Assistant Professor – Mechanisms of Madness: Computationally (De)constructing Delusions, School of Culture and Society at University of Aarhus

The School of Culture and Society at Aarhus University invites applications for the position of assistant professor of Computational Cognitive Science based at the Department of Culture, Computation, and Cognition.

The appointment is a full time and fixed-term three-year position. The position begins on 1st May 2024 or as soon as possible thereafter.

Place of employment: Nobelparken, Jens Chr. Skous Vej, 8000 Aarhus C.

The university is keen for its staff to reflect the diversity of society and thus welcomes applications from all qualified applicants, regardless of their personal background.

Members of the academic staff at the School of Culture and Society are expected to contribute to a vibrant, enjoyable and friendly work environment. We emphasise the importance of active participation in the daily life of the department.

The position

The successful applicant is expected to work on theory development and mathematical modelling, computer programming, and manuscript publication related to the project Mechanisms of Madness, which will be conducted at the Interacting Minds Centre during the period of employment. The successful applicant will contribute to the projects main theoretical research aim: developing artificially intelligent agents which navigate environments whose ambiguities can be resolved in realistic as well as in delusional ways. The successful applicant will also be required to teach courses on Aarhus University’s Cognitive Science degree programmes, and Aarhus University’s BA elective in Cultural Data Science. The applicant will also be required to complete Aarhus University’s Pedagogical Program, as part of the Assistant Professorship. Specific tasks include:

• Software development and maintenance for the project
• Data management and analysis
• Training student helpers
• Establishing collaborations with other research groups.
• Publishing research relating to the project
• Teaching the course Methods 2: The General Linear Model on the BSc Cognitive Science
• Teaching the course Introduction to Cultural Data Science on the BA Elective in Cultural Data Science
• Supervising MSc thesis projects related to the aims of the project

Qualifications

Applicants are expected to document the following qualifications:

• Doctoral degree or equal qualifications in cognitive science, computer science, mathematics, biomedical engineering, or a related discipline
• Expertise in computational modelling
• Proficiency in computer programming using Julia, Python, R, and Matlab
• Familiarity with the field of computational psychiatry
• Experience in data preprocessing
• Literacy in data management and data analysis
• Teaching experience in cognitive modelling and computational methods for cognitive science
• A professional level of English (spoken and written)
• Excellent attention to detail
• A methodological and structured approach to work and good organisational skills
• Good time-management skills and the ability to meet deadlines
• Good interpersonal and collaborative skills

Applicants who can document experience gained in similar roles will have an advantage, but this is not a requirement.

Work environment

Active participation in the daily life of the department is a high priority, and we emphasise the importance of good working relationships, both among colleagues and with our students. In order to maintain and develop the department’s excellent teaching and research environment, the successful applicant is expected to be present at the department on a daily basis.