Faculty Positions
Postdoctoral Scholar and Researcher Positions
Lecturer Positions

 

FACULTY POSITIONS 

The Department of Cognitive Sciences at the University of California, Irvine (UCI) invites applications for an assistant professor (tenure-track) position with an anticipated start date of July 1, 2024.

We are seeking scientists who study analogical, causal, explanatory, relational, and/or scientific reasoning in humans and/or artificial agents. There is particular interest in those with empirical research programs that use innovative approaches in experimental design, computational neuroscience, and/or computational models. The successful candidate will establish a research program, and contribute to teaching, mentoring, and to inclusive excellence. They will interact with a dynamic and growing community in cognitive, computational, and neural sciences within the department and the broader campus. To learn more about the Department of Cognitive Sciences and the University of California, Irvine community, please visit: https://www.cogsci.uci.edu/.

Applicants should submit a cover letter, curriculum vitae, research, teaching, and inclusive excellence activities statements, three recent or relevant publications, and the names and contact information for three references. The application requirements along with the online application can be found at: https://recruit.ap.uci.edu/JPF08650

For full consideration, applications should be completed by November 15, 2023. While priority will be given to applications received by this date, applications will still be accepted until the position is filled.

 

POSTDOCTORAL SCHOLAR AND RESEARCHER POSITIONS

Postdoctoral Scholar, Project Scientist, and Specialist positions (Open Pool Ads)

Postdoctoral Scholar, Project Scientist, and Specialist positions are anticipated throughout the 2023-24 academic year. These positions are sponsored by and dependent on available funding from faculty members in the Department of Cognitive Sciences at the University of California, Irvine. 

Interested candidates will be able to find specific application requirements and the online application for these positions on AP Recruit as follows:

• Postdoctoral Scholar: https://recruit.ap.uci.edu/JPF08535
• Project Scientist Series: https://recruit.ap.uci.edu/JPF08537
• Specialist Series: https://recruit.ap.uci.edu/JPF08536

Postdoctoral Scholar - Cognitive & Neural Computation Lab (PI: Megan Peters)

The Cognitive & Neural Computation Lab is seeking a postdoc (2 years minimum, funding available for 3 years) to work on-site at UC Irvine in the Department of Cognitive Sciences on a neuroimaging, psychophysics, modeling, and machine learning project to arbitrate among competing higher order theories of consciousness. The overarching goal of the study is to arbitrate between two axes of disagreement within Higher Order Theories of consciousness (HOTs). These hypotheses cross-cut a number of different theories, with different theorists placing greater or lesser weight on the two axes. We seek to devise experiments that can identify whether the data are more consistent with one or other pole of the two axes.

Details about the position including basic and preferred qualifications, salary range, and application requirements can be found on AP Recruit at: https://recruit.ap.uci.edu/JPF08282

Postdoctoral Scholar - Auditory & Language Neuroscience Lab (PI: Greg Hickok)

The Auditory & Language Neuroscience Lab is seeking a postdoctoral scholar (2 years minimum, funding available for 3 years) to work on-site at UC Irvine in the Department of Cognitive Sciences on neuroimaging (MRI/fMRI), psychophysics, and computational modeling on auditory-motor aspects of speech production.

Details about the position including basic and preferred qualifications, salary range, and application requirements can be found on AP Recruit at: https://recruit.ap.uci.edu/JPF08477

 

Junior Specialist - MADLAB (PI: Mark Steyvers)

A full-time research assistant position is available in the Department of Cognitive Sciences at the University of California, Irvine, working with Dr. Mark Steyvers.

The job entails research responsibilities for a new project on human-AI collaboration in collaboration with the Honda Research Institute (HRI) at Detroit. The project aims to improve coordination and social interaction between humans operating in  environments such as traffic systems where the limited repertoire of signals between humans restricts the amount of information that can be exchanged. The goal is to improve humans' ability to anticipate and respond to behavior by optimizing the flow of information. Central to our study is the human-AI team concept. We pair each human agent with an AI to form a team and seek to optimize communication between these teams using A2A signaling (AI-to-AI) and A2H signaling (AI-to-Human). The AI agents are tasked with two major roles: maximizing human situational awareness by relaying critical information, and inferring the intent of their human partners to adapt information sharing dynamically. A long term goal is to ensure that AI assistance not only increases performance but also enriches human subjective experiences, thus promoting long-term acceptance of AI tools.

