Postdoctoral Scholar focused on Engagement/Affect Detection

Application site here

Position Overview:
The University of Minnesota’s (UMN) Affect, Computation, and Cognition laboratory seeks a candidate to fill one Post-Doctoral Associate position. The post-doc will primarily focus on working with state-of-the-art educational technologies to research how scalable AI-based solutions can improve engagement during learning. This includes finding novel ways to build machine learning detectors of cognitive/affective states from various data sources (e.g., log data, eye-tracking, etc.); and conducting iterative research to design AI-driven supports to sustain engagement over time.

The post-doctoral associate will be a full-time, 12-month employee of the University of Minnesota, College of Education and Human Development, Department of Educational Psychology. The post-doctoral associate will work closely with and be primarily supervised by Dr. Caitlin Mills in the Department of Educational Psychology, and will also work closely with Dr. Ryan Baker at the University of Pennsylvania. The position is part of an initiative aimed at improving math performance for low-income middle school students.

The University of Minnesota encourages a healthy work life balance for employees. CEHD is committed to an excellent employee experience, offering a flexible work environment that meets the needs of students, staff, faculty, and the communities we serve. Flexible work arrangements may include flexibility in schedule and/or work location. Please note that 100% remote work requires approval. All UMN employees are expected to follow applicable public health and safety procedures.

Required Qualifications:

*All required qualifications must be documented on application materials for fullest consideration.

• A Ph.D. in computer science, psychology, learning analytics or related field
• Experience with machine learning research
• Proficiency with managing large scale data sets
• Strong organizational and communication skills
• Strong professional writing skills, including research reports, peer-reviewed research articles, or other print and electronic publications
• Ability to work well with diverse populations

Applicants should submit the following for consideration:

• Curriculum vitae
• Cover letter detailing interest in the position and background/experience relative to each of the required
• qualifications, as well as applicable preferred qualifications
• Contact information for three individuals willing to provide professional reference

This position will remain open until filled.

To request an accommodation during the application process, please e-mail employ@umn.edu or call (612) 624-UOHR (8647).

Email for questions: cmills@umn.edu