IRiSS Predoctoral Researcher

This position has been deemed critical by the School of Humanities and Sciences Dean’s Office and is exempt from the hiring freeze.

This is an on-site position, based on the Stanford campus.

The expected pay for this position is $32.45 per hour.

The School of Humanities and Sciences is the foundation of a liberal arts education  school encompasses 24 departments and 25 interdisciplinary programs. H&S is home to fundamental and applied research, where free, open, and critical inquiry is pursued across disciplines. As the university’s largest school, H&S serves as the foundation of a Stanford undergraduate education no matter which discipline students pursue as a major.

Graduate students work alongside world-renowned faculty to pursue and shape foundational research that leads to breakthroughs and discoveries that shed new light on the past, influence the present, and shape the future. Together, faculty and students in H&S engage in inspirational teaching, learning, and research every day.

Expanding access to novel data sources, the development of powerful computing tools, and innovation in quantitative and qualitative research methods are opening a new frontier for social scientists to explore bold, inventive research questions. In this era of burgeoning social-science research, the Stanford Institute for Research in the Social Sciences (IRiSS) facilitates first-rate interdisciplinary collaborations, trains the next generation of scholars, and incubates medium- to long-term research projects to address critical social challenges.

IRiSS ensures that world-class, evidence-based research is produced to meet evolving problems in areas of governance and democracy, economic inequality, immigration policy, and other social issues that affect communities across the globe.

The Predoctoral Researchers Program at the Stanford Institute for Research in the Social Sciences (IRiSS) aims to expand research capacity in the social sciences, and strengthen the pool of scholars, while providing opportunities through mentorship of new research scholars.

The IRiSS Predoctoral Researchers Program provides early-career scholars an opportunity to work directly with a faculty mentor to contribute to cutting-edge social science research. During your predoctoral research, you will develop research skills, explore academic research careers, and network with a multidisciplinary community of scholars. The goal of the program is to enhance your capacity to succeed in careers in academia and social science research.

Successful outcomes for Predoctoral Researchers include continuing to competitive graduate programs in the social sciences or impactful careers involving social science skills.

IRiSS offers a welcoming and inclusive environment for scholars from diverse backgrounds.

The Stanford Institute for Research in the Social Sciences (IRiSS) is seeking Predoctoral Researchers to participate in our  cohort. The Predoctoral Researchers will work under general supervision of individual faculty in one of the following social science departments: communication, economics, political science, psychology, or sociology. The complete list of faculty mentors and Predoctoral Researcher projects for 2026-27 can be found on the program’s website.

Predoctoral Researchers are in a staff category allowing them to enroll in one course per year for credit.

This is an 100% FTE 1-year fixed-term non-exempt position, with the possibility of renewal for a second year. The extension is based on renewed funding of the program and individual circumstances of each faculty project.
The start date is September 14, 2026
. This position will be based on the Stanford campus.

The pre-doc will be part of Economics for Sustainability and Energy Transition (eSET) lab at Stanford, working with Shanjun Li, Valerie Karplus (CMU), and other researchers on topics related to industrial decarbonization pathways, carbon accounting, renewable energy development, and transportation electrification.

Applicants should hold a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in economics, environmental engineering or a related field by the time of hire. Research experience with supply chain, carbon markets, and econometric analysis using large data sets would be highly valuable. The pre-doc is expected to support eSET lab programs, and participate in activities at both the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability and the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies.