Research Scientist

Dr. Neil Heffernan seeks a full-time research scientist to join his lab. The position will support and advance research across several funded projects with Heffernan and his non-profit organization, the ASSISTments Foundation (TAF). This research position is based at WPI, but will closely communicate and coordinate with TAF.

The ASSISTments platform itself is a responsive online learning platform that is teacher-paced and evidence-based. ASSISTments is used by 20,000 teachers and 100,000 students per year, and is uniquely positioned because it enables scientists to create and test interventions to help students better learn. The ASSISTments platform is one of few available K-12 math tools proven effective through rigorous randomized controlled research.

We are looking for an individual with a masters degree in computer or data science with software engineering skills to support research projects related to AI in education. This is a great opportunity for a recent graduate who wants to work as part of an R1 research lab to advance the field of learning sciences & technology.

We seek a continuous learner, considering a Ph.D, who has an "all-hands-on-deck" mentality, and is able to work both individually and as part of a team. Similar to the role of "post-doc," the initial appointment is for one year, renewable based on mutual interest and continued funding.

If you are interested, please submit a resume and cover letter that explains your interest and qualifications. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled. Applications without cover letters will not be reviewed.

Responsibilities:

• Collaborate with and support PI’s team of Ph.D students and research scientists
• Collaborate with the ASSISTment Foundation's product team and software engineers.
• Build and maintain the machine-learning software infrastructure that runs research projects within the ASSISTments platform.

Technical Requirements

• A masters degree in computer science, data science, artificial intelligence, or information sciences.
• Python
• PostgreSQL
• Prompt engineering for user-facing application features
• Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG)
• Qualitative and quantitative techniques for evaluating model output
• Data cleaning and processing
• Statistical analysis
• Git + Git Hub
• AWS

Professional Requirements

• Strong written and oral communication skills and the ability to target communication to various audiences, including academics, industry professionals, and teacher users of ASSISTments.
• Experience coordinating cross-team projects, managing timelines and stakeholders, and strategizing creative solutions towards clear goals with exceptional attention to detail.
• Proactive, thoughtful, and entrepreneurial work style on both highly independent and team projects.
• Experience with the Google suite of office products.
• Experience with databases such as AirTable or GoogleSheets (spreadsheets).

Preferred

• Experience in K-12 education organizations preferred.
• Experience in working with a start-up team.
• Experience in working with IRBs or human subjects preferred.