SERC Scholars Program

Engage with the pressing challenges shaping our digital landscape, from combating deepfakes and misinformation to exploring ethical surveillance and privacy protection. Investigate the societal impact of gamification, address bias in large language models, and grapple with data ownership in the age of artificial intelligence.

As a SERC Scholar, you’ll have the opportunity to be at the forefront of technology’s evolution. Join our community to explore the frameworks of our connected world and advance the social and ethical considerations of computing.

If these topics intrigue you, apply to be part of the 2026-2027 cohort of the MIT Schwarzman College of Computing’s cross-campus initiative on Social and Ethical Responsibilities of Computing (SERC).

Applications will open August 19, 2026.

What do SERC Scholars do?

  • SERC Scholars will have the opportunity to work on 1 of 15 projects led by SERC postdocs, which include:
    • Learning to Play Well with Others
    • Technology for Connection and Culture
    • Big Tech and the State
    • Game Theory, Economics, and AI
    • Anti/Micro/Techno/Fascism Design Studio
    • The Medium is the Mess
    • LLMs and Language as Commons
    • Flourishing in a Digital Age
    • AI, the Labor market, and Ethics
    • The Politics of AI: Who Wins, Who Pays, Who Decides?
    • Resilient Creativity in the Age of AI
    • Aligning AI with the Better Version of You
    • How Does Programming Change Scientific Cultures?
    • Democracy and AI
    • Human-Centered Reinforcement Learning for Collaborative AI
  • Collaborate in multidisciplinary teams with members from across all five schools and the Schwarzman College of Computing, led by a SERC postdoc.
Learn More About the 2026-2027 Projects

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.
  • SERC seminars that occur twice a semester.

Who is eligible to apply?

This opportunity is open to students across the 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.

SERC Scholars are paid hourly, and enrollment is limited and selective each year. This is a full-year commitment.

Undergraduates

  • This is an hourly paid position for 3-5 hours per week for the 2026–2027 academic year.
  • Compensation is $16 per hour.

Graduate students and PhD candidates

  • This an hourly paid position for 3-5 hours per week for the 2026–2027 academic year.
  • Compensation is $25 per hour.

International students

Student visa regulations limit international students pursuing on-campus employment to a maximum of 20 hours per week during the Fall and Spring terms (as well as during IAP and Summer if your academic program has required coursework during those traditional vacation periods). It will be important to determine before applying if you will be eligible to pursue the additional on-campus employment hours based on your current on-campus employment commitments so that you are within the maximum hour limits allowed by regulation.

NOTE: International students that are receiving a Full (100%) Research Assistantship, Teaching Assistantship, or Fellowship with a service requirement are considered with those awards to be working on-campus at the maximum 20 hours per week as outlined above, and therefore are not eligible to accept any additional on-campus employment.

If you have any questions, please contact the International Students Office.

How to apply

  • Fill out the SERC Scholar application 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 participation preference and explain in 100 words or less why you want to work in your preferred project(s).

We are grateful to the Patrick J. McGovern Foundation for providing funding to support this program.