New England HERC

The Meta-Cognition and Applied Memory Lab at Tufts University invites applications for a postdoctoral research associate to contribute to ongoing NSF Growing Convergence Research projects examining how students experience and respond to uncertainty during STEM learning. In this work, uncertainty refers to situations in which learners encounter information they cannot immediately interpret, resolve, or integrate. This includes moments of confusion during problem solving, conflicting interpretations of data, incomplete or ambiguous explanations, and breakdowns in understanding while learning new concepts. These experiences can lead to productive engagement and deeper learning, or to disengagement and avoidance, depending on how they are interpreted and regulated.

The research focuses on identifying the cognitive, affective, and social processes that shape these responses. Current projects examine how students monitor and interpret their own confusion, how those interpretations guide attention and information seeking, and how patterns of responding to uncertainty develop over time. A central component of the work also examines autobiographical memory for past experiences of uncertainty in learning, including how individuals recall and reinterpret prior episodes of confusion and how those memories shape future engagement, persistence, and sense of agency in STEM contexts.

The postdoctoral associate will design and conduct experimental and field-based studies, analyze behavioral and related data, and contribute to manuscript preparation and project deliverables. The position involves collaboration with interdisciplinary partners and includes opportunities to mentor graduate and undergraduate researchers.

We are particularly interested in candidates with experience in one or more of the following areas:

• Metacognition and self-regulated learning in STEM contexts
• Cognitive and affective responses to confusion, ambiguity, or unresolved information
• Autobiographical memory and its role in shaping learning or decision-making
• Experimental design and quantitative analysis (e.g., mixed-effects models or related approaches)
• Research conducted in classroom or other in situ learning environments
• Modeling based approaches

This position offers the opportunity to contribute to a set of coordinated projects examining how students interpret and respond to uncertainty in STEM learning and how those processes can be leveraged to support sustained engagement and effective learning.

Applicants should have a Ph.D. in psychology, cognitive science, education, or a related field by the start date. Strong methodological and analytical skills are required.

The appointment is for one year, with the possibility of renewal based on performance, funding, and mutual agreement. 

About Tufts University

This is Tufts. Tufts is a student-centered research university with a constellation of world-class schools encompassing undergraduate, graduate, professional, and lifelong learning programs. Across the university, students satisfy their intellectual curiosity, jump-start rewarding careers, and unlock bright, promising futures. Through rigorous academics, groundbreaking research, and a commitment to civic engagement and leadership, our community of students, faculty, and staff collaborate across four Massachusetts campuses to build a brighter world (Medford/Somerville, Grafton, Boston-Chinatown, and Boston-Fenway). Our employees light the way. Tufts develops innovative solutions for the most complex global challenges of our time through teaching, research, and an unparalleled investment in civic engagement. In administration and operations, in dining centers and in labs, every employee plays a role in our mission for a better, brighter world. At Tufts, the work you do matters. So do you. Enjoy flexible and remote opportunities, innovative benefits, and an inclusive, welcoming, collaborative culture that supports you. Develop your skills. Take classes. Advance your career. ...Do work that makes you proud in a community you love. All while taking great care of yourself and the people who matter most. We’re all in on creating an anti-racist culture of belonging. Across Tufts, we’ve deepened our commitment to making the university a truly inclusive place. Where every member of our community contributes and feels like they belong. Where diverse perspectives are seen as our strength, and great ideas are always heard. In offices, labs, classrooms, and beyond, we’re doing this work together, knowing it is the foundation of our mission to create a brighter world. An innovative university needs resourceful people who make things happen. Here, collaboration isn’t just a buzzword, colleagues actually care, and community means everything. Sound appealing? Come join us. Choose a campus and find the role that fits you. Tufts University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. We are committed to increasing the diversity of our faculty and staff and fostering their success when hired. Members of underrepresented groups are welcome and strongly encouraged to apply. See the University’s Non-Discrimination statement and policy here https://oeo.tufts.edu/policies-procedures/non-discrimination/. If you are an applicant with a disability who is unable to use our online tools to search and apply for jobs, please contact us by calling the Office of Equal Opportunity (OEO) at 617-627-3298 or at oeo@tufts.edu. Applicants can learn more about requesting reasonable accommodations at https://oeo.tufts.edu/

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