The Max Planck Research Group for Rationality Enhancement (https://re.is.tuebingen.mpg.de) at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems in Tübingen is looking for Ph.D. students, postdocs, or researchers with a M.Sc. degree interested in developing and evaluating online tools for self-improvement or goal setting. Internships and bachelor/master theses on these topics are also possible.
Our mission is to lay the scientific and technological foundations for helping people improve their minds, achieve their goals, and become the persons they want to be. Our research combines empirical methods from psychology with computational modeling, artificial intelligence, and human-computer interaction to answer fundamental questions about goal setting, goal pursuit, and cognitive growth in synergy with developing practical tools and strategies for supporting and promoting these essential cognitive abilities.
The self-improvement project investigates how we can leverage technology to help people learn from their mistakes, extract wisdom from their day-to-day experiences, and to get better at goal setting and decision-making. We will develop and evaluate self-improvement apps that help people reflect on their decisions, their goals, and their thinking. The successful applicant will prototype potential web apps (e.g., using GuidedTrack) and work with software developers. This empirical part of the project will be performed in synergy with developing and testing models and theories of metacognitive learning and self-improvement.
Job ads:
https://re.is.tuebingen.mpg.de/jobs/phd-position-on-self-improvement-m-f-d
https://re.is.tuebingen.mpg.de/jobs/researcher-or-postdoc-position-on-self-improvement-m-f-d
https://re.is.tuebingen.mpg.de/jobs/internships-b-sc-m-sc-theses-and-research-assistantships
The project on helping people set better goals combines behavioral experiments, computational modeling, designing online tools, and intervention studies to develop a scientific foundation and practical tools for helping people set better goals. Upon identifying a promising intervention, the successful applicant will work with software developers to turn into a tool that can help millions of people.
Job ads:
https://re.is.tuebingen.mpg.de/jobs/phd-position-on-effective-goal-setting-m-f-d
https://re.is.tuebingen.mpg.de/jobs/researcher-or-postdoc-position-on-effective-goal-setting-m-f-d
https://re.is.tuebingen.mpg.de/jobs/internships-b-sc-m-sc-theses-and-research-assistantships
The starting dates for all positions are flexible. Applications should be sent to re-jobs@tuebingen.mpg.de. For questions about the projects please contact Dr. Falk Lieder at falk.lieder@tuebingen.mpg.de.
The Max Planck Society is committed to increasing the number of individuals with disabilities in its workforce and therefore encourages applications from such qualified individuals. The Max Planck Society strives for gender equality and diversity. It seeks to increase the number of women in those areas where they are underrepresented and therefore explicitly encourages women to apply.
Please feel free to spread the word and forward our announcement to qualified applicants.