Postdoctoral Researcher – Quantum and Classical Dynamics of Decision Making

Posting Details

Position Details

Postdoctoral Researcher – Quantum and Classical Dynamics of Decision Making

Non-Tenure Track

IU Bloomington Psychological & Brain Sciences

Bloomington

The Postdoctoral Researcher will join an NSF
-funded project developing and testing computational models of how decisions evolve over time. The project integrates quantum and classical (Markov) approaches within an open-systems framework to investigate when decision dynamics exhibit interference, coherence, decoherence, andmore classical stochastic accumulation. The position will bejointly mentored by Dr. Tim Pleskac and Dr. Jerome Busemeyer, withthe postdoc taking a leading role in theory development,computational modeling, and experimental tests of the models.

The position is based at Indiana University Bloomington, with opportunities to collaborate across IU’s strong communities inmathematical psychology, judgment and decision making, cognitive science, and quantitative modeling.

This postdoctoral appointment is full-time and on-campus.

• Develop computational models of dynamic judgment and decision making using quantum probability, open-system dynamics, and classical Markov processes.
• Derive and test behavioral predictions that distinguish quantum, classical, and intermediate open-system dynamics,including predictions about the time course of evidence and preference evolution.
• Design and analyze behavioral experiments that probe dynamic decision processes, including interference, oscillation,response-time, and evidence-accumulation phenomena.
• Implement simulation, parameter-estimation, andmodel-comparison methods in Python, MATLAB, R, or related computational environments.
• Lead and co-author manuscripts, conference presentations, andother dissemination of project findings.

• Work directly with the PIs to ensure efficient progress towardproject objectives.
• Coordinate research tasks across graduate students,undergraduate research assistants, and collaborating researchers.
• Maintain reproducible modeling, simulation, data-analysis, and documentation workflows.

• Participate in lab meetings, mentoring of junior researchers,grant-related activities, and other project duties as needed.

The postdoc will be embedded in the rich cognitive and mathematical psychology research communities at Indiana University. The researcher will work closely with Drs. Pleskac and Busemeyer and benefit from Indiana University’s long-standing strengths inmathematical psychology, decision science, and quantum cognition.

• Anticipated
  
  Start Date:
  
  January 1, 2027 (negotiable)
• Salary: $60,000 + benefits
• Work Schedule:
  
  Full-time, on-campus
• Supervisors:
  Dr. Tim Pleskac and Dr. Jerome Busemeyer
• Initial Appointment: 1 year, with expectation of renewal for asecond year based on performance and funding

• Ph.D. preferably in Psychology or Cognitive Science, but wewill also consider strong candidates in Computer Science, Physics,or a related quantitative fields by the start date.
• Demonstrated expertise in mathematical or computational modeling and dynamical systems.
• Proficiency in either Python, MATLAB, R, or a comparable scientific programming environment.
• Strong quantitative, analytic, and scientific writing skills.

Questions may be sent to:
Dr. Tim Pleskac(tpleskac)

• Experience or strong interest in quantum cognition.
• Background in stochastic processes, Markov models, dynamical systems, quantum walks, or related mathematical approaches.
• Experience with computational model fitting, Bayesian inference, simulation, or formal model comparison.
• Experience designing or analyzing experiments in judgment and decision making, evidence accumulation, or response-time dynamics.
• Ability to move between mathematical theory, computational implementation, and empirical testing.
• Interest in interdisciplinary work at the intersection of cognitive science, mathematical psychology, decision theory, and quantum-inspired modeling.

IU-