Postdoctoral Research Associate, Information Science

The University of Arizona • Tucson, AZ

6d • Onsite

About The Position

The HARE (Human-AI REsearch, PI John Chen) group at the University of Arizona College of Information Science invites applications for a postdoctoral research associate to join a funded NSF project (HCC, Award #2551586) on advancing qualitative research through human-AI collaboration. The project studies how researchers conduct human-AI qualitative analysis in authentic research environments, co-designs human-AI interfaces with qualitative researchers, and develops human-AI methods to generate and evaluate qualitative codebooks. The project will produce a deeper understanding of qualitative researchers' experiences and needs, leading to academic findings and an open-sourced, co-designed software for qualitative research. The postdoc will lead research activities across the project's three goals and publish in top-tier venues and will have dedicated time for advancing their own research. The project is in collaboration with CCL (The Center for Connected Learning and Computer-based Modeling, PI Uri Wilensky) and TIDAL (Tangible Interaction Design and Learning Lab, PI Michael Horn). This is a full-time position with an initial appointment of one year, renewable for up to three years based on performance. The University of Arizona College of Information Science focuses on the intersection of people, data, and technology, offering innovative programs in information science, data science, cybersecurity, game design, and immersive technologies. Established in 2023 and expanded in 2025, the college provides STEM-designated undergraduate and master’s degrees, and a PhD. in Information. With nationally ranked programs such as the #1 Best Online Bachelor’s in Cybersecurity, #4 Best Master’s in Data Science, and #10 Global Ranking of Library an Information Science Programs, we emphasize computational thinking, ethical reasoning, and multicultural communication while driving research and partnerships such as Arizona Cybersecurity Academy, AI Core, Gaming and Virtual Worlds, Human -Centered Computing, and many other areas of research. Visa sponsorship is not available for this position.

Requirements

• PhD in human-computer interaction, information science, learning sciences, computer science, or a related field, conferred by the start date.
• Experience in qualitative research theory and practice (e.g., grounded theory analysis, interaction analysis, or discourse analysis).
• Experience with co-design or participatory design methods.
• Experience or interest with designing open-source research software.
• Experience or interest with machine learning or generative AI methods, including large language models.
• A record of peer-reviewed publications.

Nice To Haves

• Strong foundation in one or more qualitative research traditions.
• Experience in conducting entire lifecycles of qualitative research, ideally with multimodal data (e.g., video, audio, artifacts).
• Experience in using qualitative data analysis software.
• Experience in creating interactive design prototypes and data visualizations.
• Experience in machine learning or generative AI methods, especially modern large language models or agentic AI systems.
• Experience or interest in developing open-source research software.
• Experience with IRB protocols and data privacy practices.
• Experience with grant writing.

Responsibilities

• Conduct interviews, run co-design sessions on human-AI collaborative interfaces, analyze the results with qualitative researcher, and write up conference or journal submissions.
• Work together with PIs on the development and assessment of human-AI methods based on the project's findings.
• Work closely with PIs to manage collaborations with partner researchers across disciplines.
• Conduct their own research, engage in professional development activities, participate in the university/college community, and apply for jobs.

Benefits

• health, dental, vision, and life insurance
• paid vacation, sick leave, and holidays
• UA/ASU/NAU tuition reduction for the employee and qualified family members
• access to UA recreation and cultural activities

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree