Postdoctoral position in discourse and learning sciences at the Institute for Intelligent Systems at the University of Memphis

The Institute for Intelligent Systems in conjunction with the Psychology Department at the University of Memphis invites applications for a Postdoctoral position in discourse and learning sciences under the direction of Dr. Art Graesser. The candidate will conduct research on a grant funded by the Institute of Education Sciences. This project develops and tests intelligent tutoring systems and collaborative learning environments with conversational agents that interact with learners in natural language. Therefore, a strong command of the English language is essential. The Postdoctoral position is for two years, with continuation to the second year contingent on renewal of grants/contracts and the outcome of annual evaluations. The candidate will have the opportunity to collaborate with other institutions such as Georgia State University, University of Toronto, and Brock University.
The research project has an interdisciplinary scope that requires skills in several fields in order to adequately develop and test the agent-based learning environments. These learning environments cover a variety of different subject matters and applications, including training in comprehension strategies with AutoTutor for the Center for the Study of Adult Literacy and small group interactions. The relevant specialized skills include (1) collecting and analyzing data in experiments utilizing statistical, computational, and qualitative methodologies, (2) developing and modifying learning environments with agents using authoring tools that manage conversations, and (3) mining educational data with advances in computational linguistics, natural language understanding, and machine learning. The candidate that is trained in cognitive or social psychology, discourse processing, learning science, educational technology, computational linguistics, artificial intelligence, and other related fields are encouraged to apply. The research project is collaborative and interdisciplinary so it is important for the candidate to be able to work in research teams and mentor graduate and undergraduate students.
The Institute for Intelligent Systems (IIS) is housed in the FedEx Institute of Technology on the campus of the University of Memphis. The IIS (now over 30 years) is dedicated to advancing the state of knowledge and capabilities of intelligent systems, including psychological, biological, and artificial systems. Implementing our interdisciplinary mission requires assembling researchers in psychology, computer science, engineering, education, communication sciences & disorders, English/linguistics, philosophy, physics and other departments or colleges.