Postdoctoral Position in Computational Neuro/Social Robotics

We invite applications from motivated, creative, and highly qualified postdoctoral researchers to join the Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuropsychology Lab (Saygin Lab) at the University of California, San Diego (http://sayginlab.ucsd/edu). We study how humans perceive biologically and socially-relevant stimuli such as bodies, actions, faces, and biological motion using a variety of experimental methodologies (e.g., psychophysical, neuroimaging, neuropsychological and brain stimulation studies) and computational approaches. One interdisciplinary and novel line of research explores the perception of not only other humans, but also of artificial agents such as robots and avatars. Our goal is on the one hand to use artificial agents in experimental studies with the aim of informing human social perception and cognition, and on the other, to use neuroscience and machine learning, to improve the “neuroergonomics” of interactive social agents. A brief description of this line of research and relevant papers are found here (though the page needs an update…)

Qualifications: The ideal candidate will have a serious interest in the lab’s research program and will hold a PhD in computer science, neuroscience, cognitive science, robotics, engineering, mathematics, physics, psychology, or related discipline. Graduate students who are in the final stages of their PhD will also be considered. Candidates should have strong analytical, technical, and programming skills (preferably but not necessarily in Matlab). Applicants should have substantial experience with computational modeling and/or machine learning, ideally with neuroimaging data (e.g., EEG, fMRI); experience with Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCI) is highly desirable. Interest in and/or experience with other methods our lab uses (e.g., MRI, fMRI, psychophysics, brain stimulation,..) is desirable but not required.

We value interdisciplinarity, collaboration, and diversity. Candidates should have excellent written and oral communication skills, and should be committed to excellence in science and efficient publication of research results.

Local Information: San Diego is home to an outstanding cognitive sciences, biological sciences and engineering community, including UC San Diego, Salk Institute, Qualcomm Institute, Institute for Neural Computation (INC), Swartz Center for Computational Neuroscience,Kavli Institute for Brain and Mind (KIBM), Center for Brain Activity Mapping (CBAM), Multimodal Neuroimaging Lab (MMIL), San Diego Supercomputer Center (SDSC), Neurosciences Institute, and Arthur C. Clarke Center for Imagination. Saygin Lab has resources for EEG, psychophysical, physiological, eye-tracking and computational studies, access to research-dedicated MRI scanners, and collaborations for MEG, brain stimulation and neuropsychological patient studies. The postdoctoral researcher will have the opportunity to work with a lively and interdisciplinary group of researchers and students, as well as our international collaborators. More information about the lab can be found on our website at http://www.sayginlab.org

Further Particulars: The start date for this position is variable as the opening has not been formally posted. Review of candidates will begin in the fall. Inquiries and applications should be emailed to Prof Saygin at ucsd dot cogneurolab at gmail dot com. Please mention postdoctoral position in the subject line of the message and include a CV, a brief statement of career goals and research interests, expected/preferred date of availability, and the names and contact information of three references.

For other opportunities, see Postdoctoral Openings and Joining the Lab.