The Newcastle Cognition Lab, at the University of Newcastle, Australia, has two post-doctoral research positions to start in the last quarter of 2021, or until filled. Each position is a one-year appointment, with potential renewal for a further year or more conditional on performance. The successful candidates will have strong backgrounds in cognitive or mathematical psychology, cognitive science, computer science, engineering, or related fields. They may work as a team on two projects and are expected to have skills in experimental psychology techniques and/or cognitive/computational modelling techniques. We also have two exciting PhD positions with full scholarships, for these projects. For details about the PhD opportunities please email Scott or Ami.

The projects: These positions are funded jointly by an ARC Discovery Project at Newcastle as well as a multi-institution AUSMURI project (CATCH). Both the CATCH and Discovery projects will require the successful candidates to collect data using psychological experiments, and/or analyse those data through the lens of computational cognitive models. The ARC Discovery Project aims to make basic and applied discoveries into the dynamics of human cognition across different contexts. The AUSMURI project is a multi-disciplinary effort spread across 7 universities in Australia and the USA. It combines teams with background in computer science and psychology, and aims to make basic research discoveries in adversarial machine learning cybersecurity, mathematical psychology, cognitive science, and human-computer interaction. You can read more about the CATCH project at https://catch-muri.org. 

The research environment: You will work with Scott Brown, Ami Eidels, Andrew Heathcote, and Guy Hawkins from the School of Psychological Sciences at the University of Newcastle. The School was ranked 5/5 in both Psychology and Cognitive Science at the last Australian ERA exercise, ‘well above world standard’, and has a long and rich tradition in Mathematical Psychology. The University of Newcastle is ranked among the world’s Top 200 Universities (2021 QS World University Rankings) and is ranked #1 in Australia for industry collaboration. The city of Newcastle offers pristine beaches and a breathtaking coastline, a pleasant climate, and many cafes, restaurants and bars.Benefits: These are full-time research positions with full benefits. The expected salaries will start at academic level A6 (AU$91,350; plus 17% superannuation benefits and leave entitlements).

How to Apply / Contact
To Apply: To be considered for this position, please apply via email. Submit your CV including three references, publication list along with a cover letter addressing the selection criteria (2 pages max.). We also request a one-page summary of your top-3 publications explaining (a) why these publications were important, and (b) what was your part in these publications. Applications will be evaluated beginning 15 November 2021 and evaluation will continue until the positions are filled.

Selection Criteria:
Essential
PhD in Cognitive Psychology, Cognitive Science, Mathematical Psychology, Computer Science, Data Science, Statistics, or a closely related field.
Demonstrated experience in Cognitive Modelling / Computational Modelling more broadly and/or demonstrated experience in designing and delivering behavioural experiments.
Demonstrated experience with coding and statistical software (R, Matlab, and alike).
Excellent research track record evidenced by publications in top-tier journals & conferences.
High-level oral and written communication skills.
Demonstrated excellent work ethic.

Desirable
Experience with web-based development, for databases and experiments (eg, JavaScript)
Experience in Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence, or Data Science research.
Demonstrated ability to work in a multi-disciplinary collaborative team.

Enquiries: Scott Brown scott.brown@newcastle.edu.au; Ami Eidels Ami.Eidels@newcastle.edu.au