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The Alec Glasser Center for the Power of Music and Social Change invites applications for a two-year Postdoctoral Research Fellowship as part of the project "Leveraging Music and Cultural Infrastructure for Peacebuilding, Community Resilience, and Social Justice in Low-Resource and Conflict-Affected Settings."

Based in the School of Social Ecology at UC Irvine, the Center investigates how music and artistic production foster social cohesion, environmental resilience, and community-led development in conflict-affected and under-resourced settings. Drawing on social ecology, peacebuilding, urban planning, and digital humanities, the Center's mission is to demonstrate how cultural production catalyzes lasting social change at the intersection of climate vulnerability, institutional fragility, and civic exclusion.
About the Project
Led by Executive Director Richard A. Matthew, PhD, Professor, School of Social Ecology, the project engages research sites in Nigeria, Uganda, Malawi, and beyond, partnering with NGOs, refugee-led organizations, and grassroots communities. The Fellow will be embedded in the Center's research team in close collaboration with Professor Matthew. The project focuses on:
• How music sustains cohesion and peacebuilding in authoritarian contexts where civic space is restricted and institutional trust is fragile.
• How cultural production bridges divides in contexts of inter-community conflict where formal approaches fall short.
• How music-based programming supports localization, empowering refugees, youth, and women to lead their own healing and advocacy.
• How spatial information technologies — GIS mapping, participatory data collection, community platforms — advance environmental justice and climate resilience.
Two flagship initiatives anchor the work: a spatial technologies training program for refugees in Uganda with the Playing for Change Foundation and SINAL; and the Chicoco Media Shed 2.0 in Port Harcourt, Nigeria — a solar-powered community music and service hub.

The Work Will Include
• Collecting and organizing data across communities of practice at research sites
• Co-authoring publications with Professor Richard A. Matthew, PhD
• Designing and conducting qualitative and mixed-methods research (PAR frameworks)
• Leading GIS mapping, data analysis, visualization, and digital infrastructure development
• Producing publications, reports, and public-facing materials
• Assisting with grant writing and donor reporting
• Supporting integration of research into urban and environmental planning courses
• Participating in Center programming, workshops, and public engagement

Basic Qualifications
• Doctoral degree in planning, applied geography, social ecology, digital humanities, data science, or related field

Preferred Qualifications
• Fieldwork experience in low-resource or conflict-affected settings (Nigeria, Uganda, Malawi preferred)
• Expertise in qualitative methods and tools (NVivo, QualCoder, Dedoose)
• Proficiency with ArcGIS/QGIS and spatial analysis
• Skills in Python, R, or Stata; database tools (Airtable, Tableau)
• Experience with web platforms, digital humanities, or graphic design
• Evidence of peer-reviewed publication potential
• Commitment to community-engaged, equity-focused research
• Experience mentoring undergraduate and graduate students
• Additional language proficiency relevant to research regions is an asset

The University of California, Irvine is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, protected veteran status, or other protected categories covered by the UC anti-discrimination policy.

As a condition of employment, the finalist will be required to disclose if they are subject to any final administrative or judicial decisions within the last seven years determining that they committed any misconduct.

• “Misconduct” means any violation of the policies or laws governing conduct at the applicant’s previous place of employment, including, but not limited to, violations of policies or laws prohibiting sexual harassment, sexual assault, or other forms of harassment or discrimination, as defined by the employer.
• UC Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment Policy
• UC Anti-Discrimination Policy for Employees, Students and Third Parties
• APM - 035: Affirmative Action and Nondiscrimination in Employment.
  

As a University employee, you will be required to comply with all applicable University policies and/or collective bargaining agreements, as may be amended from time to time. Federal, state, or local government directives may impose additional requirements.