Postdoctoral Research Associate - College of Engineering - Engineering and Public Policy

Carnegie Mellon University is a private, global research university that stands among the world’s most renowned education institutions. With ground-breaking brain science, path-breaking performances, creative start-ups, big data, big ambitions, hands-on learning, and a whole lot of robots, CMU doesn’t imagine the future, we invent it. If you’re passionate about joining a community that challenges the curious to deliver work that matters, your journey starts here!

The Department of Engineering and Public Policy (EPP) is a unique department in the College of Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University which addresses important problems in technology and policy. We educate technically skilled students to be leaders in policy-focused research; we work on policy problems in which the technology matters.

Carnegie Mellon University’s Department of Engineering and Public Policy is seeking exceptional researchers with an interest in behavioral science, decision science, and human factors for a Postdoctoral Research Associate position at Carnegie Mellon University starting in July, 2026. The researcher will join a federally funded, highly interdisciplinary project to develop a wearable, multimodal maternal–uterine/placental–fetal monitoring system to improve the detection and management of fetal hypoxia during labor. The work spans multiple institutions and brings together expertise in engineering, medicine, social science, and systems design. The researcher(s) will work with a group of scholars across multiple institutions. They will be supervised by Dr. Baruch Fischhoff at Carnegie Mellon University and Dr. Tamar Krishnamurti at the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Medicine. This is a two-year appointment in the Department of Engineering and Public Policy, with the possibility of extension, contingent on funding and performance.

With your application please include:

• Curriculum vitae
• Cover letter describing your research background and interest in this position (max 2 pages)
• One representative writing sample (e.g., published paper or manuscript)
• Contact information for three professional references

Core Responsibilities:

• Lead and contribute to user research studies, including experimental and observational survey studies, expert and patient interviews, user-centered design workshops, and observations in clinical and labor/delivery settings.
• Design and analyze experimental and mixed-methods studies
• Apply human-centered design principles to the development and evaluation of the monitoring system
• Collaborate with a multidisciplinary team of engineers, clinicians, and social scientists across institutions
• Co-author peer-reviewed publications and present findings at conferences
• Contribute to grant reporting and project communications
• Travel as needed to partner institutions and relevant conferences
• Other duties as assigned.

Adaptability, excellence, and passion are vital qualities within Carnegie Mellon University. We are in search of a team member who can effectively interact with a varied population of internal and external partners at a high level of integrity. We are looking for someone who shares our values and who will support the mission of the university through their work.

Qualifications:

• Ph.D. in a behavioral science discipline (decision science, psychology, or a related field) with an applied focus on engineering, medicine, or systems design
• Strong methodological and mixed-methods skills, including experimental design, survey and sampling design, and data analysis
• Ability to work effectively in multidisciplinary, multi-institutional environments
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• A track record of peer-reviewed scientific publications
• A commitment to maternal health and health equity
• A combination of education and relevant experience from which comparable knowledge is demonstrated may be considered.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience conducting research in clinical or hospital settings
• Familiarity with wearable technologies or biomedical device development
• Experience with machine learning methods applied to behavioral or health data
• Experience with qualitative data collection (e.g., semi-structured interviews, focus groups, human-centered design workshops, coding)
• Experience with human-centered design frameworks (e.g., participatory design, co-design)

This is an in-person position based at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, PA. Some travel to the University of Pittsburgh and to relevant conferences or clinical sites is expected.