The Wieman group at Stanford has an opening for one or two postdoctoral scholars to start in the summer 2016 to spring 2017 time-frame. This would be a one-year appointment with renewal for up to two additional years. The Wieman group interacts closely with Dan Schwartz’s cognitive psychology group, and works to apply and test findings from cognitive psychology in the teaching of science. Current research of the group involves studying: the assessment and learning of problem solving strategies and practices, mechanistic reasoning, how students of different backgrounds learn from interactive simulations, quantitative critical thinking in instructional physics labs, and classroom interventions in teaching physics based on specific learning mechanics, such as invention activities and contrasting cases. The work is carried out at a variety of scales, ranging from cognitive interviews and small-scale “lab” studies to working with instructors at Stanford or Foothill Community College to carry out much larger studies on individual class sessions or entire courses. The successful candidate would be expected to participate in some subset of these research areas but would also be free to pursue other areas of particular interest to them. While a Ph. D. in physics education research is preferred, candidates whose Ph. D. research was in more traditional areas of physics but have a strong interest and commitment to go into PER will be considered.
Stanford University is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to increasing diversity. We welcome applications from women and members of minority groups, as well as others who would bring additional dimensions to the university's research and teaching missions.
To apply, email C. V. and cover letter, along with the names of three references, to Rachel Knowles, assistant to Carl Wieman, at rknowles@stanford.edu. Applications will be reviewed and considered until the position(s) is filled.
