wish to alert your letter writers in advance so that they will be ready to submit your letters by March 15, 2024.

Responsibilities

Postdocs will design, organize and conduct specialized and advanced experiments using established scientific protocols, troubleshoot and design new protocols, summarize findings and publish results in research journals, under the general supervision of a faculty member. In some cases, postdocs will assume general responsibility for general scientific operations in the lab, and/or provide supervision and guidance to laboratory staff, trainees and other researchers.

As a TRAILS Postdoc, you will define your own research agenda in collaboration with other TRAILS researchers as well as the broader GWU, UMD, and MSU communities. Most postdocs will co-mentor graduate and undergraduate students with their faculty mentors, and there will be teaching opportunities for associate who desire them. Postdocs will be expected to contribute back to the TRAILS community through career-building activities like organizing the TRAILS seminar series, interacting with NSF, and responding to campus leadership. Postdocs who wish to gain experience in grant writing will have opportunities to do so.

A Postdoctoral Associate:

In collaboration with experienced researchers, this role will participate in the planning and conduction of discovery research, data analysis and interpretation, preparation of materials for publication, presentations at conferences and meetings, and may develop new theories and methodologies. This role can expect timely advice as to research directions and career planning for a future independent career.

Performs other related duties as assigned. The omission of specific duties does not preclude the supervisor from assigning duties that are logically related to the position.

Special Instructions to the Applicant:

Appointments are limited-term and are designed for those who have recently received a doctorate. Appointments are made to academic departments with the approval of the department head and may require senior officer approval. Appointments are usually for not less than one term and are normally not renewed beyond a total of five years. This appointment is not intended for long-term, indefinite, or career appointments.