Application timeline
Position Summary
The National Science Foundation is seeking qualified candidates for a Program Director in Cognitive Science – Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the Division of Behavioral and Cognitive Sciences (BCS) within the Directorate for Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences (SBE), Alexandria, VA.
BCS is a division within SBE and is responsible for the support of fundamental research in all behavioral and cognitive science fields. The Division is composed of standing programs in the Psychological and Language Sciences as well as the Anthropological and Geographic Sciences.
For more information on SBE please click here.
For more information on BCS please click here.
The successful applicant is expected to assume responsibilities as Program Director for Cognitive Science-AI. The responsibilities of NSF Program Directors are dynamic and constantly evolving. Program Directors have an opportunity and responsibility to ensure NSF-funded research is at the forefront of advancing fundamental knowledge. In support of that, Program Directors are responsible for extensive interaction with academic research communities, as well as interaction with other Federal agencies that may lead to development of interagency collaborations. Within this context, Program Directors solicit, receive and review research proposals, make funding recommendations, administer awards, and undertake interaction with research communities in their fields.
Fundamental tasks include the administration of the merit review process and proposal recommendations, program budget administration, participation in strategic planning for the program, division, directorate, and agency, the preparation of public-facing materials highlighting advances in the supported research, as well as coordination with related programs in NSF or in other agencies and organizations.
The Program Director is guided by the goals of NSF's Strategic Plan: (1) enable the United States to uphold a position of world leadership in all aspects of science, mathematics, and engineering, (2)
promote the discovery, integration, dissemination, and employment of new knowledge in service to society, and (3) achieve excellence in U.S. science, mathematics, engineering, and technology education at all levels. The core strategies NSF staff employ include developing intellectual capital, strengthening the physical infrastructure, integrating research and education, and promoting partnerships.
Position Description
We seek a Program Director who will cultivate a cognitive science portfolio that uses novel AI techniques and theories to address behavioral science issues. The Program Director will advance foundational AI research that promotes AI systems and technologies that contribute to an understanding of human perception, behavior, and social interaction, expands the understanding of the brain, and leverages AI capabilities to enhance learning.
Successful candidates are expected to develop initiatives that advance theory in core BCS disciplines by application of artificial intelligence models and network science methods. This includes multi-scale, multi-level network data and techniques of network analysis about individual and group behavior. Candidates will support basic research on the interaction between cognitive science and artificial intelligence, encouraging proposals that develop new theories or methods for understanding behavior that engage with the rapid advances being made in artificial intelligence, as well as interdisciplinary, multidisciplinary and convergent research approaches. Research is expected to yield results that will enhance, expand, and transform theory and methods, and that generate novel understandings of human behavior and how humans interact with emerging AI technologies – particularly understandings that can lead to significant opportunities or societal benefits. Research areas of interest include studying systems using AI and machine learning to investigate perception, image and video analyses, object detection, recognition, and tracking, social and spatial cognition, decision-making, attention, and control processes, as well as natural language processing (NLP). Successful candidates are also expected to utilize their expertise to engage with other programs in the division, the directorate, and across the agency in relevant cross-directorate programs and initiatives relating to their expertise in AI.
The position recruited under this announcement will be filled under the following appointment option(s):
Intergovernmental Personnel Act (IPA) Assignment: Individuals eligible for an IPA assignment with a Federal agency include employees of State and local government agencies or institutions of higher education, Indian tribal governments, and other eligible organizations in instances where such assignments would be of mutual benefit to the organizations involved. Initial assignments under IPA provisions may be made for a period up to two years, with a possible extension for up to an additional two-year period. The individual remains an employee of the home institution and NSF provides the negotiated funding toward the assignee's salary and benefits. Initial IPA assignments are made for a one-year period and may be extended by mutual agreement.
Temporary Excepted Service Appointment: Appointment to this position will be made under the Excepted Authority of the NSF Act. Candidates who do not have civil service status or reinstatement eligibility will not obtain civil service status if selected. Candidates currently in the competitive service will be required to waive competitive civil service rights if selected. Usual civil service benefits (retirement, health benefits and life insurance) are applicable for appointments of more than one year. Temporary appointments may not exceed three years.
Visiting Scientist, Engineer, and Educator (VSEE) Program: Appointment to this position will be made under the Excepted Authority of the NSF Act. Visiting Scientists are on non-paid leave status from their home institution and placed on the NSF payroll. NSF withholds Social Security taxes and pays the home institution's contributions to maintain retirement and fringe benefits (i.e., health benefits and life insurance), either directly to the home institution or to the carrier. Appointments are usually made for a one-year period and may be extended for an additional year by mutual agreement.
Candidates must have a Ph.D. or equivalent in an appropriate field such as Cognitive Science, Cognitive Neuroscience, Computational Linguistics, Computer Vision, or other relevant fields. In addition, the candidate must have six or more years of successful research after award of the doctorate degree, and research administration, editorial, and/or managerial experience pertinent to the position.
A successful candidate will also demonstrate effective oral and written communication skills. Familiarity with NSF programs and activities is highly desirable. The candidate is expected to function effectively as a member of crosscutting and interactive teams as well as be an individual contributor. The candidate must also demonstrate a capability to promote NSF activities and to work closely with a broad spectrum of behavioral and social sciences.
To apply, send a cover letter outlining qualifications and reason for interest in the position and an up-to-date curriculum vitae to the Chair of the search committee, Dr. Simon Fischer-Baum, sfischer@nsf.gov.
Consideration of applications will begin March 6, 2024.