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<p class="gmail-p1" style="margin:0px;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;min-height:14px"><b>Research Technician: Developing an Open-Source Ecosystem for Next-Generation Cognitive Science</b><br></p>
<p class="gmail-p1" style="margin:0px;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;min-height:14px"><br></p><p class="gmail-p1" style="margin:0px;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;min-height:14px">Language Learning Laboratory, Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, Boston College (PI Joshua Hartshorne) seeks a research technician for an NSF-funded project to accelerate the pace of scientific discovery by orders of magnitude. <b>The ideal candidate</b> will be a recent graduate who is considering future graduate studies and who has a strong technical background, ideally including some Web development experience. </p><p class="gmail-p1" style="margin:0px;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;min-height:14px"><i><br></i></p><p class="gmail-p1" style="margin:0px;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;min-height:14px"><i>Project background</i>: Although some questions psychologists care about involve comparing only two conditions to each other, most require teasing apart the contributions of many intertwined variables. In the past, this has required hundreds, if not thousands, of studies across numerous laboratories, each targeting a specific variable, population, or stimulus set. In recent years, an increasing number of laboratories have used Internet-enabled "citizen science" to effectively run these hundreds of studies all at once (see "<a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.3758/s13428-018-1155-z">A thousand studies for the price of one</a>"; for examples, see <a href="https://l3atbc-public.s3.amazonaws.com/pub_pdfs/ChenHartshorne2021.pdf">here</a>, <a href="https://www.pnas.org/doi/abs/10.1073/pnas.1200196109">here</a>, and <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0956797613498396?casa_token=ubCD4AipW5MAAAAA%3ABS9izNp9WdQdr1rw9cEhM22winRbhVd2Cd5yBDTyXH_hG-_P15MCRBOiFKQx91B9YBIGXIluA78w">here</a>). Frequently, the findings have prompted wholesale revision of theory (ex: <a href="https://d2dg4e62b1gc8m.cloudfront.net/pub_pdfs/HartshorneGermine2015.pdf">here</a>, <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0896627312005843">here</a>, and <a href="https://s3.amazonaws.com/l3atbc-public/pub_pdfs/JK_Hartshorne_JB_Tenenbaum_S_Pinker_2018.pdf">here</a>). </p><p class="gmail-p1" style="margin:0px;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;min-height:14px"><br></p><p class="gmail-p1" style="margin:0px;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;min-height:14px">In principle, such studies could be much more frequent. Our group recently received one-year pilot funding from the National Science Foundation to build out our open-source software ecosystem for massive online experiments: Pushkin. </p><p class="gmail-p1" style="margin:0px;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;min-height:14px"><br></p><p class="gmail-p1" style="margin:0px;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;min-height:14px"><i>The position</i>: The technician will help run trainings, develop tutorials and documentation, and help develop workable plans for user support and future sustainability. The technician will be directly involved in helping our partners develop new, massive online experiments. As part of liaising with our collaborators, the technician will go on four fully-paid two-week site visits to collaborating sites around the country.</p><p class="gmail-p1" style="margin:0px;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;min-height:14px"><br></p><p class="gmail-p1" style="margin:0px;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;min-height:14px">Note that while the technician should be familiar with Web development and will have the opportunity to learn a great deal more on the job, this is not a software development position. It is also not a traditional "lab manager" position. The technician will be serving primarily in a research and development support role. <br></p><p class="gmail-p1" style="margin:0px;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;min-height:14px"><br></p><p class="gmail-p1" style="margin:0px;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;min-height:14px"><i>Required qualifications</i>:<br></p><p class="gmail-p1" style="margin:0px;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;min-height:14px"></p><ul><li>A B.A. or equivalent in a relevant field.</li><li>Strong quantitative & technical skills.</li><li>Ability to work on teams.</li><li>Experience with javascript.</li></ul><div><i>Desired qualifications (not necessary, but strengthen the application)</i>:</div><div><ul><li>Experience with Node & React</li><li>Experience running experiments online (e.g., through Prolific or AMT)</li><li>Research experience in psychology</li></ul></div><p></p><p class="gmail-p1" style="font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;margin:0px;min-height:14px">This is a 12 month position. Extension may be possible but depends on renewed funding. Salary is budgeted at $50,000 for one year, plus generous <a href="https://www.bc.edu/bc-web/offices/human-resources/sites/employee-handbook/benefits.html">benefits</a>. <br></p><div><div><p class="gmail-p1" style="font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;margin:0px;min-height:14px"><br></p>To apply, please send a CV, unofficial transcript, contact information for 2-3 references, and a cover letter explaining your interest in the position to <a href="mailto:joshua.hartshorne@bc.edu">joshua.hartshorne@bc.edu</a>. Questions can be address to the same address.</div></div></div></div></div></div></div>