Postdoctoral in Cognitive and Behavioral Data Science

Job Details

Job Posting

Title:

Postdoctoral in Cognitive and Behavioral Data Science

Hiring Department: Department of Psychology

Position Open To: All Applicants

Weekly Scheduled

Hours:

40

FLSA Status: Exempt

Earliest

Start Date:

Immediately

Position Duration: Expected to Continue Until Dec 31, 2026

Location: UT MAIN CAMPUS

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.

• 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.

• 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

• 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.

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

For applicants who are NOT current university employees or contingent workers:
You will be prompted to submit your resume the first time you apply, then you will be provided an option to upload a new Resume for subsequent applications. Any additional Required Materials (letter of interest, references, etc.) will be uploaded in the Application Questions section; you will be able to multi-select additional files. Before submitting your online job application, ensure that ALL Required Materials have been uploaded.

Once your job application has been submitted, you cannot make changes.

For current university employees and contingent workers:
You must apply within Workday by searching for Find UT Jobs. If you are a current University employee, log in to Workday, navigate to your Worker Profile, use the Career link, and update sections in your Professional Profile before you apply. This information will be pulled into your application. The application is one page and you will be prompted to upload your resume.

You must respond to the application questions and upload any additional Required Materials (letter of interest, references, etc.) noted above.

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Employment Eligibility: Please make sure you meet all the required qualifications and you can perform all of the essential functions with or without a reasonable accommodation.

Retirement Plan Eligibility: The retirement plan for this position is Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS), subject to the position being at least 20 hours per week and at least 135 days in length. This position has the option to elect the Optional Retirement Program (ORP) instead of TRS, subject to the position being 40 hours per week and at least 135 days in length.

Background Checks: A criminal history…