Careers at Annenberg

Position Summary

The Annenberg School for Communication (ASC) is a unique place at Penn. Our students receive an education that encourages them to redefine what communication studies can do, and what media expertise entails in the real world. In addition, our faculty, scholars, and students produce rigorous multidisciplinary research that changes the understanding of media institutions and their effects. Our staff support this work as part of an intimate work environment, wherein faculty, students, staff, and scholars are one interactive community. As the smallest of Penn’s 12 schools, Annenberg staff enjoy a small-school environment along with the benefits of working for the larger institution. We think this makes us a truly distinctive employer at Penn.

Our five-year doctoral program has a strong reputation as one of the best in the field and includes roughly 70 active students at various points in the program each year. Reporting to the Associate Dean for Graduate Studies, the Director directs and supports 1) the coordination of the lifecycle of the school’s Ph.D. program, and 2) student success on the path to the Ph.D. Responsibilities include recruitment, admissions, student records and data management, and student support. The Director also supports the Associate Dean and other school leadership as a thought partner in identifying and implementing program improvement strategies and initiatives. The position has the potential to supervise one administrative support position.

Responsibilities

Leadership & Collaboration:

• Provide holistic program support to the Associate Dean for Graduate Studies on all matters related to the effective management of the Office of Graduate Studies.
• Serve as a member of the school’s Academic Advisory Group and lead and contribute to thoughtful conversation, deliberation, and decision-making on topics and initiatives that drive shared goals across both the graduate and undergraduate programs. Work together on annual and per semester academic planning, such as mapping graduate course planning, faculty teaching plans, research and teaching fellowship surveys and assignments, etc.
• Partner with Graduate Studies Committee members to advise on graduate program issues and topics, including student experience and engagement initiatives to enhance the student journey. Meet with the Committee to discuss academic issues. Prepare agendas, keep minutes, track follow-up, etc.

Recruitment & Admissions:

• Plan, develop, and execute strategies to increase the diversity of the applicant pool.
• Maintain a high volume of professional communications with prospective domestic and international applicants – in person, by telephone, Zoom.
• Manage the online application and faculty review system to process >250 applications, admitting 20 students, yielding 14-18 students per year. Work with the school’s Graduate Studies Committee and Associate Dean to oversee the entire application process from initial inquiry to matriculation, including all related correspondence.
• Guide and advise applicants and new students in accordance with the established school and university policies and procedures.

Student Success & Program Services:

• Organize, coordinate, and manage the daily operations of the ASC graduate program. Guide students throughout their entire program of study, according to established program, curricular, school, and university policies and procedures.
• Track student progress to assure retention, academic achievement, and progress toward degree. Working with the Graduate Dean, draft progression letters at key milestone points.
• Manage the Qualifying and Comprehensive Exams process and provide guidance to students and faculty advisors as needed.
• Continually review and update program forms, email templates, etc. to ensure clarity, consistency, and professionalism.
• Conduct graduation audits and provide dissertation deposit guidance to students. Provide information to the ASC Associate Director of Events for planning of the annual Ph.D. graduation event.

Student Records & Data Management:

• Maintain accurate student records and generate admissions, student, and graduation data for internal and external review by an array of constituencies. Provide data analysis and reporting as needed.
• Maintain student records online database and paper filing system (as required).
• Maintain course offerings on Banner and worksheets in Degree Works.
• Monitor adherence to university dissertation deposit policies and processes.

Qualifications

Required:

• Bachelor's degree and 3 to 5 years of related experience or an equivalent combination of education and experience is required.
• Proficient with the MS Office 365 suite (including Teams) and able to adapt to new tools and technologies, including an array of Penn proprietary and third-party systems.
• Organizational and planning skills that demonstrate the ability to set priorities and work under the pressure of deadlines.
• Experience taking on new opportunities and challenges, providing direction, delegating, and removing obstacles to drive results.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and an ability to connect and engage with the graduate student community, including the ability to be supportive, flexible, and sensitive to their needs.
• Demonstrated professional judgement, initiative, flexibility, and ability to multi-task.
• Ability to handle confidential information with discretion and integrity with an understanding of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).
• High attention to detail and excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Ability to work independently and as a team member.
• Supervisory and mentorship experience is required.

