Postdoctoral Scholar, Intelligent Virtual Reality Systems

Position Overview

The University of Central Florida (UCF) invites applications for a two-year postdoctoral research scholar position in the School of Modeling, Simulation, and Training (SMST). The selected candidate will work on a funded project focusing on the design, development, and testing of an intelligent virtual-reality system for empathy training for local government employees in Orlando, Florida. The project aims to use multimodal data (e.g., verbalizations, physiological sensors, eye movements, and human-system interactions) to enhance cognitive, metacognitive, and affective processes and to train employees on emotion regulation strategies to address major societal challenges. The postdoctoral scholar will work with Dr. Roger Azevedo and his interdisciplinary team—including experts from Psychology, Computer Science, Engineering, and Modeling and Simulation, as well as industry partners and government officials—to conceptualize laboratory and real-world studies, coordinate project milestones, attend team meetings, contribute to annual reports, facilitate team management, lead scholarly writing, and translate research findings into modifications of the system’s architecture.

Key Responsibilities

• Conduct research on the design, development, and testing of an intelligent virtual-reality system for empathy training, including conceptualization and execution of studies using multimodal data.
• Collaborate with an interdisciplinary team of academic, industry, and government partners to plan and execute laboratory and field studies.
• Coordinate project milestones, attend team meetings, and contribute to annual reports and scholarly writing initiatives.
• Analyze and interpret multimodal and multichannel data (e.g., log files, eye tracking, physiological sensors, facial expressions) to inform system improvements.

Required Qualifications

• A Ph.D. in Cognitive, Human Factors, or Educational Psychology, Cognitive or Affective Sciences, or a related field from an accredited institution.
• Research experience in one or more of the following areas: emotion, emotion regulation, self-regulated learning (SRL), virtual humans, or affective computing.
• Experience with planning, coordinating, and conducting mixed-methods studies in a variety of real-world contexts both in-person and remotely.
• Experience collecting and analyzing data on emotions, emotion regulation, and self-regulated learning using both qualitative and quantitative methods.
• Experience developing and adapting qualitative coding schemes based on dialogue and behaviors from various data sources (video, audio, eye movements, log files).
• Experience working with physiological sensors (e.g., skin conductance) and eye-trackers (e.g., integrated in VR headsets).
• Excellent interpersonal, writing, and research skills.
• Strong time management and organizational skills, with the ability to prioritize and meet deadlines.
• Demonstrated ability to work both independently and as part of a collaborative research team.
• Experience mentoring graduate and undergraduate students.

Preferred Qualifications

• Exceptional interdisciplinary research experience, including proficiency in advanced statistical methods (e.g., HLM, SEM), programming skills (e.g., R, Python, MATLAB), and data mining techniques for analyzing performance outcomes, self-report measures, and multimodal multichannel data.
• Prior experience and a demonstrated commitment to publishing research.
• Experience in the design, development, and testing of immersive virtual environments, intelligent systems, affective sciences, virtual humans, pedagogical agents, and/or advanced learning technologies.