Postdoctoral Fellow, Center for Media Innovation & Social Impact, The Center for Media Innovation & Social Impact (MISI), College of Communication

The Center for Media Innovation & Social Impact (MISI) at Boston University invites applications for a one-year Postdoctoral Fellowship with the possibility of renewal for a second year.

Working with Professors Eric Gordon and Chris Wells the fellow will play a central role in a multi-year study of public trust across New England. The project examines how residents of urban suburban and rural communities make sense of information in their daily lives from local news to institutional messaging and algorithmically curated feeds. We are investigating how trust forms erodes and gets repaired and how technologies institutions community relationships historical context and physical environments shape the information ecologies people rely on.

The successful candidate will contribute to a new study on local information ecosystems which will employ the following methods.

• Landscape mapping of community information ecosystems including local news presence civil society infrastructure institutional communication practices and technological access.
• Deep qualitative inquiry interviews focus groups ethnographic fieldwork and document / content analysis to understand how people assess credibility manage conflicting information and navigate moments of uncertainty.
• Comparative case studies across different types of communities (e.g. post-industrial towns coastal communities navigating climate risk suburban municipalities facing demographic change).
• Integration of qualitative findings with institutional and geographic data helping the team identify patterns that inform broader theoretical and practical insights.
• Co-creation of applied outputs with community partners briefs workshops narratives or prototype communication tools that feed back into local decision-making.

This study is designed not just to diagnose trust breakdowns but to surface actionable community-grounded strategies that institutions and media actors can implement.

Responsibilities

The fellow will spend at least 75% of their time on research activities including :

The remaining 25% of the role includes :

Appointment Details

Start date : Summer or Fall 2026 (flexible)

Duration : One year with possibility of renewal

Location : Boston University Charles River Campus

Salary : Competitive with full benefits

Required Skills

We are seeking applicants with strong expertise in political communication with a focus on the communication processes that shape contemporary civic life in the United States. Relevant domains include interactions with public institutions local news ecosystems online networks civic technologies and social movements.

Candidates with substantive knowledge in areas such as institutional trust misinformation community information needs civic engagement or digital communication ecologies are especially encouraged to apply. The ideal candidate will be comfortable conducting applied research and collaborating directly with community partners news organizations and civic institutions.

TO APPLY : Application Process

Submit :

Send inquiries to Eric Gordon ( ). Review of applications will begin January 15 2026 and continue until the position is filled.

We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race color natural or protective hairstyle religion sex age national origin physical or mental disability sexual orientation gender identity genetic information military service pregnancy or pregnancy-related condition or because of marital parental or veteran status. We are a VEVRAA Federal Contractor.

Key Skills

Business Consulting,Anti Money Laundering,Health,Gynaecology & Obstetrics,Actuary

Employment Type : Full-Time

Experience : years

Vacancy : 1