Postdoctoral Fellow - DeDeo Lab - Dietrich College
About The Position
As part of a three-year project funded by the John Templeton Foundation, we seek to hire three postdoctoral fellows in the study of science, mathematics, and philosophy of mathematical discovery. Our project has three main themes; ideal candidates will have an interest in one or more of these themes. Theme One: Proofs in Practice: the cognitive science and psychology of how humans discover and make sense of mathematical proofs, both as individuals and collectives. How do people prove things? Theme Two: Transcendental Structures: the formal study of mathematical proof itself, as a subject in computational complexity, type theory, metamathematics, logic, and beyond. What is the space of mathematical truth, and what proofs are there to be discovered? Theme Three: Cyborg Proofs: the use of artificial intelligence in both discovering and verifying mathematical proofs, with and without human aid. What kinds of tools can we build, and how will they alter the nature of mathematics? Fellowship Overview: This fellowship is a three-year position, resident, in person, and full time at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. The salary is $78,000/year and includes health benefits. Citizenship unrestricted, and international travel assistance is available. Fellows work independently under the mentorship of the project director, Prof. Simon DeDeo, and a board of advisors in mathematics (Akshay Venkatesh, Michael Harris, Simon Rubinstein-Salzedo), computer science (Dana Randall, Scott Aaronson), cognitive science (Thalia Wheatley, Tyler Marghetis, Carina Curto), and philosophy (Edouard Machery, Nick Stang, Sean Carroll). The director and the board work together to help mentor the fellows, promote their research, and develop their careers. As part of the interdisciplinary goals of this project, fellows are funded to spend at least one semester working with someone outside of their home domain. This can be with faculty in Pittsburgh, at either CMU or the University of Pittsburgh; fellows have the opportunity, if desired and on mutual agreement with their host, to visit and collaborate with one of our board of advisors, or with another scholar. Offsite visits include funding for travel and lodging.
Requirements
- Fellows should have a background and publication record in one or more of the following fields: Cognitive Science, Psychology, Computer Science, Mathematics or Philosophy
- PhD Degree
Nice To Haves
- We are particularly interested in candidates with demonstrated abilities to conduct interdisciplinary work across these fields, with an interest in collaborating, at least some of the time, with people outside of their Ph.D. training.
- We are also open to considering other fields as well.
Responsibilities
- Conduct novel scientific, mathematical, and philosophical research into the nature of mathematical understanding, including, depending on their interests, conducting psychological experiments, developing novel mathematics, inventing new algorithms, and making new philosophical arguments.
- Publish and share this research with the wider academic community.
- Help organize, once during their three years, a yearly workshop on project themes held either in Pittsburgh, Princeton, or Santa Fe.
- Collaborate with other fellows, as consistent with their intellectual goals, in truly interdisciplinary research, and to help mentor graduate students and undergraduate researchers, as consistent with their intellectual goals.
Benefits
- Benefits eligible employees enjoy a wide array of benefits including comprehensive medical, prescription, dental, and vision insurance as well as a generous retirement savings program with employer contributions.
- Unlock your potential with tuition benefits, take well-deserved breaks with ample paid time off and observed holidays, and rest easy with life and accidental death and disability insurance.
- Additional perks include a free Pittsburgh Regional Transit bus pass, access to our Family Concierge Team to help navigate childcare needs, fitness center access, and much more!
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Entry Level
Industry
Educational Services
Education Level
Ph.D. or professional degree
Number of Employees
5,001-10,000 employees
