Research Project Manager: AI, Judgment, and Forecasting
Wisdom & Culture Lab, University of Waterloo, Canada
Anticipated start: immediately/Winter-Spring 2027
The Wisdom & Culture Lab is launching two interdisciplinary research programs examining how AI systems, and humans working with them, can reason more reliably under uncertainty. This posting is for an existing vacancy, subject to final funding/institutional approval.
One program focuses on metacognition in advanced AI systems; the other on human-AI collaboration in expert judgment and forecasting. Together they involve computational research, behavioral experiments, external collaborators, technical development, trainees, and multiple overlapping research timelines. One of the projects is conducted in partnership with Defence Research and Development Canada (DRDC), Dr. David Mandel, and provides unusual opportunities to connect with real-world expert communities.
We are looking for a Project Manager who can turn scientific plans into coordinated, functioning research. This is a hands-on research role, rather than a primarily administrative position. The Project Manager will provide the operational backbone across both programs, working closely with the PI, postdoctoral fellows, technical personnel, students, research assistants, and external collaborators.
Responsibilities
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Coordinate the PI, postdocs, technical personnel, trainees, and external collaborators
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Prepare meetings, track decisions and action items, and follow issues through to resolution
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Anticipate bottlenecks and flag problems early with practical proposed solutions
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Coordinate ethics submissions, study launches, participant recruitment, and research documentation
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Maintain organized workflows across preregistrations, repositories, datasets, manuscripts, and research releases
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Recruit, onboard, and coordinate research assistants
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Track project expenditures, research services, participant costs, and technical expenses with University staff
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Support workshops, external partnerships, reporting, and dissemination
Qualifications
Candidates should have a bachelor’s or master’s degree in psychology, cognitive science, behavioral science, computer/data science, HCI, or another relevant field, or equivalent project-management experience.
We are particularly looking for:
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Exceptional organization and follow-through
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Experience managing several concurrent workstreams and deadlines
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Ability to identify problems, propose practical solutions, and operate with limited supervision
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Excellent written communication and documentation skills
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Strong interpersonal judgment when coordinating people with different expertise and priorities
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Experience developing or running research projects
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Comfort working in a technically sophisticated environment
Assets include experience with behavioral research, AI/computational research, REB submissions, OSF/GitHub, Qualtrics, R/Python, research budgeting, external partners, or supervising research assistants. We do not expect one candidate to possess every technical skill. What matters most is practical judgment, reliable execution, and the ability to make complicated projects run smoothly.
Employment details
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Appointment: .7 FTE / 25 hours per week, initially for 12 months and renewable subject to funding and performance.
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Compensation: $35-42/hour/hr, depending on qualifications.
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Based at the University of Waterloo; hybrid work is possible with regular on-campus interaction.
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Start date: immediately/Winter-Spring 2027.
Application
Please submit a CV and a one-page letter.
In your letter, tell us about a project you kept on track when suddenly something went wrong: what happened, what specific actions you personally took, and what happened as a result. Also briefly describe experience coordinating people with substantially different expertise or priorities.
Applications will be reviewed beginning Oct 15 and continue until filled.
Send materials to waclab@uwaterloo.ca, subject line: AI Research Project Manager.
Questions: Igor Grossmann, igrossma@uwaterloo.ca