Academic Staff

Senior research scholar or academic staff researcher on Cybersecurity and the Future of the Internet

This is a three-year, fixed-term position.

Stanford University’s Center for International Security and Cooperation (CISAC), part of the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies (FSI), is one of the nation’s leading research and teaching centers devoted to addressing the world’s most pressing international security and cooperation problems. For more than three decades, CISAC has contributed pioneering scholarship to the field of international security and cooperation, trained and taught future leaders from the undergraduate through the post-graduate level, and informed and influenced the formulation of international security policy.

Building on its work in areas such as arms control and nuclear security, counterterrorism, migration, and related fields, CISAC is launching a new effort on cybersecurity and the future of the Internet. The Center is seeking a unique individual, ideally with a mix of scholarly and practical experience, who will serve as a leader for this initiative, develop a scholarly agenda, and provide programmatic leadership for CISAC’s various activities on cybersecurity and the future of the Internet.

Job functions

The senior research scholar or research associate will:

• In collaboration with faculty, develop a scholarly agenda to guide CISAC’s work in cybersecurity and the future of the Internet, identifying areas for research, programmatic activity, and policy outreach;

• Conduct his/her own research in the field, publishing scholarly work in peer-reviewed journals and placing policy-oriented work in general interest publications, with the aim of contributing to and shaping scholarly knowledge and public dialogue;

• Develop a set of programs, which are likely to include scholarly seminars, workshops, conferences and other activities, to advance academic work in cybersecurity, build relationships among leaders from different sectors, contribute to the formulation of policy, and contribute the improvement of business practices related to cybersecurity;

• In consultation with CISAC’s co-directors, provide leadership and support for CISAC’s campus-wide efforts to convene faculty and researchers on cybersecurity issues, identifying faculty, students, and others working in the field, drawing them together around issues of common interest, developing activities (perhaps a reading group or working group) and cultivating an enduring, Stanford-based, academic community;

• Develop a network of cybersecurity experts from many fields, including academia, government, civil society organizations, and the private sector, to participate in and contribute to the CISAC-based cyber initiative;

• In collaboration with faculty and FSI development staff, develop fundraising goals, articulating the financial needs of the cybersecurity program, identifying prospective donors, and drafting documents to support interaction with those donors;

• Manage the annual recruitment of pre-doctoral and/or post-doctoral CISAC fellows in cybersecurity and participate in the competitive selection process;

• On occasion and by invitation, deliver guest lectures in Stanford courses, and

• Participate fully in the intellectual life of CISAC as a full member of the Center’s community, enhancing other academic work by collaborating with colleagues in other fields and welcoming their collaboration on cybersecurity matters.

Qualifications
• The intellectual drive to develop and conduct a rigorous program of research in cybersecurity and the ability to understand how that agenda can be aligned with university-wide research, teaching, and programmatic activities on cybersecurity and the future of the Internet.

• A deep appreciation of the mix of complex problems in the area of cybersecurity, encompassing issues such as threats to domestic and cross-border critical infrastructure, choices about the evolving architecture of the Internet, and trade-offs involving privacy and identity management.

• An existing professional network of cybersecurity contacts in some or all of the following sectors: academia, government, business, international organizations, and NGOs, and the capacity to augment that network.

• The ability to collaborate with faculty, students, and staff from across Stanford, and the diplomacy, determination, and persuasive power to involve them in a first-ever undertaking.

• A deep appreciation for and knowledge of the international security and cooperation dimensions of cybersecurity issues.

• The vision, creativity, energy, and drive to create and lead a new initiative, and the knowledge and ability to address intellectual problems that implicate law, policy, and social behavior, as well as technical and scientific knowledge.

• The ability to independently design, plan and implement workshops, seminars or other events.

• A PhD in a relevant field or a JD.

• A history of publication in academic journals is preferred.

• CISAC will consider applications from candidates interested in full-time and may consider candidates for alternative models pertaining to FTE, hours and location.

Stanford University is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to increasing the diversity of its faculty and academic staff. It welcomes nominations of and applications from women and members of minority groups, as well as others who bring additional dimensions to the University’s research, teaching and clinical missions.