Senior Research Fellow - Law, Biosecurity & Pandemic Preparedness

Summary

We are looking for a Senior Research Fellow with an excellent track record of publishing academic research commensurate with their career stage. In this role, you will lead our research efforts on Law, Biosecurity & Pandemic Preparedness. Over time, you will build and lead a team of researchers focused on your area of expertise. In doing so, you will help us establish “legal priorities research” as an academic field and help us build a global community of legal researchers dedicated to tackling some of the world’s most pressing problems. Your research will inform policymakers and litigators working on protecting the well-being of future generations and reducing catastrophic and existential risks.

We welcome applications from different levels of seniority (with at least a PhD in a relevant field or with equivalent qualifications, such as a JD or an LLM plus extensive research experience). This includes applicants at the postdoctoral, assistant professor, associate professor, or full professor level. To encourage and support affiliations with leading universities worldwide, we are willing to accommodate applicants who wish to keep their current university affiliation (e.g., with teaching buy-outs for professors). We also welcome applicants from outside of academia.

Applications for this position are closed.

About the role

In this role, your research will be inspired by the questions outlined in chapter 5 of our research agenda but you will have significant freedom to pursue new research avenues relevant to the protection of future generations and the mitigation of existential risks. You will also contribute to shaping future versions of the agenda. Near- to medium-term, we expect you to become the head of a research team within LPP (as Head of Biosecurity & Pandemic Preparedness Research). As such, you will be involved in hiring decisions and supervising junior researchers while spending most of your time on research.

We offer a highly interdisciplinary research environment with minimal bureaucratic hurdles. You will receive all the operational support you need to focus your energy on research, such as excellent editing and proofreading support. We collaborate closely with top universities worldwide, policy think tanks, and other research organizations. Your research will help inform the decisions of key stakeholders within LPP and elsewhere. Senior Research Fellows will report directly to Prof Christoph Winter, Director.

About you

You might be a great fit for this role if you:

Have an excellent publication track record (commensurate with your career stage): You have at least a PhD in a relevant field of expertise or equivalent qualifications, such as a JD or an LLP plus extensive research experience. You have produced excellent academic research relevant to Biosecurity & Pandemic Preparedness.
Are familiar with longtermism and its implications for Biosecurity & Pandemic Preparedness: We use the lens of longtermism to guide our research priorities.
Can work independently: You will have significant freedom to pursue your own research. You feel comfortable working independently on all aspects of the research pipeline, from defining your research agenda to submitting papers for publication in relevant academic venues.
Work well in teams: We try to foster a culture of feedback and collaboration within the team.
Communicate effectively: You can explain complex ideas in simple terms to a wide range of audiences, both orally and in writing.
Are committed: We have ambitious plans and are looking for someone to accompany us on this exciting journey for at least two years.
Are mission-driven: You are passionate about LPP's goals and care first and foremost about doing good.

If our culture resonates with you, and you think that you can add to it, we would love to hear from you.

About LPP

LPP began with a small group of students at Harvard Law School who were motivated to do the most good with their law careers. What started as an idea in 2018 turned into a global organization with affiliates at top law schools, a comprehensive academic research agenda, multiple publications on legal longtermism, and strong connections with leading organizations in academia, the effective altruism community, and policy. These include Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Oxford, Australian National University, Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México, Strathmore University, OpenAI, the Centre for the Governance of AI, and the United Nations, among others.

At LPP, you will enjoy:

A role tailored to your needs and qualifications.
Working together with highly motivated people who care primarily about doing good with their careers.
An intellectually stimulating work environment with minimal bureaucratic barriers.
Excellent long-term career prospects—we can provide mentorship, connections, funding, and support of various kinds.

If you would like to get to know us better, get in touch.

Salary, benefits, and location

This is a full-time role. Our team is remote, so you can apply and work from anywhere in the world. Most of our teammates are based in the Americas and Europe. We expect teammates to attend 2–4 in-person team meetings per year. Medium-term, we might open one or more physical offices depending on our team’s geographic distribution and willingness to move.

We welcome applications from different levels of seniority, such as at the postdoctoral, assistant professor, associate professor, or full professor level. We are willing to accommodate applicants who wish to keep their current university affiliation (e.g., with teaching buy-outs for professors). We also welcome applicants from outside of academia.

The base salary for this position is $80,000–$105,000, depending on prior experience and skills. However, we may consider a higher salary for exceptional candidates whose experience would allow them to contribute more or who would otherwise earn a substantially higher salary in the private sector. The same applies if you live in a city with a particularly high cost of living (e.g., San Francisco). Benefits include health insurance, flexible work hours, a $2,000 annual budget for professional development, generous parental leave, 25 days of paid vacation, and more (depending on where you live). Employees receive a salary increase for every year they work with us. We are an equal opportunity employer.

Application process

If you think you might be a good fit for the role but are unsure whether you should apply, we strongly encourage you to simply do so—we have done our best to make the application process as simple and time-efficient as possible. The application process consists of three stages:

Stage 1: Please complete this simple application form. The deadline is Sunday, March 20. The form asks you to submit your CV (including a list of publications), a previous research sample (paper, report, book chapter, etc.), and asks a few simple questions. We will review applications on a rolling basis and aim to send you a decision by March 25 at the latest.
Stage 2: If your application is successful, we will invite you to an online interview.
Stage 3: Depending on the result of the first interview, we will schedule additional online interviews. We will also carry out reference checks only at this stage.

We are ideally looking for someone able to start immediately but are open to waiting for longer if the ideal candidate is not available immediately.

We especially encourage applications from women, gender minorities, and people of color. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, or have any other questions about applying, please contact careers@legalpriorities.org. We very much look forward to receiving your application!