<div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><span id="gmail-docs-internal-guid-4bd87571-7fff-7802-28d9-8028d03b960d" style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:-webkit-standard"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;background-color:transparent;font-weight:700;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Postdoc position with Wei Ji Ma at NYU: human planning in complex tasks</span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;background-color:transparent;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">The laboratory of Wei Ji Ma at New York University (</span><a href="http://www.cns.nyu.edu/malab" style="text-decoration:none"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;text-decoration:underline;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">http://www.cns.nyu.edu/malab</span></a><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;background-color:transparent;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">) is looking for a postdoc to study human planning with large decision trees from a behavioral and computational perspective, with a special interest in social aspects.</span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;background-color:transparent;font-weight:700;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Research description: </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;background-color:transparent;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">T</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">he overall goal of the research is to understand how people plan when the number of possible futures is exponentially large. To approach this goal, we use behavioral experiments (in lab and online), computational process models, and neural networks. We have </span><a href="http://www.cns.nyu.edu/malab/static/files/publications/2017%20Van%20Opheusden%20Galbiati%20Bnaya%20Li%20Ma.pdf" style="text-decoration:none"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;background-color:transparent;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;text-decoration:underline;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">initial work</span></a><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"> and several ongoing/early-stage projects in this area; </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=55Wse17mXwQ&list=PLmX7T5IuDU4cHbZJqi_xZa8ZyF-J48U20&index=4&t=47m37s" style="text-decoration:none"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;background-color:transparent;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;text-decoration:underline;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">this Cosyne talk</span></a><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"> is a good overview (starting at 47:37). Our modeling approaches are of the type used in computational cognitive science. The modeling allows us to estimate process variables, such as depth of planning. To give you an idea of specific questions: 1) How does the option of undoing previous actions improve performance? 2) Are measures of planning ability correlated across tasks? 3) Does learning in one planning task transfer to another? 4) How do people take into account the plan of a collaborator without or with verbal communication? 5) How does human planning compare to machine planning?</span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;background-color:transparent;font-weight:700;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Job description: </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;background-color:transparent;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">As a postdoc in the lab, you will be involved in conceptual development, theoretical development, experimental design, data collection, data analysis, data interpretation, manuscript writing, and dissemination of results. You will co-mentor Ph.D. students. You will be part of the lab community and the broader NYU/NYC psychology/neuroscience community, with connections to data science and economics. Salary will be about $58K a year. The appointment is for two years with the possibility of extension; funding is guaranteed but grant writing will be encouraged. </span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;background-color:transparent;font-weight:700;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Qualifications</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;background-color:transparent;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">: We are looking for someone who (1) is open-minded, resilient, and motivated to work on relatively narrow problems with potentially broad implications; (2) has experience in theoretical or computational approaches, in particular in reinforcement learning, artificial intelligence/machine learning, or approximate inference; (3) has experience in human behavioral experiments; (4) is interested in social cognition; (5) is interested in the connections between computational cognitive science and artificial intelligence/machine learning.</span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;background-color:transparent;font-weight:700;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Lab culture</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;background-color:transparent;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">: We care a lot about mentorship quality, a positive lab culture, diversity/equity/inclusion, and work-life balance. For more details, see </span><a href="http://www.cns.nyu.edu/malab/lablife.html" style="text-decoration:none"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;background-color:transparent;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;text-decoration:underline;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">http://www.cns.nyu.edu/malab/lablife.html</span></a><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;background-color:transparent;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">. We are looking for someone who is kind, helpful, and cares about making the lab and the broader community better for everyone, and who is interested in mentoring scientists more junior than themselves. Many lab members have been involved in science policy, mentorship through personal narratives, advocating for diversity and inclusion, science advocacy, science outreach, and mentoring high school students. We started </span><a href="http://www.growingupinscience.org/" style="text-decoration:none"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;background-color:transparent;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;text-decoration:underline;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Growing up in Science</span></a><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;background-color:transparent;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"> and the </span><a href="http://www.scaan.net/" style="text-decoration:none"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;background-color:transparent;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;text-decoration:underline;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Scientist Action and Advocacy Network</span></a><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;background-color:transparent;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">. For more details, see </span><a href="http://www.cns.nyu.edu/malab/community.html" style="text-decoration:none"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;background-color:transparent;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;text-decoration:underline;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">http://www.cns.nyu.edu/malab/community.html</span></a><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;background-color:transparent;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:6.999999999999999pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";background-color:transparent;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">            </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;background-color:transparent;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;background-color:transparent;font-weight:700;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">To apply</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;background-color:transparent;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">, please email a statement of interest and your CV to Wei Ji at </span><a><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(17,85,204);background-color:transparent;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;text-decoration:underline;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">weijima@nyu.edu</span></a><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;background-color:transparent;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">, with subject line “Postdoc in planning”. The position will be open until filled.</span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;background-color:transparent;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">NYU is an Equal Opportunity Employer and is committed to a policy of equal treatment and opportunity in every aspect of its recruitment and hiring process without regard to age, alienage, caregiver status, childbirth, citizenship status, color, creed, disability, domestic violence victim status, ethnicity, familial status, gender and/or gender identity or expression, marital status, military status, national origin, parental status, partnership status, predisposing genetic characteristics, pregnancy, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, unemployment status, veteran status, or any other legally protected basis. Women, racial and ethnic minorities, persons of minority sexual orientation or gender identity, individuals with disabilities, and veterans are encouraged to apply for vacant positions at all levels.</span></p></span><div><br></div><div>-- <br></div><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div><font face="arial, sans-serif"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0)">Wei Ji Ma, Ph.D.</span><br style="color:rgb(0,0,0)"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0)">Professor of Neuroscience and Psychology, New York University</span></font></div><div><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif">Lab: </span><a href="http://www.cns.nyu.edu/malab" style="font-family:arial,sans-serif" target="_blank">http://www.cns.nyu.edu/malab</a><font face="arial, sans-serif"><br style="color:rgb(0,0,0)"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0)">Director of Undergraduate Studies, Department of Psychology</span></font></div><div><font face="arial, sans-serif">Co-Director, Training Program in Computational Neuroscience</font></div><div><font face="arial, sans-serif">Founder and organizer, <a href="http://www.growingupinscience.com" target="_blank"><i>Growing up in Science</i></a></font></div><div><font face="arial, sans-serif">Founding member, <a href="http://www.scaan.net" target="_blank"><i>Scientist Action and Advocacy Network</i></a></font><br></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>