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Postdoctoral fellow (Not available currently)

The Cognitive & Neural Computation Lab in the Department of Psychology at Yale University is hiring a Postdoctoral Fellow to start in Fall 2019 or soon after. We are seeking a candidate to lead an exciting research program in Bayesian scene perception combining computational modeling, psychophysics, and neural imaging. This is a 2 year appointment renewable for an additional year or two based on mutual agreement.

Research in the lab aims to elucidate biological computations supporting how we see, reason about, and interact with the objects and people in our physical environment. We approach this goal by building computational models that make contact with psychophysical and neural data and that give integrated accounts of behavior, cognitive processes, and neural function. Work in the lab utilizes a diverse technical toolkit spanning the fields of artificial intelligence, machine learning, robotics, and computer graphics. You can find further information about our research here.

The successful candidate is expected to work independently, interfacing with and contributing to this technical toolkit in their computational work, and engaging in empirical studies involving psychophysics and/or neural imaging. The successful candidate will have opportunities to collaborate with other faculty in the department including Brian Scholl and Nick Turk-Browne.

Relevant background for this position include (1) a PhD in cognitive science, cognitive neuroscience, artificial intelligence or a related field, and (2) prior experience in probabilistic machine learning, behavioral experimentation, and/or neural imaging.

Applicants should send an email to Ilker Yildirim at ilker.yildirim@yale.edu with the subject line “Postdoc application” and include the following items.

-- Summary description of your research program so far
-- Up to date CV
-- Contact information for 3 references

Graduate Students

We are looking to hire motivated graduate students this coming cycle. If you are interested, please email Ilker with an up to date CV, a description of your research interests and how you see your interests fit in the lab’s research. We take applications through the Psychology, Interdepartmental Neuroscience, and the Statistics & Data Science graduate programs.

We are generally interested in students with strong quantitative skills, preferably with previous research experience in cognitive science, psychology, or neuroscience. The most relevant quantitative skills are coursework or experience in machine learning, linear algebra, or probability, in addition to some level of programming background. Most importantly, we are looking for students who are highly motivated individuals and who are highly interested in the lab's research directions. See the About tab to find out more about our research.

Postbac Research Associate at Yale Psychology

The Cognitive & Neural Computation Lab in the Department of Psychology at Yale University is hiring a Postbac Research Associate to start in Summer or Fall 2019. We are seeking a candidate with strong programming skills and a computational background to be involved in the design and engineering of software to support the research in the lab. This is a 1 year appointment renewable for an additional year based on mutual agreement.

Research in the lab aims to elucidate biological computations supporting how we see, reason about, and interact with our physical environments. We approach this goal by building computational models of perception and cognition that make contact with behavioral and neural data and that give integrated accounts of behavior, cognitive processes, and neural function. Work in the lab utilizes a diverse technical toolkit spanning the fields of artificial intelligence, machine learning, robotics, and computer graphics.

The successful candidate is expected to interface with and contribute to this technical toolkit, including programming simulation environments and implementing machine learning algorithms, and to support building and executing online psychophysical experiments.

We are a new lab at Yale, set to begin operating in July 1st 2019, and there are many exciting opportunities to contribute to our research and to learn about diverse interdisciplinary topics at the intersection of psychology, neuroscience, and computer science. You can find further information about our research here.

Desiderata:

  • Coursework or significant experience in machine learning and/or probability.
  • Strong programming skills in Python.
  • Experience in machine learning and optimization libraries is a plus (e.g., PyTorch, TensorFlow).
  • Experience in game engine programming is a plus (e.g., Bullet, Unity, Blender).
  • Experience programming in Julia, R, or Javascript is a plus.

Applicants should send an email to Ilker at ilker.yildirim@yale.edu with the subject line “Postbac Research Associate application” and include the following items.

  1. Up to date CV and contact information for 3 references
  2. A link to your GitHub page
  3. A summary description of your research interests

Yale Undergraduates

We are always looking for highly motivated Yale undergraduates to join our lab and help with ongoing projects. If you are interested, please email Ilker your up to date CV and a summary description of your research interests.