"Postdoctoral Scholar - Voting Law/Data Analysis- Goldman School of Public Policy"

Position Overview

The UC Berkeley Goldman School of Public Policy seeks applications for a post-doctoral fellow in public policy, political science, economics, business, psychology, sociology, or related social research or analytic fields, at 100% time. The UC Berkeley Goldman School of Public Policy (GSPP) is partnering with the Brennan Center for Justice (BCJ) to compile and produce the Voting Laws Roundup. The Voting Laws Roundup is a nationally recognized database and quarterly publication that tracks legislation in every state legislature related to the right to vote.

The Voting Laws Roundup partnership will be affiliated with the Democracy Policy Lab, part of the new Democracy Policy Initiative at GSPP. The fellow will be working under the supervision of the Research Director on data collection, coding, and analysis of state voting legislation for the Voting Laws Roundup. This work includes developing computational tools (e.g., using large language models, machine learning for text analysis and classification, etc.) to assist in the collection, cleaning, and coding of legislation; working with the Brennan Center representatives in the development, writing, creation, and dissemination of the Voting Laws Roundup publication; and assisting GSPP Democracy Policy Lab affiliate scholars in using the Voting Laws Roundup database in academic research.

The position is a full-time mentored research opportunity, with expectations to collaborate with GSPP and BCJ faculty, faculty affiliates, and research staff on current and new research projects. Successful candidates will have a strong proven interest in applied research that helps to inform and support Voting Law and legislation analysis.

Qualifications

Basic qualifications (required at time of application): Enrolled in a PhD (or equivalent international degree) at the time of application.

Additional qualifications (required at time of start): PhD (or equivalent international degree) program in public policy, political science, economics, business, psychology, sociology, or related social research or analytic fields.

Preferred qualifications: Substantive knowledge of and interest in American politics and policy, especially with regard to voting rights, election administration, and democratic institutions. Experience and expertise in understanding and summarizing the substantive content of legislation, especially at the state level. Proficiency in managing databases in Excel and Google Sheets. Experience with data cleaning, management, and quantitative analysis using R. Experience in computational text analysis, using machine learning and/or large language models (e.g., ChatGPT) for tasks such as classification, topic modeling, or sentiment analysis. Strong written and verbal communication skills. Must be organized, dedicated, and attentive to detail.

Application Requirements

Document requirements: Curriculum Vitae - Your most recently updated C.V. Cover Letter. Statement of Research (Optional). Writing Sample (Optional).

Reference requirements: 3 required (contact information only).

Apply link: https://aprecruit.berkeley.edu/JPF04879

Salary and Other Details

Salary range: A reasonable estimate for this position is $66,737 to $80,034. Percent time: 100. Position duration: The initial appointment is for two years with the possibility of a third year. Application Window: Open date: July 21, 2025. Most recent review date: Monday, Aug 4, 2025 at 11:59pm (Pacific Time). Final date: Monday, Sep 15, 2025 at 11:59pm (Pacific Time).