Preferred:

• A master’s degree in higher education, student affairs administration, or a related field.
• Experience in higher education working directly with students and faculty.
• Familiarity with Penn student records systems such as Banner, Slate, and Degree Works.
• Experience with college admissions and recruitment at the graduate level; knowledge of advanced degree programs requiring the completion of a dissertation.
• Experience with academic guidance/advising and implementing programmatic activities.

Please click here to apply online at Careers@Penn.

For consideration, both a cover letter and resume are required at the time of application. A combined document or multiple documents may be uploaded to the "Resume/CV" section of the application.

Position Summary

The successful candidate for this position will work in the Annenberg School for Communication under the supervision of Presidential Professor Deen Freelon. A recent hire at Annenberg, Freelon is in the process of starting a new lab, and this postdoc will play a crucial role in helping him do so. The unifying idea of the new lab’s work is that many facets of group identity—including race, gender, sexuality, religion, nationality, and others—have historically been neglected as potential factors in co-determining communication patterns and outcomes. Quantification of such characteristics must be done carefully to maximize construct validity and minimize harm and exclusion. (The term “group identity” is used broadly and without reference to any particular theoretical tradition.) Applicants with strong interests in these and related issues are encouraged to apply, as are those with experience analyzing under-studied media types including podcasts, images, and video. 

Roughly half this individual’s time will be spent working on Freelon’s projects, while the other half will be devoted to projects initiated independently and with other research groups. The position is designed to allow a highly motivated researcher to build a strong CV under the mentorship of a longtime innovator in political communication and computational social science. Extension of the position to a second year (if desired) will depend on effective performance in the first. 

 Desired qualifications:

• Ph.D. in communication or related field demonstrating expertise in the following areas:
  • Communication across or relating to lines of group identity (e.g. race/ethnicity, gender, sexuality, ideology, religion, nationality, etc.)
  • Computational methods
  • AI as a social science method
  • Development of open-source software tools for research
  • Experience analyzing non-textual media types quantitatively, including video, images, and audio 
  • Political communication
• Experience leading self-directed research and collaborating with a team under the supervision of a PI
• Experience with Python, R, and/or other relevant programming languages
• A strong publication record
• Experience presenting data in compelling and accessible ways
• Interest in establishing professional connections with theoretically and methodologically diverse collaborators 

First-year postdoctoral researchers will receive a minimum stipend of $66,300 commensurate with prior postdoctoral experience and serve in a 12-month appointment to start October 15, 2024. Postdoctoral fellows will receive a taxable relocation allowance of up to $1,000 for domestic relocations and up to $2,000 for international relocations as well as $3,000 in travel/research expenses. Postdocs and their dependents are eligible for health insurance under the University of Pennsylvania’s plans outlined here.

All postdoctoral fellows must submit documentation to demonstrate eligibility to work in the United States. Non-US citizens selected for this position will be required to apply for an appropriate US visa. It is expected that the fellow will be present on campus in Philadelphia, where they will receive a workspace

Submitting Your Application

Eligibility:

You must have a Ph.D. or receive your Ph.D. by September 30, 2024.

Cover Page:

Include your name and contact information, dissertation supervisor name and contact information, defense date (if degree not awarded), and a brief statement of interest (500 words or fewer) explaining 1) your qualifications and interest in the position, as well as 2) details about specific self-directed research projects you would pursue if selected.

CV:

List degrees, peer-reviewed publications, academic non-peer-reviewed publications, public scholarship, invited talks, conference papers, other relevant qualifications, specific research, language, and technical skills.

Up to two publications (not to exceed 50 pages in total) 

Timeline:

All materials should be sent as a single PDF document in the order listed above to dfreelon@upenn.edu by August 15, 2024. Please use the subject line “Group identity postdoc.” Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled.

Additional Information:

If you have additional questions, please email dfreelon@upenn.edu. 

The University of Pennsylvania is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment and will not be discriminated against on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, creed, national or ethnic origin, citizenship status, age, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.