The Surveillance Studies Network (SSN) is currently inviting self-nominations for a number of elected board member positions. As with all SSN board member positions, elected members will serve simultaneously on the editorial board for the journal Surveillance & Society. Terms for these positions will begin February 2023.

Available positions:

Two “Associate Member Representatives” (two-year term).

Associate Member Representatives are typically graduate students or junior scholars who are looking to become more active in the field. Responsibilities may include managing the SSN and/or S&S social media streams (e.g., Twitter), updating the website, serving as editorial assistants for the journal (e.g. formatting submissions, managing logs), or serving as editorial assistants for the journal’s blog, _blink. There will also be the possibility for such members to participate on subcommittees (e.g., prize or conference committees) if they desire. The Associate Member Representatives will also be expected to participate in Board discussions, including virtual participation in our Annual General Meeting. SSN will provide some support for Associate Member Representatives who attend the biennial SSN conference held during their term (e.g. fee waiver), with the expectation that the representatives will blog for _blink and/or live-tweet during the event.

One “Mentorship Coordinator” position (three-year term).

This position will involve coordinating SSN’s mentorship program for doctoral students engaged in research topics on surveillance. The objectives of this program are to assist junior scholars in conceptualizing their projects and networking with established scholars in the field. Tasks include soliciting student and faculty member interest, pairing one faculty member with one Ph.D. student for a one-year period (with a few virtual conversations expected of each pair), managing any issues that arise, and providing a brief annual report to the SSN Board. The Mentorship Coordinator will also be expected to assist with normal Board responsibilities and participate in Board discussions, including virtual participation in our Annual General Meeting. There will also be the possibility for such members to participate on subcommittees (e.g., prize or conference committees) if they desire.

Eligibility and Criteria 

To be eligible, interested parties must be current paid members of SSN. (Membership information can be found here: http://surveillancestudiesnetwork.com/?page_id=16.) 

While we welcome self-nominations from all interested and eligible individuals*, we are particularly interested in submissions from outside of Canada, the US, and Europe, especially from under-represented demographics, as well as from scholars whose work is attentive to questions of inclusion and/or inequity—such as sexuality, race, gender, ability, class, geopolitical issues, indigenous issues, for instance.

Application / nomination process

To be considered for one of these positions, please submit to Rosamunde van Brakel Rosamunde.van.brakel@vub.be a single document listing your name, affiliation, current role, which position you are nominating for and a brief description of your interests in and qualifications for the position. For the position of Associate-Membership Representative we explicitly invite PhD students and Postdocs to apply and please indicate which responsibilities you would be interested in taking up. These descriptions will be shared with the entire SSN membership database as part of the election process. The deadline for receipt of nominations is February 7, 2023.

Terms for these positions will begin ideally 14 February 2023.

*NB: To conform to existing funding agreements, a minimum of 1/3 of the Board should be members of Canadian institutions. This requirement will be taken into account during the approval of appointments.

About SSN 

The Surveillance Studies Network (SSN) is a registered charitable company dedicated to the study of surveillance in all its forms. It owns the free access journal Surveillance & Society and runs the biennial conference that brings together scholars and artists from all over the world. SSN is governed by an Executive Board of directors and its day to day running, alongside the management of the journal, is completed by the Network and Editorial Board. The success and growth of SSN is reliant on the vitality, commitment and dedication of our members who fulfil elected (unpaid) positions on the Board.