Research Fellow (110542-0525)

Duration: Fixed Term Contract until 31st March 2027

About the Role

For informal enquiries, please contact Prof Adam Sanborn (Professor) A.N.Sanborn@warwick.ac.uk

We will consider applications for employment on a part-time or other flexible working basis, even where a position is advertised as full-time, unless there are operational or other objective reasons why it is not possible to do so.  

18 months fixed-term contract if full-time (or longer part-time), with possibility of extension.

Project Title

“The mind as a sampler: Towards a standard model for cognitive science”

What scientific question will you investigate?  Outline of the project aims:

Standard models are scientific crown jewels, synthesising and organising existing knowledge to make empirically-testable predictions in new domains. Probabilistic rational models, implemented as either Bayesian models or deep neural networks, have been proposed as standard models, from low-level perception and neuroscience to cognition and economics. But capturing real human mental performance, constrained by limited time and subject to systematic errors, requires transforming rational models into process models that approximate probabilistic calculations in real time in the human brain.

This investigates a key research challenge: is there a “standard process model” for probabilistic rational theories of cognition? That is, can we create a standard, systematic way to turn pure rational probabilistic models into quantitative process models that capture a wide range of behavioural measures?

To address this, we will collect empirical data on a range of perceptual and cognitive tasks, investigating the generality of behavioural biases. A recently-developed statistical sampling model of human cognition will then be compared against existing approaches with each domain. The accuracy of its predictions, both within and across domains, will determine the extent to which it can act as a standard model for cognitive science.

About the research group:

The research fellow will join the Sampling project team, situated in Psychology and in close collaboration with Prof. Nick Chater at Warwick Business School. The team, previously supported by an ERC Consolidator grant, have worked to identify the sampling algorithm used by the brain, to show how the identified sampling algorithm can systematically generate classic probabilistic reasoning errors in individuals, and to investigate how sampling algorithms provide a new perspective on group decision-making. The list of team members and a summary of our work so far, along with illustrative references, are given here: https://sampling.warwick.ac.uk/.

The major outcomes will be high-profile papers and software packages examining the within- and cross-domain predictions of the model. These will provide critical momentum toward a standard method for creating detailed process models that predict reaction times, variability, biases, etc. 

We and the wider University of Warwick environment offer substantial opportunities for professional development including regular opportunities to attend international conferences.

The post allows for hybrid working.

Keywords: Standard models, sampling, biases, experiments, computational modelling, psychology.

CLOSING DATE: Sunday 22nd June 2025 at 23:55 (BST)

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