Faculty Involvement

The Global Disinformation Lab is proud of the talented students who dedicate themselves to the research of disinformation at our Lab, but we wouldn’t exist without the amazing talent of faculty from many of the schools and departments at the University of Texas at Austin.

At GDIL, we are able to give structure and unity to projects by helping faculty develop an idea that they wish to grow into a project, or by assisting faculty with an already strong design to find the students and resources they need to get to the next level.

We can only accept a very small number of new projects each year in order to be able to truly give proper attention and focus to each of our active projects. If you are interested in learning more about joining GDIL, feel free to contact us any time or submit your proposal now.

Development

Do you have an idea for a project on disinformation that you would love to see grow into an active project?

Complete a development application so that we can better understand your ideas. And don’t worry, everything you share with us is confidential – you own your proposal and its content. But by telling us more, we can determine how your project would fit into our existing portfolio and if we think that we can truly assist you to make this successful.

In addition, if you do not already have funding for your project, we will ask some questions that will also help us determine if we can assist with helping you locate and secure any grants or funding that will not only get you off the ground, but hopefully sustain you and your GDIL student team to your future results.

Active

Whether you’re ready for your fully-baked idea to truly get off the ground or you’re already actively working on the idea, GDIL might be the place for you!

The strength of GDIL is our amazing talent pool of dedicated student researchers from across campus. They volunteer at GDIL in order to gain real-world research skills while you are able to use their talents to further your project’s goals.

Complete the information in the application so that we might better understand how GDIL can assist you.

We would love to talk with you more about your project. Simply email us at [email protected].

Get Involved

Spring Semester

FYI & FAQ

All projects are currently full. However, if you are interested in becoming a GDIL researcher, please submit an application so we can discuss how you can get involved.

All-Hands Meetings are held once per month. Information can be found in the spring schedule above.

 

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When can I apply?

We accept applications throughout the year. However, projects run September-May and may fill up, so we encourage you to apply in the summer months as we begin putting the teams together.
Students may apply later in the fall and spring but we cannot guarantee a spot on a team.

Who can participate?

Chances are, if you are reading this you can participate. We are open to University of Texas at Austin undergraduate and graduate students from any discipline. There are no prerequisites besides an interest in disinformation and misinformation and a willingness to abide by our code of conduct.

Are there any prerequisites or experience requirements?

No. Though we are interested in the skills you have (especially language skills!) there are no requirements beyond the standard ~10 hour commitment and your ability to attend our monthly All-Hands meetings.

How will I be spending my time?

That’s a great question! We ask that you commit to an average of 10 hours per week but please understand that some weeks will have far less work than others, so it definitely changes throughout the semester.

Once you join a team, your TTL will work with everyone to find a time to schedule a regular team meeting. Some are once a week, others will be less frequent. And we all use Slack to communicate in between.

You will then spend your time meeting with your team and then working independently (or with other team members) on research, coding, or whatever other activity your project involves.

You will also be required to attend the All-Hands meeting once per month. The meeting dates and times can be found in the semester schedule.

What are the benefits of being a GDIL TTL or GSR?

We’re glad you asked!!

When you become involved with GDIL, you become part of the GDIL community.

First, all active GDIL participants will be added to the GDIL Slack channel where they can communicate with their team and the leadership team. We often post interesting articles or news stories as well as internship and job openings that we hear about often.

You’ll have a space of your own – GDIL has an office location in Belmont Hall with space for TTLs and staff as well as a small conference room available at any time for GSRs. You can meet there for team meetings, to work individually or in groups on your projects, or even if you just need a quiet space to do some homework. Once you become a GSR, we will provide you with a code for entry into the Lab.

We offer amazing networking opportunities! Along with the guest speakers who you will have the chance to meet at each All-Hands meeting, we also have partnerships with external clients. Our students have had the chance to work with Sandia National Labs, the Army Cyber Institute, Arizona State University Research Enterprise, and the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA), among others. And just last year, former CIA Director John Brennan visited with our students!

And yes, there’s always the swag (coming soon)!

Can I attend a meeting to learn more?

We host info sessions each summer and early fall. However, if you’d like to learn more about us during the rest of the year, please feel free to send us an e-mail and we’ll be happy to meet with you to answer any questions and discuss  available research positions or possibilities to become involved.

Have a question we haven't addressed?

Our contact info is at the bottom of the page. Do not hesitate to reach out and ask. We are friendly, we promise.

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