Postdoctoral in Cognitive and Behavioral Data Science Full-time

Postdoctoral In Cognitive And Behavioral Data Science

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.

Responsibilities include:

• 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.

Required Qualifications

• 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

Preferred Qualifications

• 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.

Salary Range

• $70,000+ depending on qualifications.

Working Conditions

• May work around standard office conditions.
• Austin Area.

Required Materials

• Resume/CV
• 3 work references with their contact information; at least one reference should be from a supervisor
• Letter of interest