Post-doc opening: Cornell/Oxford/CMU/MIT team
David Rand
I wanted to share this post-doc opening. Please share with anyone who might be interested!
Many thanks,
Dave
Openings for 2 Post-Doctoral Fellows in Human ↔ AI Experimentation and/or Computational Social Science to join Cornell/Oxford/MIT/CMU team
The research team of David Rand, Gordon Pennycook, Mohsen Mosleh and Thomas Costello is seeking one or more postdoctoral researchers to join us for 2 years (with the possibility of extending depending on funding). We are somewhat flexible on the starting date, although Summer or Fall 2025 is ideal.
Fellows will design and run research studies, analyze data, prepare publications, and be core members of the collective intellectual community spanning the labs. Our aim for these positions are two-fold. First, we aim to grow capacity in our team’s long-standing research agenda using computational social science to understand and intervene on flows of inaccurate information on social media. Second, we aim to leverage the considerable and growing potential of generative artificial intelligence to (1) help answer key questions in behavioral science using experiments involving interactions between humans and AI systems, (2) develop, test, and apply scalable interventions, and/or (3) help build the methodological, statistical, and infrastructural foundations of an emerging subfield devoted to exploring human-AI interactions (as exemplified in this recent paper on conspiracy theories).
Potential assets for applicants include: Experience with lab/online experiments, online field experiments, computational skills (e.g. machine learning, web programming, natural language processing, developing and working with LLMs), experience with social media data collection/experimentation, and knowledge of fields such as social psychology, artificial intelligence, cognitive science, marketing, political science, and/or communications.
That being said, we do not have a set vision of the skill sets we are looking to add to our groups, so we would encourage anyone interested in the topics of human-AI experiments, belief change/persuasion, mis/disinformation, computational social science, or AI safety to apply, regardless of background!
Ideal candidates will be creative, independent, and deeply engaged. Funds for conducting experiments, travel, and equipment will be available to the fellow, as will many opportunities for first-authored publications and outside collaboration.
Individuals with a Ph.D., or those expecting to complete their Ph.D. by the start of the position, are encouraged to apply. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. If you are interested, please apply (at any point) – no need to email inquiring as to whether the position is still available!
Please send your CV, statement of interest (two pages max), 2 reprints/preprints, and at least 2 email addresses of references to Antonio Arechar (aa.ar...@gmail.com).