[ACT-R-users] Ph. D. Position - University of Lausanne

[Jennifer Ferris]

Doctoral Student Position

in Adaptive Decision Making and Cognition

The Modeling Adaptive Cognition Research Group at the Faculty of Business
and Economics at the University of Lausanne seeks applicants for a
doctoral student position. The position (60%) is to begin November 1st,
2013, or on a later starting date to be mutually agreed upon. The position
has a funding duration of a maximum of 5 years. The work location is the
University of Lausanne, Lausanne Dorigny, Switzerland. The doctoral
student will be mentored by Professor Julian Marewski and work in the
Modeling Adaptive Cognition Research Group at the Department of
Organizational Behavior.



Job Description

We seek applicants to work on an interdisciplinary research program on
modeling adaptive decision making processes and cognition in real-world
domains. Current and past researchers working on this program have had
backgrounds in psychology, cognitive science, economics, mathematics,
biology, physics, and computer science to name but a few.



We provide excellent resources, including a fully-equipped laboratory for
conducting human subject experiments and computer simulations, an
excellent international research network, and most importantly, the time
to think.



The position is heavily-research oriented, preparing for a career in
academia. We expect Ph.D. candidates to publish in top-tier journals. We
are an international research group. Our working language is English.
There are no teaching obligations.



Research on Adaptive Decision Making Processes and Cognition

Research on adaptive decision making processes and cognition addresses a
key question: How do humans make decisions under uncertainty, that is,
when time and information are limited and the future is unknown? In
experiments, computer simulations, and mathematical analyses, we study
both (i) how people make such decisions, and (ii) how they ought to make
these decisions in order to behave adaptively. In doing so, we build
detailed computational models of how decision processes are adapted to the
structure of the environment, as well as how the decision processes
interplay with other cognitive processes, such as memory or time
perception. Areas of research include (but are not limited to) modeling
how people select from a repertoire of decision strategies, how people
make inductive inferences, how memory is nestled into to the structure of
the environment, how to predict memory retrieval using internet search
engines such as Google.



Requirements

Applicants should be interested in modeling decision and/or other
cognitive processes. A university degree in psychology, business,
economics, mathematics, computer sciences, physics, biology, or in a
related discipline as well as good English skills are required. Already
existing modeling or programming skills (e.g., MATLAB, R, LISP, ACT-R) are
helpful but not required.



Application Materials and Deadline

The application deadline is August 1st, 2013, but applications will be
accepted until the position is filled. Application materials include a
cover letter describing research interests, a curriculum vitae, university
transcripts, an extract of prior scientific work (if available), and two
letters of recommendation. Please submit your materials via email to
julian.marewski at unil.ch.



Working at the University of Lausanne

The Modeling Adaptive Cognition Research Group is located at the
Department of Organizational Behavior of the Faculty for Business and
Economics at the University of Lausanne. The department provides a
stimulating interdisciplinary research environment (e.g., consisting of
psychologists, economists, and organization scientists -- our last hire
was a physicist). We publish in top-tier journals in different
disciplines, including Science, Psychological Review, and the American
Economic Review.



Located at Lake Geneva and surrounded by the Jura Mountains and the French
Alps, Lausanne is a beautiful and cosmopolitan spot to live and work. The
Lake Geneva region enjoys a Mediterranean microclimate.



More information about the position can be inquired via email
(julian.marewski at unil.ch). Information about the Modeling Adaptive
Cognition Research Group is available at
http://www.modeling-adaptive-cognition.org/. Information about the
Department of Organizational Behavior can be found at
http://www.hec.unil.ch/ob/home.









Disclaimer:  This is not an official job ad of the University of Lausanne.