Research Associate, Education and Research Focus - School of Computer Science - HCII

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 PLUS - Personalized Learning Squared project, run by the Human-Computer Interaction Institute at Carnegie Mellon University, aims to double the rate of math learning in middle school students, particularly those historically underserved. This project is operated in collaboration with Carnegie Learning and Stanford University and is led by Principal Investigator Prof. Ken Koedinger.

Our program features a hybrid tutoring platform that combines human and AI tutoring to deliver personalized learning for each student. We currently work with Pennsylvania, Maryland, and California school districts, with over a dozen schools on the waitlist. Our team consists of diverse individuals with backgrounds ranging from experienced educators, researchers, and engineers with prior experience in high-tech organizations to small startups, and we operate in a fast-paced and fun environment.

We seek an enthusiastic individual with a keen interest in exploring the role of technology in educational settings. Our work intersects with Artificial Intelligence, Learning Sciences, and Human-Computer Interaction. As a member of our team, you will play a crucial role in advancing our research by contributing to the improvement of tools designed to enhance the effectiveness of tutors in aiding students during their learning sessions. This position offers the unique opportunity to collaborate with and learn from experts at CMU and Stanford. Your contributions will be instrumental in our goal of providing equal educational opportunities to students from varied socio-economic backgrounds. The ideal candidate will be naturally inquisitive and capable of independently identifying and pursuing research questions that emerge during their work, with an emphasis on deriving meaningful insights and contributions.

Core Responsibilities

• Tagging and coding of qualitative data, such as user response data.
• Applying mixed methods analysis of quantitative and qualitative data.
• Conducting quantitative analysis using R/Python or similar statistical packages.
• Creating instructional lessons and materials that are driven by research.
• Conducting literature reviews of education research.

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:

• Bachelor's Degree required.
• Previous research lab experience required.
• Academic and educational research experience, preferably within K-12 public education.
• Instructional design and/or learning engineering knowledge.
• Experience with content creation, such as creating curriculum and instructional materials.
• Experience with education data analysis or learning analytics is a plus.
• Effective communication skills.
• Some prior publication experience is a plus.
• A combination of education and proven experience from which comparable knowledge is demonstrated may be considered.

Requirements:

• Successful completion of a pre-employment background check