Postdoc Position on Gaming and Decision Making – Northeastern University, USA

The Playable Innovative Technologies (PLAIT) Lab at Northeastern University is seeking a Post Doctoral Research Associate (Post Doc) to join our fast-growing game research group with expertise in Game User Research, Game Analytics, Game Artificial Intelligence, and Games for Impact (see www.northeastern.edu/games). The research position involves assisting in empirical studies and in writing research papers on the topic of gaming and decision making. Additional responsibilities include grant proposal preparation and laboratory management.

Playing games is about making decisions. In this project, the Post Doc will be involved with a number of small-scale, exploratory empirical studies using existing and newly developed games in the context of security and sustainability. On the one hand, the studies will investigate what we can learn from player decisions about the player and/or about decision making; on the other hand, the studies will investigate what players have learned from making decisions in a game. Novel methodologies, including eye-tracking, are used and developed and so the ideal candidate has a strong methodological background. The Post Doc will furthermore be involved with writing grants for large-scale studies and review articles and with building and managing a laboratory on this topic. An opportunity exists to become involved with the design of one or more games and supervise undergraduate students. The work will be performed under the guidance of Dr. Casper Harteveld, an Assistant Professor of Game Design. As most studies will involve collaborations with other PLAIT members and faculty from across Northeastern University, the Post Doc will experience a wide variety of interactions with various researchers.

We seek candidates who have a PhD in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Management Science, Cognitive Science, or related areas. Successful candidate will have an interdisciplinary background, an interest in games for impact, and expertise in empirical research. With regards to empirical research, candidates should demonstrate knowledge of quantitative and qualitative methodologies and of being able to run experiments involving technology and people. Candidates should ideally also demonstrate coding abilities and expertise in grant preparation.

All applications must be submitted electronically athttp://www.northeastern.edu/camd/about/careers/. Salary is competitive. We expect the position to start January 2014 for 1 year with the possibility of a 1 year renewal contingent on funding and performance. Your application should include:

Deadline for the application is November 1st. However, we will review the applications as they arrive. The position will be open until filled. For more information, please contact Dr. Harteveld (c.harteveld@neu.edu).