[bioundgrd] Call for SERC Scholars- APPLICATIONS DUE NEXT WEEK

Tue Sep 9 09:56:34 EDT 2025

FYI.

From: Cory Harris <charri89 at mit.edu>
Date: Tuesday, September 9, 2025 at 9:15 AM
To:
Subject: Call for SERC Scholars- APPLICATIONS DUE NEXT WEEK

*** Please help distribute this call*** Applications will close next Tuesday, September 16, 11:59pm, so apply now!

The applications<https://forms.gle/xDRKUZBEvHMaRcbY9> for the AY25-26 SERC Scholar Cohort are now open!

Here is a link to a video with testimonials from some of last year’s SERC Scholars!<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSZLrdgAey0>

Shape the future of technology while addressing society's most pressing challenges. The SERC (Social and Ethical Responsibilities in Computing)<https://computing.mit.edu/cross-cutting/social-and-ethical-responsibilities-of-computing/serc-scholars-program/> at the Schwarzman College of Computing, is an interdisciplinary program brings together researchers tackling critical questions: How can AI systems serve environmental sustainability? What accountability frameworks protect vulnerable communities from algorithmic harm? How do we align artificial intelligence with diverse human values and build prosocial machines that strengthen democratic institutions?

From examining automation's impact on meaningful work to designing risk-averse AI systems, our scholars explore computing not as a purely technical discipline, but as a social endeavor that shapes power structures, human relationships, and possibilities for justice.

Ready to ensure technology serves human flourishing? As a SERC Scholar, you’ll have the opportunity to be at the forefront of technology’s evolution. Join a community<https://computing.mit.edu/cross-cutting/social-and-ethical-responsibilities-of-computing/serc-scholars-program/> of undergraduates, graduate students, Ph.D. candidates, and faculty that are committed to extending computing's responsibility beyond functionality to encompass broader impacts on society's most vulnerable members and future generations.

Apply now<https://forms.gle/xDRKUZBEvHMaRcbY9> to become part of the next generation of ethically minded technologists.

What do SERC Scholars<https://computing.mit.edu/cross-cutting/social-and-ethical-responsibilities-of-computing/serc-scholars-program/> do?

  *   Collaborate in multidisciplinary teams with members from across computing, data sciences, humanities, arts, and social sciences, led by a SERC postdoc.
  *   Develop and pilot new SERC course materials in collaboration with postdocs and faculty.
  *   Engage with external partners to advance AI in the public interest.
  *   Conduct research in a new, exciting cross-disciplinary area.

Who is eligible to apply?

This is a full year commitment with the possibility of a summer extension. This opportunity is open to currently enrolled MIT students across the wider MIT community who are excited to advance our broad mission to incorporate humanities, social science, social responsibility, and policy/civic perspectives into MIT’s teaching, research, and implementation of computing. Being a SERC Scholar is an hourly paid position with selective and limited yearly enrollment.

What additional activities will SERC Scholars participate in?

  *   Regular lunches and talks with the SERC Scholars community.
  *   Meet-and-greets with pioneering leaders from academia, industry, and the public sectors.
  *   Other SERC related activities

Projects<https://computing.mit.edu/serc-projects/>

SERC Scholars will have the opportunity to work on 1 of 11 projects<https://computing.mit.edu/?page_id=10382>, the 2025-26 projects<https://computing.mit.edu/serc-projects/> include:

  *   Synergy
  *   AI and the Environment
  *   The Age of AI and Platforms
  *   Design, Technology, Grace
  *   AI for Democracy
  *   Philosophy and the Future of Work
  *   Building Prosocial Machines
  *   The Computational Roots of Human Suffering
  *   Chatbot Friends
  *   Training Risk-Averse AIs
  *   Aligning AI with Human What?

For more detailed information on these projects, as well as the bios<https://computing.mit.edu/cross-cutting/social-and-ethical-responsibilities-of-computing/serc-postdocs/> of the post docs who will be leading the groups, please see our website here.<https://computing.mit.edu/serc-projects/>

Each project will meet weekly<https://computing.mit.edu/serc-projects/> for approximately one hour. SERC Scholars are required to attend these meetings.

Apply to be a SERC Scholar<https://forms.gle/6h9dtM98H47EbvUJ8>

This is a full year commitment
Undergraduates

  *   This is an hourly paid position for 4–6 hours per week for the 2025–2026 academic year.
  *   Compensation is $16.00 per hour.
Graduate students and Ph.D. candidates

  *   This an hourly paid position for 4–6 hours per week for the 2025–2026 academic year.

  *   Compensation is $25 per hour.

How to apply

  *   Fill out the SERC Scholar application<https://forms.gle/6h9dtM98H47EbvUJ8> and upload your resume and cover letter, which should be combined into one document.
  *   Provide a resume that includes relevant coursework and experience.
  *   Provide a cover letter that includes:

     *   Why you’re interested in this experience.
     *   What you hope you can gain.
     *   What you hope to contribute.
     *   Which activities and opportunities you’re most interested in engaging with.

  *   Rank project<https://computing.mit.edu/serc-projects/> participation preference and explain in 100 words or less why you want to work in your preferred project(s).

Applications close on September 16, 2025, at 11:59pm

For more detailed information, visit the SERC Scholar’s Program site here.<https://computing.mit.edu/cross-cutting/social-and-ethical-responsibilities-of-computing/serc-scholars-program/>

APPLY NOW<https://forms.gle/6h9dtM98H47EbvUJ8>

[cid:image001.jpg at 01DC0C8E.8636CD20]

Best,
Cory
Cory Harris
Program Manager
Social & Ethical Responsibilities of Computing<https://computing.mit.edu/cross-cutting/social-and-ethical-responsibilities-of-computing/>
Schwarzman College of Computing
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Phone: 617-253-8120
Pronouns: he, him, his<https://lbgtq.mit.edu/resources/understanding-pronouns-and-using-pronoun-stickers>
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