Social Science Research Council 2022 Just Tech Fellowship

The Just Tech Fellowship supports and mobilizes diverse and cross-sector cohorts of researchers and practitioners to imagine and create more just, equitable, and representative technological futures. Fellows will identify and challenge injustices emerging from new technologies, and identify solutions that advance social, political, and economic rights.

The Just Tech program will administer two-year awards of $100,000 per year, augmented by robust supplementary funding packages to subsidize expenses related to dependent care, health care, workspace, technical equipment, project materials, communications, or other needs. These innovative awards are designed not only to support a researcher’s work but to invest in their entire person and to build a supportive and collaborative community. Fellows may apply for additional funding to seed collaborative projects within or across Just Tech cohorts.

• Table of Content
• About Social Science Research Council (SSRC )
• Just Tech Fellowship
• Aim and Benefits of Just Tech Fellowship
• Requirements for Just Tech Fellowship Qualification
• Interview date, Process and Venue for Just Tech Fellowship
• Documents Required for Application
• Application Deadline
• How to Apply

About Social Science Research Council (SSRC )

The Social Science Research Council (SSRC) is an independent, international, nonprofit organization founded in 1923. It fosters innovative research, nurtures new generations of social scientists, deepens how inquiry is practiced within and across disciplines, and mobilizes necessary knowledge on important public issues. In 1923, visionary members of the American Economic Association, the American Sociological Association, the American Political Science Association, and the American Statistical Association came together to found the Social Science Research Council, a groundbreaking organizat... continue reading

Just Tech Fellowship

Aim and Benefits of Just Tech Fellowship

Fellows receive two-year awards of $100,000 per year, robust supplementary funding packages to subsidize additional expenses, and seed funding to work on collaborative projects with other Just Tech Fellows. The fellowship will provide the space and time necessary for deep reflection, as well as an engaged community and opportunities to facilitate ambitious co-creation.

Requirements for Just Tech Fellowship Qualification

The Just Tech Fellowship selection process has been designed with fairness and accountability as primary objectives. With this fellowship, the Just Tech program is working to bring new voices and perspectives into conversation, maximizing impact and avenues of collaboration across fields and practices.

Only people who submitted an expression of interest by January 2, 2022, will be eligible to submit a full application. Proposal consideration will not be based on the candidate’s response to this expression of interest.

Applications are reviewed only after the online application deadline has passed. Incomplete applications, and those that have not been submitted by the deadline, will not be accepted.

In February, Just Tech staff will screen applications for completeness and eligibility. Review and selection of complete applications will be led by the Just Tech Advisory Board and its Selection Committee, a cross-sector panel of experts. From mid-March through mid-April, top applicants may be contacted by Just Tech staff for a video/telephone interview, additional information, and/or clarification of information relevant to the application. All final selections will be made by mid-May. Those applicants chosen will be immediately notified by phone and email. All other applicants will be notified by email. 

Interview date, Process and Venue for Just Tech Fellowship

Fellows will be selected on the basis of a rigorous review process. We will be looking for the following criteria in reviewing all applications:

• Critical Research Question: Applicants must state clearly what question(s) they seek to answer with a Just Tech Fellowship.
• Clarity of Purpose: Applicants should communicate how they would use their time as a fellow to systematically uncover evidence, build understanding, and shape public interest solutions to advance the goals of Just Tech. 
• Commitment to Program Themes: Applicants should demonstrate a commitment to research that engages purposefully with questions of technology, inequity, and social justice, especially as they relate to the cohort theme of “Crisis and Reparation.”
• Public Impact: Applicants should communicate how their proposed work will contribute to equity and social justice. Applicants should also demonstrate a track record of successful, public-facing work that engages broad audiences through different forms of media.
• Collaboration: Applicants should demonstrate a track record of successful collaboration, as well as a willingness to share, learn, and create with others.

Documents Required for Application

Full Application Materials (due January 30, 2022, at 11:59 p.m. EST)

• Resume/CV: Up to three pages (saved as a PDF file). The application portal will also allow applicants to submit a link to personal web pages.
• Personal Statement: Applicants should submit a written or recorded (video) personal statement of up to 500 words (written) OR four (4) minutes (video).
• Work Proposal: Applicants should submit a short proposal for a project focused on the intersection of technology and social justice. 
• Samples of Work: Applicants are encouraged (but not required) to share up to two (2) samples of relevant work. Visual and audio samples may be linked or uploaded via the application portal.

Application Deadline

How to Apply

To complete the online application, you will need to provide the following information and documentation:

Expression of Interest (due January 2, 2022, at 11:59 p.m. EST)

Sign up for a public information session on December 1, 3:00 p.m. ET or December 9, 10:00 a.m. ET to learn more.

• Contact Information: Full name and email address
• Critical Question: What is the central question you would want to pursue with a Just Tech Fellowship? (300 characters max)
• Work Statement: In two to three sentences, please describe your work. How does your work focus on the intersection of technology and social justice? (450 characters max)

For more details, visit SSRC website.