Postdoctoral Fellow in Human-AI Systems for Expert Judgment
Wisdom & Culture Lab, University of Waterloo, Canada
Anticipated start: Winter/Spring 2027
When does combining human expertise with AI improve judgment, and when does the interaction introduce new errors? The Wisdom & Culture Lab at the University of Waterloo is seeking a postdoctoral fellow for a new interdisciplinary research program on human-AI systems for expert judgment and forecasting.
The project brings together judgment and decision making, human-AI interaction, forecasting, metacognition, and computational social science. We will explore what forms of human-AI interaction amount to better, calibrated judgment, and more appropriate reliance on AI.
The fellow will serve as a scientific integration lead across behavioral research, AI-supported decision systems, and applied expert judgment. The project is conducted in partnership with Defence Research and Development Canada (DRDC) and provides unusual opportunities to connect fundamental behavioral research with real-world expert communities. The postdoc will work closely with Professor Igor Grossmann, DRDC scientist Dr. David Mandel, technical personnel, and other collaborators.
Responsibilities
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Lead research on human-AI collaboration in judgment and forecasting
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Design and conduct rigorous, preregistered behavioral experiments
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Study how AI-supported reasoning affects judgment, confidence, and uncertainty
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Examine what works, for whom, and under what conditions
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Analyze complex repeated-measures behavioral and forecasting data
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Translate findings from judgment and decision science into experimentally testable approaches to human-AI interaction
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Collaborate closely with AI/software researchers and external research partners.
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Lead manuscripts, technical reports, and scientific dissemination
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Mentor graduate and undergraduate researchers and develop related independent research
Qualifications
Applicants should have completed, or expect to complete before starting, a PhD in psychology, cognitive science, judgment and decision making, behavioral economics, HCI, computational social science, information science, or a related field.
Competitive candidates will have:
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Strong training in experimental design and quantitative methods
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Experience conducting rigorous behavioral research
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Strong R and/or Python skills
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Experience with preregistration and reproducible research
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Interest in human judgment, forecasting, reasoning, metacognition, or human-AI interaction
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Enough computational fluency to collaborate effectively with AI researchers and engineers
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Excellent scientific writing and collaborative skills
Experience with probabilistic forecasting, confidence calibration, expert judgment, multilevel modeling, experiments involving LLMs, or research with professional populations would be particularly useful.
Employment details
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Full-time, 1.0 FTE postdoctoral fellowship
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Initial 12-month appointment, with anticipated renewal through the funded project period subject to funding and satisfactory performance
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CAD $70,000/year + applicable benefits
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Based at the University of Waterloo; hybrid work may be possible, with occasional project travel
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Start date: Immediately/Winter-Spring 2027, with some flexibility
All research conducted at Waterloo under the project is unclassified and intended for conventional scientific publication and dissemination.
Application
Please submit a cover letter, CV, 2/3-page research statement, up to three representative publications/preprints, and contact information for three referees.
In your cover letter, briefly describe a situation in which giving someone access to a capable AI system could make their judgment worse, and how you would study the source of that failure.
Applications will be reviewed beginning Oct 15 and continue until filled.
Send materials to waclab@uwaterloo.ca, subject line: Human-AI Judgment Postdoc.
Questions: Igor Grossmann, igrossma@uwaterloo.ca