Postdoctoral Scholar in Psychometrics and Statistics
Position Overview
Organization: College of Education
Title: Postdoctoral Scholar in Psychometrics and Statistics
Position Details
Position Description
The Measurement, Analytics, and Psychometrics (MAP) Lab is seeking a Postdoctoral Scholar with experience in high-dimensional latent variable models and related applications in large-scale assessments. The appointment is for one year at 100% FTE, with a flexible starting date in Winter 2025.
The successful candidate would join a research team that is very experienced in statistical modeling of large-scale students learning data/electronic health record data and developing efficient computational algorithms and tools. The postdoctoral researcher will play a central role in advancing and expanding the lab’s research agenda to tackle the “big data” challenge in both education and health measurement data. Examples of target areas for scholarship include variational methods, latent regression models, graphic models, etc. The person who fills the position will be mentored by Dr. Chun Wang.
Duties: Design, implement, conduct, and publish studies related to using and developing cutting edge machine learning and statistical methods (such as variational methods) to better approach massive measurement data. Maintain and further expand (if needed) the current VEMIRT R package (https://map-lab-uw.github.io/VEMIRT/). Contribute to research related to cognitive diagnostic models, and contribute to new grant development and writing.
Postdoctoral scholars are represented by UAW 4121 and are subject to the collective bargaining agreement, unless agreed exclusion criteria apply. For more information, please visit the University of Washington Labor Relations website: https://hr.uw.edu/labor/academic-and-student-unions/uaw-postdocs/uaw-postdoc-contract.
The full-time salary range is between $5,705 - $5,833 per month, commensurate with experience and qualifications, or as mandated by a U.S. Department of Labor prevailing wage determination.
Qualifications
A Ph.D. in quantitative psychology, educational measurement & statistics, statistics, data science, or a closely related field is required. The ideal candidate will be well-grounded in latent variable models; be flexible, dependable, and meticulous; have excellent oral and written communication skills; and have a deep programming skill in R (preferably also in C and Python). The candidate should show evidence of innovation in quantitative methodology, as well as possess abilities to work effectively in a fast-paced environment. The ideal candidate will have a strong interest and capacity to bridge data science, psychometrics, and educational measurement.
Instructions
Applications must be submitted electronically to Interfolio at https://apply.interfolio.com/153504: (a) a brief letter of interest with an explicit statement relating scholarly background to latent variable modeling and programming, (b) a CV, (c) a single writing sample most appropriate to the described position, (d) one example of computer code, and (e) names and contact information for at least three references.
To be certain of full consideration, applications must be received by October 31, 2024, but review of applications will continue until the position is filled.
Interested candidates can contact Dr. Chun Wang at wang4066@uw.edu with questions.
Equal Employment Opportunity Statement
University of Washington is an affirmative action and equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, pregnancy, genetic information, gender identity or expression, age, disability, or protected veteran status.
Benefits Information
A summary of benefits associated with this title/rank can be found at https://hr.uw.edu/benefits/benefits-orientation/benefit-summary-pdfs/. Appointees solely employed and paid directly by a non-UW entity are not UW employees and are not eligible for UW or Washington State employee benefits.
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