Psych dept: “We are especially interested in candidates whose research program contributes to the development of new quantitative methods”

This is cool. The #1 psychology department in the world is looking for a quantitative researcher:

The Department of Psychology at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, invites applications for a tenure-track faculty position. The expected start date is September 1, 2016. The primary criterion for appointment is excellence in research and teaching. We are especially interested in candidates whose research program contributes to the development of new quantitative methods.

Although the specific research area is open, we are especially interested in applicants for whom quantitative theoretical modeling, which could include computational models, analytic models, statistical models or psychometric models, is an essential part of their research program. The successful candidate will participate in the teaching rotation of graduate-level statistics and methods. Quantitative psychologists from all areas of psychology and related disciplines are encouraged to apply. This is a university-year appointment.

Successful candidates must have a Ph.D. in a relevant discipline (e.g. Bio-statistics, Psychology) by the time the position starts, and a commitment to undergraduate and graduate teaching. New faculty hired at the Assistant Professor level will be expected to establish an independent research program. Please submit a letter of intent, curriculum vitae, a statement of current and future research plans, a statement of teaching philosophy and experience, and evidence of teaching excellence (if any).

Applicants should also request at least three letters of recommendation from referees. All materials should be uploaded by September 30, 2015 as a single PDF attachment to https://psychology-lsa.applicantstack.com/x/apply/a2s9hqlu3cgv. For inquiries about the positions please contact Richard Gonzalez. [email protected].

The University of Michigan is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. Qualified women and minority candidates are encouraged to apply. The University is supportive of the needs of dual-career couples.

14 thoughts on “Psych dept: “We are especially interested in candidates whose research program contributes to the development of new quantitative methods”

  1. With the caveat that I can’t tell if your post is actually a dig — this job ad is not actually that surprising to me. Quantitative psychology is a small subdiscipline, I believe, but it’s not anything new.

  2. Michigan was tied for 4th (w/ Harvard and Yale) in the most recent US News & World Report rankings, FWIW. Stanford was #1 while Berkeley and UCLA were tied for 2nd.

  3. Michigan was one of the top departments in quantitative psychology in the 1970’s, along with Chapel Hill and Stanford. Amos Tversky taught there. Coombs, Dawes, and Tversky’s “Mathematical Psychology” (Prentice-Hall, 1970) was (and still is, I think) the best introduction to this area. Mathematical psychology and psychometrics isn’t just about statistics, as that book makes clear. Coombs’ “A Theory of Data” (Wiley, 1964) is still worth reading. Few statisticians know about it.

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