Opportunities

Call for Applications: Post-Doctoral Fellow in Medicine, Artificial Intelligence, and the Law

Deadline: February 1, 2025

Overview

The Petrie-Flom Center for Health Law Policy, Biotechnology, and Bioethics at Harvard Law School is hiring a full-time post-doctoral fellow to support its Project on Medicine, Artificial Intelligence and the Law (PMAIL) and its established research collaboration with the International Collaborative Bioscience Innovation & Law Programme (Inter-CeBIL).

This initiative was launched in 2018 with the Centre for Advanced Studies in Bioscience Innovation Law (CeBIL) at the University of Copenhagen. This post-doctoral position is for 2 years, potentially renewable for a third year.

This project will produce scholarship at the intersection of AI, law, health care and ethics. It will include work on regulation, privacy and data protection, liability, and ethical issues relating to patient care.

Duties & Responsibilities

The Research Fellow will bear primary responsibility for the day-to-day work undertaken for this project. Key tasks will include conducting law, policy, and bioethics research; initial drafting of reports and recommendations; collaborating with other Petrie-Flom projects and initiatives; collaborating with Inter-CeBIL colleagues, and other duties as assigned.

The Research Fellow will report to the Petrie-Flom Center’s Executive Director and interact closely with the Center’s Faculty Director. It is essential that the Research Fellow be able to work both independently and collaboratively, with frequent team meetings and weekly project status reports.

Responsibilities of the Research Fellow will include:

  • Reviewing biomedical literature to obtain and maintain an understanding of innovation in each area of focus
  • Investigating the legal and regulatory landscape currently governing areas of focus
  • Analyzing the ethical considerations for new health care innovations
  • Assessing and evaluating solutions to the challenges raised by innovative technologies
  • Developing manuscripts for co-authored publication
  • Collaborating with other academic research institutions
  • Drafting slides and presentation materials
  • Organizing panels, workshops, and other convenings to obtain expert input
  • Disseminating results of convenings through written materials
  • Identifying potential new research areas
  • Writing reports and potentially grant proposals to funder(s)
  • Maintaining up-to-date web text regarding program work and projects

Deliverables will include academic papers in high-profile law, health policy, and medical journals, white papers and best practices documents, events designed for interdisciplinary dialog and debate, and digital symposia intended to highlight different voices and perspectives. The Research Fellow is also expected to blog periodically at Bill of Health, the Petrie-Flom Center’s blog.

The Research Fellow will contribute to the work of International Collaborative Bioscience Innovation & Law Programme (Inter-CeBIL) and stay connected to our colleagues there. Possible joint projects include co-organizing an event conference or workshop, connecting Inter-CeBIL researchers to scholars and biomedical innovators in the Harvard/Cambridge/Boston community, and helping showcase Inter-CeBIL research on our blog, Bill of Health. The Research Fellow may travel to conferences and meetings, including potential stays with colleagues in Copenhagen and elsewhere.

Previous Petrie-Flom Center post-doctoral fellows have used their positions as successful launching pads for tenure-track legal, health policy, and bioethics academic careers. Past fellows have published in leading journals such as JAMA, Science, and the Journal of Law and the Biosciences, provided expertise and commentary to major media outlets, and have been invited to present testimony to regulators and technical assistance to policymakers.

Basic Qualifications

Doctoral-level degree in law, ethics, public health, social science, or other relevant discipline (J.D., Ph.D., M.D., etc.) required. Legal training is preferred.

Additional Qualifications

  • Familiarity with and interest in the issues of AI and health care and legal and regulatory issues in health technology
  • Experience conducting law and policy research, and drafting reports
  • Strong research and writing skills, including proficiency with Westlaw, Lexis, PubMed, and other research tools
  • Ability to independently identify and complete tasks with minimal direction and oversight
  • Ability to liaise effectively with a variety of domestic and international stakeholders and collaborators
  • Ability to complete tasks in a timely fashion
  • Qualitative research skills and experience with grants/contracts are a plus

Additional Information

This is a term appointment, ideally to start mid-2025. The position is currently funded for two years, with the possibility of extending to a third year subject to funding and performance.

Salary range is $60K-$75K. This position is eligible for Harvard University benefits.

This position is based primarily on campus, with the opportunity for remote work based on business needs and manager approval.

How to Apply

To apply to the Research Fellow position, please submit the following materials by February 1, 2025:

  1. Curriculum vitae;
  2. Cover letter stating your background and interest in the “Project on Medicine, AI, and the Law Inter-CeBIL Research Fellowship”;
  3. Two writing samples including at least one on the Fellowship topic.

Materials should be submitted to petrie-flom@law.harvard.edu.

Please direct any questions to petrie-flom@law.harvard.edu.

This research is supported by a Novo Nordisk Foundation-grant for a Collaborative Research Programme (grant agreement numbers NNF17SA0027784 and NNF23SA0087056).