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Apply to Be a Graduate Assistant Alchemist Technician

May 4, 2023

Are you a Northwestern graduate student practitioner of feminism(s) with disability justice in your heart? Is one of your love languages calendar invites, and another drafting pithy emails? If this sounds like you or someone you know, please consider applying to or forwarding this call to be a Graduate Assistant Alchemist Technician (GAAT) for Dr. Moya Bailey Labs for Liberation Mellon Grant.

Labs for Liberation is a collaboration between two humanities labs: Digital Apothecary (Northwestern University, directed by Dr. Moya Bailey) and Critical Design Lab (Vanderbilt University, directed by Dr. Aimi Hamraie). Labs for Liberation investigates the “humanities lab” as a space for inquiry into the material interventions made possible by critical disability theory. Through a two-year program of summer schools, year-long artist-scholar residencies, a postdoctoral scholars program, and graduate student assistantships, we will build feminist disability theory across a range of material interventions like a downloadable curriculum/toolkit, a documentary film, scholarly publications, podcasts, and zines. The Digital Apothecary (DA) uses critical theory and technology to produce processes and projects that aid those most marginalized in society. Projects include a system for the ethical distribution of payment and investigations into the ethical internet. 

The GAAT work encompasses planning a disability and design summer school and coordinating two year-long fellowships with scholars and designers focused on the laboratory as a liberatory research and practice site. Ideal candidates will have a demonstrated commitment to disability justice principles in their research or other work. The GAAT will aid the PIs with organizing and coordinating events, developing content, building a website, and working with a community advisory board.

This position entails 5–10 hours of remote work a week at $22/hr from Monday, July 10, 2023 – Sunday, September 1, 2024, with the possibility to renew for one additional year.

 

POSITION TASKS:
  • Draft and send emails.
  • Design, build, and add content to a website for the project.
  • Facilitate logistics for the summer schools.
  • Manage Dr. Bailey’s calendar and schedule meetings.
  • Research various topics as needed.
  • Attend weekly meetings (remotely).
  • Coordinate meetings with a board of advisors.
  • Contact potential summer school instructors and participants.
  • Edit podcast episodes.
  • Update and monitor social media for the projects.
  • Produce 5-minute videos of important scholarly texts relevant to the lab.
  • Provide administrative project support for the Digital Apothecary and its subsidiary projects.
  • Assist co-PIs on organizing and implementing project tasks.
QUALIFICATIONS/SPECIFICATIONS:
  • like to be on time, early, or have a great grasp on how you work and manage time.
  • have excellent computer skills including but not limited to:
    • comfort with creating content for social media platforms like Instagram, Twitter, and/or TikTok.
    • comfort with content management systems like WordPress or Squarespace.
    • comfort with project management tools like Asana or Trello.
    • comfort with audio/visual production and editing, cloud computing, remote meetings, etc.
    • ability to draft and keep up with multiple emails.
  • are good at logistics.
  • have ever been described as meticulous or thorough.
  • like to work independently.
  • have an investment in or willingness to learn disability justice principles as evident by your research or extracurricular interests.
  • have a background in Black Studies and/or Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies.
  • are a skilled communicator.
TO APPLY: 

Fill out this form which will ask you to upload:

  • a cover letter that includes information on your interest in the position and its associated tasks, your qualifications, and evidence of interest in disability justice principles.
  • a current CV or resume.
  • an email writing sample of which you are particularly proud.
  • 3 references’ contact information so we can reach out to them.
  • if you have any evidence of your content creation or design skills, please share.

Please submit your application by Monday, May 29 at 5: 00 PM CDT for full consideration. All applicants will be notified of the outcome of the search by Monday, June 26.

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