Postdoctoral Research Associate, Information Science

Arizona International; Tucson (AZ); On-site; USD 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Full benefits

Job summary

The University of Arizona College of Information Science invites applications for a Postdoctoral Research Associate to join the NSF-funded HARE project on advancing qualitative research through human-AI collaboration.

The postdoc will lead research activities across the project’s three goals, publish in top venues, collaborate with partner researchers, and reserve time for advancing their own work. This is a full-time role on the Tucson campus with NIH salary guidelines in mind.

Qualifications

• PhD in a relevant field conferred by start date.
• Experience with qualitative research theories and methods.
• Experience or interest in co-design / participatory design methods.
• Interest in open-source research software.
• Publications in peer-reviewed venues.

Responsibilities

• Conduct interviews and co-design sessions; analyze qualitative data.
• Collaborate with PIs to develop and assess human-AI methods.
• Publish findings in top-tier journals and conferences.
• Advance own research agenda and contribute to project goals.

Skills

Qualitative research

Co-design / participatory design

Open-source software development

Machine learning / generative AI

Academic writing / publications

Education

PhD in HCI / Information Science / related field

Tools

Qualitative data analysis software

Open-source software development

Job description

Postdoctoral Research Associate, Information Science

Department

Information Science

Department Website Link

https://infosci.arizona.edu/

Location

Tucson Campus

Address

Tucson, AZ USA

Position Highlights

The HARE (Human-AI REsearch, PI John Chen) group at the University of Arizona College of Information Science invites applications for a postdoctoral research associate to join a funded NSF project (HCC, Award #2551586) on advancing qualitative research through human-AI collaboration. The project studies how researchers conduct human-AI qualitative analysis in authentic research environments, co-designs human-AI interfaces with qualitative researchers, and develops human-AI methods to generate and evaluate qualitative codebooks. The project will produce a deeper understanding of qualitative researchers' experiences and needs, leading to academic findings and an open-sourced, co-designed software for qualitative research. The postdoc will lead research activities across the project's three goals and publish in top-tier venues and will have dedicated time for advancing their own research. The project is in collaboration with CCL (The Center for Connected Learning and Computer-based Modeling, PI Uri Wilensky) and TIDAL (Tangible Interaction Design and Learning Lab, PI Michael Horn). This is a full-time position with an initial appointment of one year, renewable for up to three years based on performance.

The University of Arizona College of Information Science focuses on the intersection of people, data, and technology, offering innovative programs in information science, data science, cybersecurity, game design, and immersive technologies. Established in 2023 and expanded in 2025, the college provides STEM-designated undergraduate and master's degrees, and a PhD. in Information. With nationally ranked programs such as the #1 Best Online Bachelor's in Cybersecurity, #4 Best Master's in Data Science, and #10 Global Ranking of Library an Information Science Programs, we emphasize computational thinking, ethical reasoning, and multicultural communication while driving research and partnerships such as Arizona Cybersecurity Academy, AI Core, Gaming and Virtual Worlds, Human -Centered Computing, and many other areas of research.

Visa sponsorship is not available for this position.

Benefits Eligible

Yes - Full Benefits

Outstanding UA benefits include

• health, dental, vision, and life insurance
• paid vacation
• sick leave
• holidays
• UA/ASU/NAU tuition reduction for the employee and qualified family members
• access to UA recreation and cultural activities
• and more!

The University of Arizona has been recognized for our innovative work-life programs. For more information about working at the University of Arizona and relocations services, please visit talent.arizona.edu

Duties & Responsibilities

• Conduct interviews, run co-design sessions on human-AI collaborative interfaces, analyze the results with qualitative researcher, and write up conference or journal submissions.
• Work together with PIs on the development and assessment of human-AI methods based on the project's findings.
• Work closely with PIs to manage collaborations with partner researchers across disciplines.
• Conduct their own research, engage in professional development activities, participate in the university/college community, and apply for jobs.

Minimum Qualifications

• PhD in human-computer interaction, information science, learning sciences, computer science, or a related field, conferred by the start date.
• Experience in qualitative research theory and practice (e.g., grounded theory analysis, interaction analysis, or discourse analysis).
• Experience with co-design or participatory design methods.
• Experience or interest with designing open-source research software.
• Experience or interest with machine learning or generative AI methods, including large language models.
• A record of peer-reviewed publications.

Preferred Qualifications

• Strong foundation in one or more qualitative research traditions.
• Experience in conducting entire lifecycles of qualitative research, ideally with multimodal data (e.g., video, audio, artifacts).
• Experience in using qualitative data analysis software.
• Experience in creating interactive design prototypes and data visualizations.
• Experience in machine learning or generative AI methods, especially modern large language models or agentic AI systems.
• Experience or interest in developing open-source research software.
• Experience with IRB protocols and data privacy practices.
• Experience with grant writing.

FLSA

Exempt

Full Time/Part Time

Full Time

Number of Hours Worked per Week

40

Job FTE

1.0

Work Calendar

Fiscal

Job Category

Research

Rate of Pay

NIH salary guidelines, Depends on Experience.

Compensation Type

salary at 1.0 full-time equivalency (FTE)

Type of criminal background check required

Name-based criminal background check (non-security sensitive)

Number of Vacancies

1

Contact Information for Candidates

John Chen
Assistant Professor
[e-mail]

Open Date

9/29/2026

Open Until Filled

Yes

Notice of Availability of the Annual Security and Fire Safety Report

In compliance with the Jeanne Clery Campus Safety Act (Clery Act), each year the University of Arizona releases an Annual Security Report (ASR) for each of the University's campuses.Thesereports disclose information including Clery crime statistics for the previous three calendar years and policies, procedures, and programs the University uses to keep students and employees safe, including how to report crimes or other emergencies and resources for crime victims. Paper copies of the Reports can be obtained by contacting the University Compliance Office at [e-mail].