Post-Doctoral Fellow - Computer Science

Position Title: Post-Doctoral Fellow - Computer Science

Pay Range:



Mines is offering an academic year salary of $65,000

Mines takes into consideration a combination of candidate’s education, training and experience as well as the position’s scope and complexity, the discretion and latitude required in the role, work location, and external market and internal value when determining a salary level for potential new employees.



The Opportunity:



*The priority deadline of July 31 has passed, however this listing will remain open through August 31,2022.*

Dr. C. Estelle Smith will begin directing her research lab in January 2023 at the Colorado School of Mines in the Department of Computer Science. Dr. Smith is seeking a post-doctoral research fellow to work on projects related to expanding models of delivery for evidence-based interventions for mental and spiritual healthcare in sociotechnical systems (e.g., social media and online communities). The ideal candidate is expected to help implement an impactful research program in computational spiritual support and mental healthcare, and to work effectively in a highly collaborative and interdisciplinary environment. See https://bit.ly/sacredtech for more information on computational spiritual support.

This is a fully research-based post-doctoral appointment. The position is a one-year appointment, renewable for a second year upon satisfactory performance. There are no teaching responsibilities (beyond mentorship of junior lab members). Research projects will be designed and undertaken cooperatively with Dr. Smith; the successful candidate’s ideas, creativity, critical reasoning, positionality, and future research ambitions are highly valued in this endeavor. The ideal candidate should expect to engage collaboratively with 1-2 community partner(s) (e.g., local clinics or non-profits, spiritual or religious centers, and/or related online communities), and to conduct participatory design-based research with identified collaborators, in order to conceive, design, and prototype novel interventions for supporting communities suffering with mental and/or physical illness, especially by centering spiritual beliefs, wellness, and healing. The nature of such intervention(s) will depend on both stakeholder needs and the candidate’s existing skill sets. However, candidates should expect to focus attention on some subset of the following design domains: bots in online communities (i.e., for governance and community support), support network visualization, UI/UX for care planning or spiritual activities (e.g., prayer, meditation, sacred rituals), AI-assisted communication, or psychological coping skills. See [1,2] for detailed examples.

Applicants should submit a cover letter detailing their interest in this work and how their background prepares them for this style of community-engaged research and design; a CV; 1-2 writing sample(s) (e.g., their most relevant peer-reviewed publication(s)); and at least two letters of reference. There is no expectation that any candidate should possess all Preferred Qualifications listed below; in their application materials, prospective candidates should emphasize which of their prior experiences (if any) are relevant to the specified qualifications, as well as which skills they may not currently possess but are interested in learning. All applications received by July 31, 2022 will receive full consideration; applications received past this time may be considered if the position has not yet been filled. The position will ideally begin in January 2023, however a start date through August 2023 may be considered for the right candidate. Please direct any questions about eligibility, prior experiences, or research possibilities to Dr. Smith via email at estellesmith@mines.edu .

[1] Smith, C. Estelle, et al. "What is Spiritual Support and How Might It Impact the Design of Online Communities?." Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction 5.CSCW1 (2021): 1-42.

[2] Smith, C. Estelle, et al. "Effective Strategies for Crowd-Powered Cognitive Reappraisal Systems: A Field Deployment of the Flip* Doubt Web Application for Mental Health." Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction 5.CSCW2 (2021): 1-37.



Responsibilities:

• Design and conduct empirical studies in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) and Social Computing
• Identify and engage with local and/or online communities to develop strong collaborative research relationships
• Collaboratively produce manuscripts for publication at top tier HCI venues, e.g., CHI, TOCHI, CSCW, ICWSM, WWW, etc.

Additional responsibilities:

• Serve as a research mentor to graduate and undergraduate students
• Contribute to developing and participating in a supportive, social, and productive lab culture
• Perform other duties as assigned

Physical Requirements:

• Physical residency within Colorado is expected for the majority of the appointment; some periods of remote work may be acceptable.
• Occasional travel to local collaborators for fieldwork may be necessary, in addition to travel for presenting papers at conferences.

Minimum Qualifications:

Education and Experience:

• PhD in Computer Science, Information Science, Linguistics, Psychology, Cognitive Science, Religious Studies, or related field.
• All PhD requirements should be completed by the time work commences.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Research experience in human-computer interaction, social computing, computational social science, technology and society, or a related field.
• Strong interest in spirituality/religion/morality/ethics in relation to computing, technology, robotics, and health
• Publication record should demonstrate cross-cutting skillset in HCI methodologies (e.g., ability to employ a variety of complementary quantitative, qualitative, and/or mixed methods)

Preferred Qualifications:

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Community-engaged and participatory design research methods
• Prior experience working with online communities (e.g., Reddit, Wikipedia, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Discord, Twitch, TikTok, etc.)
• Technical skills (e.g., coding, computational notebooks, web development, APIs), and especially specialized knowledge in AI/ML, NLP, Data Science, language generation, or bot design.
• Priority granted to applicants with prior training or clinical experience working with vulnerable populations (especially patients/caregivers dealing with mental and/or physical illness). For example, the following credentials may be favored: prior therapist (e.g., LPC, LMHC), nurse (e.g., BSN, RN), pastor or chaplain (e.g., M.Div, BCC, ACC), and/or prior degree in religious studies, philosophy, ethics, psychology, sociology, etc. (e.g., BA, BS, MS).

About Mines & Golden, CO:
Mines is consistently ranked among the top engineering colleges in the United States and ranks number one as the best public school in the state for best value colleges. Mines is located in the heart of Golden, Colorado, a western suburb of Denver. The campus location offers a small-town ambiance with close proximity to all that the Denver metropolitan area has to offer with an abundance of cultural events, museums, theaters and sporting venues. An arid climate and an average 300 days of sunshine per year make the area an ideal place to live, work and play. We seek individuals who value a diverse and inclusive community – offering different perspectives, experiences, and cultures that enrich the educational and work experience. Equal Opportunity:

Colorado School of Mines is committed to equal opportunity for all persons. Mines does not discriminate on the basis of age, sex, gender (including gender identity and gender expression), ancestry, creed, marital status, race, ethnicity, religion, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, genetic information, veteran status or current military service. Further, Mines does not retaliate against community members for filing complaints regarding or implicating any of these protected statuses.

Mines’ commitment to nondiscrimination, affirmative action, equal opportunity and equal access is reflected in the administration of its policies, procedures, programs and activities and in its efforts to achieve a diverse student body and workforce.

Through its policies, procedures and resources, Mines complies with federal law, Colorado state law, administrative regulations, executive orders and other legal requirements to prevent discrimination (including harassment or retaliation) within the Mines campus community and to address potential allegations of inequity or concerns for safety.

Total Rewards: Mines is proud to provide exceptional benefits that include pay, health & wellness and work/life balance offerings. Our portfolio of benefits includes medical, dental, vision, disability insurance, flexible spending accounts, life insurance, and retirement savings plans. Additionally, Mines employees are eligible for tuition benefits (for employees and dependents), generous paid holidays and leaves and discount programs. Additionally, Mines’ leadership and innovation brings proximity and access to several research centers, consortia, agencies, labs and bleeding edge technology. For more information, visit Mines benefits . How to Apply: Applicants will be asked to complete an online application (personal information, demographic information, references, veterans status) and upload a resume, cover letter, and writing sample (required). References will not be contacted until later in the selection process and you will be informed before that contact is made. Background Investigation Required: Yes

Advertised: Jun 16, 2022 Mountain Daylight Time
Applications close: Aug 31, 2022 11:55 PM Mountain Daylight Time