This project involves research responsibilities including implementing and conducting behavioral experiments to assess the effectiveness of the AI assistants, as well as computational modeling of higher-order cognition (e.g. theory-of-mind) to develop novel AI assistants. In addition, the project involves administrative responsibilities such as maintaining IRB protocols, and the creation of repositories for the data collected.

The position offers an ideal stepping-stone for individuals aspiring to pursue a Ph.D. in Cognitive Sciences, Psychology, Computer Science, or related fields. As a Research Assistant, you will be part of an intellectual team working with Dr. Mark Steyvers, graduate students at UC Irvine, and researchers at HRI, contributing to projects that aim to produce scientific publications within tight timelines.

This is a one-year position with the possibility of renewal for a second year. This is a “Junior Specialist” position (Step I) which pays $51,300 (with cost of living adjustments to follow annually), and includes a benefits package. See here for salary scales and projected increases.

Required Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree (or higher) by the start date (preferably in a relevant discipline, but all disciplines/majors will be considered)

Preferred Qualifications: 

• Proficiency in JavaScript for developing online behavioral experiments on platforms such as Prolific and/or MTurk
• Sound programming skills in a language suitable for data analysis and computational modeling (R, Matlab, Python)
• Availability for in-person meetings at UC Irvine and occasional travel to Detroit, Michigan for team meetings

Applying

Please apply via this link: https://recruit.ap.uci.edu/JPF08536. Note that the link accepts applications for a number of different positions. To clarify which position you are applying to, the cover letter should be addressed to Dr. Mark Steyvers. Please do not email materials, as we can only consider applicants who apply through the above link. Review of applications will start Aug 16, 2023 and will continue until the position is filled. Start date is ideally on or shortly after September 1, 2023.  International applicants should be aware that visa processing timelines may limit their chances of success.

 

LECTURER POSITIONS

The Department of Cognitive Sciences at the University of California, Irvine invites applications for part-time lecturer positions for the 2023-24 academic year. The salary range for this position is $66,259 to $74,576. Salary will be based on UCI salary scales and will be
commensurate with experience.

Courses instructors are needed for the following areas:

1. psychology fundamentals: topics include biological bases of behavior, sensation, perception, cognition, development, personality, psychopathology, and social psychology.
2. probability and inference: topics covered include the fundamentals of statistical models emphasizing linear model, again with a focus on conceptual understanding and model specification.
3. experimental psychology/lab): topics covered include the experimental method, A/B testing, a practical introduction to experimental design with a focus on understanding confounding and other threats to validity, and use of R or JASP for basic statistical analysis.
4. psych research methods/lab): topics covered include research methods – observational, survey, correlational, quasi-experimental, and experimental – and tools – for searching the literature, reading and understanding of primary research publications, and drawing inferences from data. 5) special topics in general psychology or cognitive science including, but not limited to, sensation and perception, human memory. 6) special topics in cognitive neuroscience 7) other research laboratory courses

For a list of courses offered by the department, see: https://catalogue.uci.edu/schoolofsocialsciences/departmentofcognitivesciences/#courseinventory

Salary is commensurate with experience, at varying percentages of time, depending on the course(s) assigned.

Required: Ph.D. in Cognitive Sciences, Psychology, or a related field and teaching experience at the college level.

Desired: Prior experience teaching in one or more of the specified areas. Professional experience using these skills and methods in research is also desirable.

Application Process: Applicants should submit a cover letter specifying which courses they feel qualified to teach based on our undergraduate curriculum and their prior experience, curriculum vitae, copies of teaching evaluations and the names and addresses of three references (please do not solicit letters) through the on-line Recruit system. See below for application requirements and the link to apply.

Priority will be given to applications received by July 15, 2023; however, applications will be accepted and reviewed on a continual basis until positions are filled. For application requirements and to apply, please visit: https://recruit.ap.uci.edu/JPF08270

 

 

The University of California, Irvine is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer advancing inclusive excellence. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, protected veteran status, or other protected categories covered by the UC nondiscrimination policy.

As a condition of employment, you will be required to comply with University of California Policy on Vaccination Programs, as may be amended or revised from time to time. Federal, state, or local public health directives may impose additional requirements.

Additionally, you will be required to comply with the University of California Policy on Substance Abuse (APM-190)(Drug Free Environment) and University of California Smoke and Tobacco Free Environment policy. Depending on the job duties of your position, you may also be required to comply with the University of California’s Reporting Child Abuse and Neglect policy.