The GenderSci Lab is recruiting a Postdoctoral Fellow!
Note: this search has concluded and is now closed. Thank you for your interest!
The Harvard GenderSci Lab invites applications for a 2-year Postdoctoral Fellow. The postdoc will work closely with PI Sarah Richardson on a National Science Foundation-funded project to test, extend, and deepen sex contextualist (Richardson 2022) frameworks for understanding how sex-related variables are operationalized in laboratory-based research. The ideal candidate is a philosopher of biology, a life scientist or biomedical researcher with philosophy or science and technology studies (STS) training, or a sociologist of science proficient in lab ethnography. Candidates should be able to productively engage with biomedical research practices from a feminist theoretical perspective. Facility with data analysis is desired, but not required. PhD must be completed before the start of the postdoctoral fellowship (ideally by August 2024; start date is negotiable).
Photo by National Cancer Institute on Unsplash
About the project
This research project investigates the conceptual foundations of research paradigms for the study of sex in basic and preclinical biological research. The project will use a case study approach to analyze research programs across the fields of drug metabolism, endocrinology, and genetics, and examine diverse models from gene expression assays to in vitro organ cultures and animal models. Specifically, the project will analyze uses and meanings of the variable of sex within the design, analysis, interpretation, and communication of laboratory-based scientific research. Through in-depth case studies, interviews, statistical reanalysis of sex difference claims, and conceptual analysis, this project will study diverse practices in laboratory research on sex-related variables across a range of fields and contribute to understandings of sex as a research construct embedded in specific research contexts and practices.
Roles and responsibilities
The Postdoctoral Fellow will work closely with the PI to develop conceptually rich analyses of case studies of preclinical biomedical research on sex-related variables, help lead site-based interviews with practicing scientists, and communicate about research in a range of academic and public mediums. Candidates from across disciplines are encouraged to apply. The GenderSci Lab celebrates the multiple dimensions of diversity that each member of our community offers, including diversity of background, perspective, and lived experience. We strongly welcome applications from persons from underrepresented groups.
The GenderSci Lab is a hub for training scholars in radically collaborative and a-disciplinary research that cuts across field boundaries. The Postdoc can expect to receive mentorship, opportunities for lead authorship and shared publication in Lab research, support for their independent research program, and a home in a collaboratively productive, equity-focused space with articulated feminist values.
Required
Clear, analytic writing style.
Commitment to the highest standards of rigor and integrity in scholarship and professionalism in the workplace.
Ability to process large amounts of reading material, evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of sources, justify research methods, be resourceful, keep reliable and detailed notes, and share and receive feedback in a fruitful and respectful manner.
Excellent time management and project management skills.
Training or publication record in philosophy of biology, life sciences/biomedicine, STS (science and technology studies), sociology of science, gender and sexuality studies, or related disciplines and subfields.
Commitment to the values and mission of the Harvard GenderSci Lab.
PhD completed before the start of the postdoctoral fellowship (ideally by August 2024; start date is negotiable).
Application materials
Applicants should submit a CV, cover letter, a sample of single-authored written work (maximum 10,000 words), and the names and contact information of three references. Letters of reference will only be requested for short-listed candidates.
Deadline
Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Initial review will begin March 18, 2024
Salary is competitive and comes with full benefits, including health insurance. See full list of benefits in this chart under “employee postdocs” column.
Questions? Reach out to genderscilab@gmail.com and CC kelseyichikawa@g.harvard.edu.
About the Harvard GenderSci Lab: The GenderSci Lab is a platform for innovation and collaboration in the study of gender/sex in biology. The lab brings together diverse gender scholars and biomedical scientists to build and validate new theories and methods for the intersectional study of gender/sex. Specifically, the GenderSci Lab works to forge concepts and methods to counter bias and hype in sex difference research; elevate the importance of context, contingency, and variation in the study of gender and sex in biology; identify novel methods of operationalizing gender and sex variables in intersectional biomedical research; and engage the implications of biological claims about gender and sexual diversity for law and public policy.