Post Doctoral Scholar

The Opportunity (Job description):

University of Central Florida (UCF) invites applications for several two-year Postdoctoral Research Scholar positions in the School of Modeling, Simulation, and Training. The candidates will work with Dr. Azevedo and members of his interdisciplinary team at UCF and collaborate with academic and industry partners. The candidates will work on several NSF and NIH-funded projects focusing on metacognitive processes and self-regulated learning across learners, STEM, and biomedical learning tasks and domains, using serious games, simulations, and immersive learning environments. The candidates will also lead laboratory, classroom, and real-world research studies (e.g., medical simulation facilities) involving the collection of participants’ (e.g., adolescents, college students, STEM teachers, healthcare professionals) multimodal multichannel data (e.g., log files, eye-tracking, physiological sensors, facial expressions of emotions, screen recordings, etc.), using various technological platforms and equipment for research purposes (e.g., serious games, simulations, and immersive learning environments), analyses and interpretation of multimodal multichannel data (and other learning and performance data), and submission and dissemination of research findings for conferences and peer-reviewed publications. The candidates will work with Dr. Azevedo and his team to coordinate project milestones, coordinate and attend team meetings and contribute to annual reports, train and facilitate the management of team members, lead and contribute to scholarly writing, and conduct research with members of the interdisciplinary team, including academic and industry partners. The candidates must have excellent interpersonal, writing, and research skills, strong time management and organizational skills, and the ability to prioritize and meet deadlines and work independently and as a research team member.

Responsibilities:

The candidates will be involved in collecting, analyzing, and using multimodal multichannel data (e.g., log files, eye tracking, physiological sensors, facial expressions of emotions, etc.) across different advanced learning technologies (e.g., game-based learning environments, simulations, immersive learning environments). The candidate will work with Dr. Azevedo and his team to coordinate project milestones, coordinate and attend team meetings and contribute to annual reports, train and facilitate the management of team members, lead and contribute to scholarly writing, and conduct research with members of the interdisciplinary team, including academic and industry partners as well as government officials. The candidate must have excellent interpersonal, writing, and research skills, strong time management and organizational skills, the ability to prioritize and meet deadlines and work both independently and as a member of the research team. The candidate will work with Dr. Azevedo and members of his interdisciplinary team at the UCF and collaborating academic and industry partners as well as government officials.

Minimum Qualifications:

Ph.D. from an accredited educational institution. A Ph.D. degree in Cognitive Psychology, Human Factors, Educational Psychology, Cognitive Sciences, Modeling and Simulation, Computer Science, Measurement and Statistics, or a related field is required. The candidates must have research experience in one or more areas (metacognition, self-regulated learning, serious games, simulations, immersive and virtual environments, multimodal multichannel data). The candidates must have experience planning, coordinating, and conducting mixed-methods studies in real-world and in-person laboratory contexts. They will also have experience collecting and analyzing multimodal multichannel quantitatively and qualitatively. They must also have experience developing and adapting qualitative coding schemes based on dialogue and behaviors (from video, audio, eye movements, and log file data), as well as experience working with physiological sensors (e.g., skin conductance) and eye trackers.The candidates should also have exceptional interdisciplinary research experience and practical skills. Specifically, knowledge and skills in using advanced statistical methods (e.g., HLM, SEM, non-linear dynamical systems) and programming skills (e.g., R, Python, MATLAB) as well as data mining techniques for analyzing performance outcomes, self-report measures, and multimodal multichannel data (e.g., log files, eye tracking, physiological sensors, and audio and video streams). The candidates must have excellent interpersonal, writing, and research skills, strong time management and organizational skills, and the ability to prioritize and meet deadlines and work independently and as a team member. The candidates must also have experience mentoring graduate and undergraduate students. Five years of graduate studies (Master's and Ph.D. degrees)

Preferred Qualifications:

The candidates should have prior experience and future goals of publishing research. Prior experience in collecting and analyzing multimodal multichannel data, interdisciplinary collaboration, and using and testing serious games, simulations, and immersive virtual environments is strongly preferred.

Department

Institute for Simulation and Training (IST) - EG Operations

Work Schedule

Monday to Friday; 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM

Type of Appointment

Fixed Term (Fixed Term)

Expected Salary

Negotiable

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement:

The University of Central Florida is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer including Disabled/Vets.  Click on UCF's Equal Opportunity Statement to view the President’s Statement.

The UCF affirmative action plans for qualified individuals with disabilities and protected Veterans are available for inspection in the Office of Institutional Equity, Monday through Friday, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., upon request.

As a Florida public university, UCF makes all application materials and selection procedures available to the public upon request. 

The University of Central Florida is proud to be a smoke-free campus and an E-Verify employer.