Important Info
To be ensured of full consideration, please send your complete application by February 8, 2027 (11:59 PM PST) in a single PDF to womensleadership@stanford.edu with the subject line: “Postdoc_Correll”.
Postdoctoral Research Scholar
The Stanford VMware Women’s Leadership Innovation Lab generates foundational research to advance women's leadership by diagnosing barriers, developing and evaluating interventions to get beyond barriers, and disseminating research-based solutions by bridging the gap between research and practice. Central to the Lab’s mission is supporting the next generation of gender scholars and change agents, which we accomplish through our programming, resources, and partnerships. The Lab’s two-year Postdoctoral Research Scholars Program trains early career scholars in solutions-oriented research that creates positive social impact both within and beyond academia while advancing their careers and leadership development. The Stanford VMware Women's Leadership Innovation Lab is now accepting applications for our 2027-2029 Postdoctoral Research Scholar position, to begin in September 2027.
The Stanford VMware Women’s Leadership Innovation Lab is seeking a diverse pool of applicants who have expertise on gender and race in organizations, wish to join a dynamic, collaborative research community, and are interested in developing skills needed to advance solutions to social problems through scholarly research and communicate findings to diverse audiences, including non-academic stakeholders. We particularly encourage applications from women, minoritized, and first-generation students, as well as candidates from a broad diversity of PhD-granting institutions. Stanford Ph.D.s are not eligible to apply for this position.
The Lab’s Postdoctoral Research Scholar Program provides time for scholars to pursue their own research agenda while also collaborating with Lab-affiliated researchers on innovative projects using Lab data. Postdoctoral Research Scholars are fully integrated into the Lab community, participating in Lab meetings and workshops alongside Lab researchers and staff. Other opportunities for engagement may include: mentoring graduate and undergraduate students, developing research translation pieces for public audiences, and collaborating on peer-reviewed publications.
Mentorship Structure & Training
The Postdoctoral Research Scholar will be supervised by Professor Shelley Correll, Lab Faculty Director and Professor of Sociology, and (by courtesy) of Organizational Behavior. The mentorship structure is tailored to individual research interests and professional goals, ensuring comprehensive support for career advancement.
The Stanford VMware Women's Leadership Innovation Lab partners with the Stanford Impact Labs to train scholars in developing research for social impact, and the Lab Postdoctoral Research Scholar participates in the Stanford Impact Labs’ Emerging Scholars Fellowship training program, providing additional professional development and research training opportunities alongside scholars from across disciplines.
- Has completed all doctoral requirements within the past three years and no later than September 1, 2027
- Has a doctoral degree in sociology and intends to pursue a career in academia in a sociology department, business school, public policy program, or other relevant department/school
- Has research expertise at the intersection of gender and race in organizations (broadly defined, from school to the workplace)
- Demonstrates excellent written and verbal communication skills and use of rigorous, innovative quantitative and/or qualitative methods of analysis
- Is committed to advancing solutions to social problems through scholarly research, and interested in communicating research findings to academic and non-academic audiences
- Wishes to grow collaborative research skills
Candidates will be evaluated according to their
- Scientific record and potential
- Commitment to pursuing scholarship that can impact public policy or social outcomes
- Potential contribution to Lab’s research community
- Potential contribution to the Stanford Impact Labs Emerging Scholars Fellowship training program and the educational activities, goals, and community of Stanford Impact Labs.
- Potential for scholarly careers that will contribute to research on how to address historical inequities
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Completed downloaded Application Form Cover Page
- Letter of interest explaining your motivation to become a Postdoctoral Research Scholar at the Stanford VMware Women’s Leadership Innovation Lab (500 words max).
- Short responses to the following three prompts, in 300 words or less for each:
- Please provide a short description of your dissertation research and broader research agenda.
- How does your research training and expertise prepare you to make progress towards understanding and identifying practical solutions to social problems?
- The Stanford VMware Women's Leadership Innovation Lab is committed to creating inclusive research spaces that focus on diverse perspectives. What lived experiences, demonstrated values, perspectives, and/or activities have shaped you as a scholar and would help you to make a distinctive contribution to the Lab’s research community?
- CV: Provide a curriculum vitae of no more than 5 pages.
- One representative writing sample.