Postdoctoral in Cognitive and Behavioral Data Science

University of Texas at Austin

7d • $70,000 • Onsite

About The Position

Postdoctoral position in Cognitive and Behavioral Data Science. The Applied Cognitive Dynamics and Communication Lab in the Department of Psychology at UT Austin is seeking a postdoctoral researcher. This is a postdoctoral researcher position in cognitive and behavioral data science. Dr. Nicholas Duran, Associate Professor of Psychology at UT Austin and Principal Investigator, is seeking a postdoctoral researcher to help build and advance the research and training mission of a new cognitive and behavioral data science lab, contributing both scientifically and operationally to the lab's development.

Requirements

• A Ph.D. in psychology, cognitive science, computer science, engineering, data science, or a related field (received no more than three years prior to the start date)
• Strong statistical and programming skills; demonstrated ability to use one or more programming languages for data analysis (e.g., Python, R, MATLAB)
• Experience with data analysis, modeling, or computational methods
• Strong organizational skills and ability to manage multiple projects independently

Nice To Haves

• Interest and/or experience with large-scale natural language processing, machine learning, or applied AI research.
• Interest and/or experience in multimodal or behavioral data collection (e.g., motion capture, acoustic analysis, wearable sensors, fNIRS, VR-based studies).
• Interest and/or experience in research on communication, collaboration, or social interaction.
• Evidence of peer-reviewed publications or conference presentations.
• Interest and/or experience serving as a mentor to junior research assistants.
• Initiative in developing new analytic approaches, experimental paradigms, or research systems.
• Experience with or interest in research project management, lab operations, or building research infrastructure.
• Enthusiasm for collaborative science and contributing to a supportive, growth-minded lab culture.

Responsibilities

• Conduct original research and analyze large-scale conversational and multimodal behavioral data.
• Design and implement studies involving computational methods and multimodal data collection.
• Write scientific manuscripts and present research at conferences.
• Mentor and train graduate and undergraduate research assistants.
• Collaborate on grant proposal development and manuscript writing.
• Help establish lab infrastructure including research workflows, data management systems, and documentation protocols.
• Assist with lab coordination tasks such as managing project timelines, organizing team meetings, and maintaining research pipelines.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree
• Number of Employees: 251-500 employees