Become a Bellingcat Tech Fellow! (October – December 2022)

Do you have an interest in supporting online researchers who are learning how to use technological tools or apply technical methods in open source investigations? There are lots of interesting tools and techniques out there but not always the simple, step-by-step guides that explain how to make best use of them.

We are searching for Tech Fellows to help create educational content for researchers. This could be in the shape of developing texts or videos that show online researchers how to use technical tools or explain methods from which their open source investigations may benefit. You could also add easy-to-understand documentation to existing tools, for instance those that may be posted in various online repositories such as GitHub.

We are looking for motivated, independent technologists with the skills to break down complex technical topics into small steps and an easy-to-understand language. Through this fellowship, you will support researchers who do not have a technological background as they learn to use exciting research tools or methods for the first time.

We welcome pitches for all areas and aspects of digital investigations, as long as your idea contributes to helping researchers use technical tools or methods. Please keep in mind that we are only interested in educational material that helps researchers use free to use tools or methods. We do not accept ideas that require researchers to pay a fee for a specific tool. We also prefer tools that have been released under an open source license. 

You can find an overview of existing tools in Bellingcat’s Online Investigation Toolkit here. For further inspiration, have a look at Bellingcat’s Github page or read this article that lists a number of Bellingcat’s own tools. You can also look at the research the Investigative Tech Team has published so far. 

Send us your ideas for educational materials that you would like to, and are able to produce interesting content for, via the submission details below. If you are selected, you will work alongside Bellingcat’s Investigative Tech Team between October and December 2022.

How the fellowship works

You will apply with a pitch for educational material that helps online researchers understand technological tools or methods and a description of how you plan to implement your idea within three months. If you are selected, you will then define and agree on specific milestones together with Bellingcat’s Investigative Tech Team. 

During your fellowship, you are free to work on your educational material in a way that is best suited to your personal needs. You can work remotely, from any timezone in the world and at your own pace. 

At the end of your fellowship, your educational material will be published via Bellingcat’s online channels.

Fellows will receive a stipend of 1,000 Euros per month during their fellowship.

Requirements

We want to welcome applications from a wide variety of backgrounds. The main requirement is that you must have the necessary technical and educational skills to clearly explain and document what your chosen tool or method does.

It does not matter to us how you acquired the necessary skills to produce the educational materials. There is no need to have any academic degrees. We also welcome self-taught individuals if they can show they have the requisite abilities.

We are committed to helping create a diverse community of open source researchers and open source developers.

How to apply

If you are interested in this opportunity, please send your application to  jobs@bellingcat.com. Please send your CV as well as a cover letter (no longer than 2,000 words) answering the following questions:  

• What type of educational material do you want to produce and why? Include a description of the tool or methods you would like to cover, including a summary of why you think it will be helpful for online researchers.
• What is the production plan? Give us a detailed description of the production process that you envision. What are your intermediate milestones?
• Who are you and why do you have the required skills to produce the suggested material?
• Provide information about yourself and your technical and educational skills in the areas that are relevant for your suggested material. You can also share or describe some past projects you have worked on. 

Please also note the name of the fellowship you are applying for in the subject line of your email. The deadline for applications is September 30, 2022. However, we recommend applying as early as possible since we will assess applications on a rolling basis.

Given that we expect to receive a high number of applications, it will not be possible to respond to all.

Bellingcat is committed to a diverse working environment. Our team is international, from a wide range of backgrounds and we always welcome and appreciate new perspectives and life experiences. All qualified candidates will receive consideration without regard to race, colour, origin, religion, age, gender or sexual orientation. Your formal education is less important to us than the strength of your proposal.

If you have any questions regarding this opportunity, feel free to contact Bellingcat’s Investigative Tech Team via our contact form.