Two Openings for Post-Doctoral Fellows on the Behavioral Science of Misinformation
PDF version:
http://davidrand-cooperation.com/s/rand_pennycook_postdocs.pdf<https://u…
David
Rand<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__davidrand-2Dcoo…
and Gordon
Pennycook<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__gordonpen…
are jointly seeking 2 postdoctoral researchers to begin Fall 2019 (or sooner), for two
years (with the possibility of extending depending on funding). One researcher will be
based in David Rand's Human Cooperation Lab at MIT Sloan and one researcher will be
based in Gordon Pennycook’s Behavioral Science Lab at the Hill/Levene Schools of Business
(University of Regina), with substantial intellectual integration across the two sites.
Fellows will design and run research studies, analyze data, prepare publications, and be a
core member of the collective intellectual community spanning the two labs. We are
particularly seeking candidates who are interested in exploring why people believe and
share mis/disinformation, including “fake news”, misleading hyper-partisan content, and
conspiracy theories; and in developing interventions to combat belief in, and spreading
of, such content. Some samples of our recent work in this domain are available
here<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__davidrand-2Dcoo…6CqZFgfbPTDC-lb11XY&e=>.
Potential assets for applicants include: Experience with lab/online experiments,
experience with social media data collection/experimentation, computational skills (e.g.
machine learning, web programing, agent based simulations), and knowledge of fields such
as judgment and decision-making, social psychology, marketing, political science, and/or
communications. That being said, we do not have a set vision of the skill sets we are
looking to add to our groups, so we would encourage anyone interested in the topic of
misinformation to apply, regardless of background!
Ideal candidates would be creative, independent, articulate, and deeply engaged in
questions related to human decision-making (or associated topics). Funds for conducting
experiments will be available to the fellow, as well as the many opportunities for outside
collaboration. Our joint lab culture aims to advance our scientific understanding by
fostering open discussion and debate, and rewarding originality and vision.
Individuals with a Ph.D., or those expecting to complete their Ph.D. in Spring 2019, are
encouraged to apply. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, but applications
submitted by Jan 1 2019 will receive priority. If you are interested, please apply (at any
point) – no need to email inquiring as to whether the position is still available!
Please send CV, statement of interest (two pages max), 2 reprints/preprints, and arrange
to have at least 2 reference emails sent, to: Antonio Arechar
<aa.arechar@gmail.com>.<mailto:%3caa.arechar@gmail.com%3e.> Please indicate
your willingness to be considered for one or both positions.
MIT is an equal opportunity employer committed to building a culturally diverse
intellectual community, and strongly encourages applications from women and
underrepresented minorities.
The University of Regina is committed to an inclusive workplace that reflects the richness
of the community that we serve. The University welcomes applications from all qualified
individuals, including individuals within the University's employment equity
categories of women, persons with disabilities, members of visible minorities, aboriginal
persons, individuals of diverse gender and sexual orientation and all groups protected by
the Human Rights Code.
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David G. Rand
Associate Professor
Sloan School & Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Email: drand@mit.edu<mailto:drand@mit.edu>
Phone: 607.592.0218
http://www.DaveRand.org<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-…