Post Doctorate Research Associate- Human Factors Psychology

Salary/Position Classification

• $60,000 annual, Exempt
• 40 hours per week
• 100% Remote Work Availability: No
• Hybrid Work Availability (requires some time on campus): Yes

Purpose of Position

The University of North Dakota (UND) is a public research university with a strong liberal arts foundation. UND is recognized as a prominent scientific research university, classified by the Carnegie Foundation as having high research activity. UND was recently ranked among the top 100 public and top 25 most innovative universities in the country by U.S. News and World Report, and is widely regarded as among the top universities in the American Northern Plains region. Currently, the University boasts 200+ fields of study with nearly 15,000 students. UND is located in Grand Forks, North Dakota, a vibrant college town of over 50,000 people located on the border of North Dakota and Minnesota. Grand Forks boasts high-quality medical facilities, a very low crime rate, many fine restaurants, acclaimed public and private schools, and community events throughout the year. Ranked as one of the Top 5 Best Small College Towns, and America’s Best Hockey Town, Grand Forks offers stellar quality of life without the metropolitan hassles.

The University of North Dakota invites applications for a Postdoctoral Research Associate position focused on Human Factors Psychology. The Postdoctoral Research Associate will be supervised by Phil Brandt, Sr. Research Scientist and supported by Dr. F. Richard Ferraro. The goal of the postdoctoral experience will be to integrate the Postdoctoral Research Associate into independent and collaborative research programs within the department and across UND’s College of Arts and Science, College of Engineering and Mines, and John D. Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences through research executed by UND’s Research Institute for Autonomous Systems (RIAS) (https://und.edu/research/rias/). A special continued concentration for this Postdoctoral Research Associate will be the execution and expansion of UND’s National Security Initiative associated human factors psychology research. This research is primarily focused on the merge of human operators and technology across the broad national security and defense areas of Autonomy, Space, Medicine and Deployed Health, and Energy (https://und.edu/research/grand-challenges/ns-space.html).
Postdoctoral Research Associate work includes developing experiments and performing human subject testing in realistic scenarios; quantifying improved mission capabilities with and without Augmented Reality (AR) systems; making recommendations based on study outcomes to improve the AR experience and optimally present information to system users; and formulate study findings into a report for future publication in a peer reviewed journal or conference proceedings. Part of the work includes thorough evaluation of appropriate equipment, sensors, and software supporting human factor experiments. Postdoctoral Research Associate deliverables associated with this project include intermediate study findings and final project phase reports quantifying the expected improved mission capability for several diverse scenarios replicating system use by military personnel.

The physiological measurement tools currently used eye-tracking systems (glasses-based, screen-based, and in-vehicle installed), facial emotion recognition, and electroencephalography (EEG), with funding available to acquire and integrate other performance monitoring systems as desired by the Postdoctoral Research Associate. To support the research, RIAS has built an experiment lab equipped with high-performance computers, tablets, and peripheral devices. The lab is managed by a full-time lab manager and staffed with student and part-time employees. The lab employs Team Awareness Kit (TAK) (https://tak.gov/), specifically WIN-TAK, ATAK, and VTAK, to support research involving shared situational awareness, real-time collaboration, and virtual environment training and rehearsal.
In addition to currently funded research activities, the Postdoctoral Research Associate will be required to identify opportunities for national security and defense-focused human factors psychology research funding and participate in the preparation of research funding submissions. The Postdoctoral Research Associate is also encouraged to develop their own human factors psychology research project(s) in collaboration with other research partners and submit external funding proposals for their support in each year of this potential two-year appointment.

The initial appointment is made for up to 12 months with the potential to extend an additional 12 months based upon the availability of continued funding and the performance of the Postdoctoral Associate.

Duties & Responsibilities

• The successful applicant will help advance UND’s capacity to conduct research in the area of human factors psychology with a focus on the execution and expansion of UND’s National Security Initiative research efforts. While receiving formal mentorship, the Postdoctoral Research Associate will be engaged in the following three interrelated tasks:
  • Collect and analyze data related to Human Factors Psychology, leading to publications and presentations. Contribute to ongoing projects as well as develop ideas for new collaborations and research initiatives in Human Factors Psychology.
  • Develop and submit collaborative external funding proposals focused on Human Factors Psychology. Essential functions of the position include but are not limited to:
    • Management, coordination, and implementation of ongoing and new research studies
    • Grant preparation and grant report writing
    • Dissemination of research findings (e.g., manuscript preparation)
    • Data management and analysis of quantitative and qualitative experimental data
    • Mentorship of research staff, including Graduate Research Assistants and Undergraduate Research Assistants
    • Develop protocols and manage IRB submissions
    • Review and maintain study protocols and data collection surveys
    • Assist with other research and administrative responsibilities to support the lab and RIAS and National Security related activities
    • Positive and effective interactions with system developers, suppliers, and partners for system training, maintenance, and support
    • Positive and effective interactions with lab support, TAK team, and program management personnel positive and effective interactions with research partners
    • Travel to support in-field research, technology demonstrations, conferences, etc. 

Required Competencies

• Strong foundation in research practice and experiment design
• Strong foundation in statistical analysis, including using applicable software programs.
• Strong mentorship and team talent development abilities
• Ability to work independently and with a team to set strategically aligned goals, objectives, and milestones to meet project requirements, timelines, and budgets.
• Strong interpersonal skills to successfully work as part of a cross-functional team of engineering and operations researchers and subject matter experts.
• Ability to integrate, cooperate, and collaborate with in-person and remote-work colleagues, subordinates, and supervisors across multiple time-zones.
• Strong oral and written communication skills, including proficiency in APA-style (American Psychological Association) manuscript writing and familiarity with IEEE-style (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) manuscript writing.
• Quantitative and/or qualitative research and evaluation skills and experience.

Minimum Requirements

• Must be a US Citizen
• Doctoral degree completed by time of position start.
• Doctoral degree with focus on human performance conferred by the time of appointment. Examples of human performance related fields include:
  
  • Psychology, Experimental Psychology, Psychophysiology
  • Cognition, Information Processing, Neuropsychology
  • Human Factors Engineering
  • Experimental and/or Human Factors conferred by time of appointment
  • Evidence of research and scholarship potential (publications, professional conference participation)
• This position requires compliance with U.S. government export control laws and regulations. Applicants are required to be eligible for employment under U.S. export control laws and must meet the requirements of being a "U.S. Person" (U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, or protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C.1324b (a)(3)). UND will not sponsor applicants for employment authorization for this position. Information collected in this regard will only be used to ensure compliance with U.S. export control laws and will be sued in compliance with all laws prohibiting discrimination on the basis of national origin and other factors.
• Successful completion of a Criminal History Background Check

In compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the US and to complete the required employment eligibility verification form upon hire. This position does not support visa sponsorship for continued employment.

Preferred Qualifications

• Documented history of publication manuscript submissions
• Documented history of conference presentation submissions
• Documented history of formal report writing
• Understanding of national security and defense challenges associated with the fielding of increasingly automated and autonomous systems and technologies
• Ability to evaluate human capabilities and limitations in system tasks, the design of human-machine interfaces, and systems design and analysis
• Ability to evaluate human performance including skilled psychomotor behaviors and performance under stress in operationally representative environments
• Ability to evaluate the relationship between technology and human capability in the design and operation of operator-machine systems
• Ability to evaluate operator learning, memory, and cognition
• Comprehension of human eye movement theory, eye tracking methods and techniques, and analysis of eye movement data
• Ability to evaluate user interfaces, including planning usability tests, selecting and recruiting subjects, selecting usability test tasks and measures, preparing test materials and the test team, conducting the usability test, analysis of the test results, and presentation of the results of the analysis
• Comprehension of the issues, complexities, and challenges associated with the interaction of humans with computers, including user interface design, user models, usability testing, design guidelines, and user interface evaluations
• Experience obtaining human subject research approval from IRB and similar entities
• Experience developing grant funding proposals
• Strong record of peer-reviewed publications
• Active or Current status U.S. security clearance

To Apply

For full and prompt consideration an applicant must be a US Citizen, and applications should be submitted by 11/25/2024 and include the following materials:

• Cover letter describing research interests and career goals
• Curriculum vitae
• Sample publication, manuscript under review/ in preparation, or similar quality product
• Names and contact information for three professional references