COSMOS - Postdoctoral Fellow IV

Closing Date:

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock is a metropolitan research university that provides an accessible, quality education through flexible learning and unparalleled internship opportunities. At UA Little Rock, we prepare our more than 8,900 students to be innovators and responsible leaders in their fields. Committed to its metropolitan research university mission, UA Little Rock is a driving force in Little Rock's thriving cultural community and a major component of the city and state's growing profile as a regional leader in research, technology transfer, economic development, and job creation.

Below you will find the details for the position including any supplementary documentation and questions you should review before applying for the opening. To apply for the position, please click the Apply link/button.

If you have a disability and need assistance with the hiring process please contact Human Resources at 501-916-3180.

For general application assistance or if you have questions about a job posting, please contact Human Resources at 501-916-3180.

Required Education and/or Experience:

• The candidate must have a Ph.D. degree in Computer Science, Information Science, or a related discipline;

• The candidate must have 4+ years of research experience in social media mining, computational modeling of social science theories, working with social network analysis tools, and examining cyber campaigns conducted on social media. The research experience must be demonstrated through published research articles in leading journals and conferences relevant to the topics mentioned above; and

• The candidate must have 3+ years of experience in grant writing and management. Grant writing experience must be demonstrated through a successful grant acquisition and management record.

Preferred Education and/or Experience:

• Candidates with extensive research experience in computer programming and data management will be given preference.

• Candidates with successful grant-writing experience and a strong publication record will be given preference.

Job Duties and Responsibilities:

• Prepare, submit, and manage multiple grants for extramural funding;

• Manage multiple projects (e.g., setting and tracking deadlines and progress of team members, providing reports to the supervisor);

• Lead project meetings, including agenda setting and minute-taking;

• Provide oversight for complex or multi-faceted research projects and help shape strategic direction;

• Contribute to the conceptualization and development of new research project ideas;

• Expand the collaboration network and partnerships with the Center;

• Conduct social media analysis to support research projects, including hypothesis generation, behavioral evaluation, data collection, cleaning, preprocessing, and analysis;

• Analyze multimedia-rich content within online information environments;

• Document and communicate research findings through reports, publications, and presentations at conferences, scientific venues, program reviews, and other professional settings;

• Develop and implement software modules to transition research outcomes into practical tools.

• Train stakeholders in the use and application of research methodologies and developed tools;

• Mentor and oversee graduate students involved in research, supporting their development and gaining valuable academic leadership experience;

• Perform other duties and provide additional support as assigned.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Expert in data analysis, modeling, machine learning, and AI, using Python and SQL, with extensive experience in libraries and frameworks such as Pandas, NumPy, scikit-learn, Gensim, BERTopic, TensorFlow, PyTorch, and LLMs;

• Expert in data visualization using Matplotlib, Seaborn, and ggplot2, and experienced in managing research projects with tools like Git/GitHub, ClickUp, and Jupyter Notebooks;

• Expert in NLP, text mining, and graph analytics, including the use of NLTK, spaCy, TextBlob, VADER, and transformer-based models (e.g., BERT, GPT);

• Expert in social network analysis (SNA) using NetworkX, igraph, and Gephi for complex network and graph-based data exploration;

• Successful research grant writing and management record for federal (e.g., NSF, DoD, NIH) and state (e.g., ARA) funding agencies and foundations;

• Expert in computational social science and social network analysis;

• Demonstrated expertise in social media mining and analysis of cyber campaigns;

• Extensive experience in studying multimedia-rich social media platforms and their impacts;

• Expert in qualitative data collection and analysis techniques;

• Proven ability to transition research into practical, user-oriented tools;

• Strong programming skills and experience with data management and analysis tools;

• Excellent interpersonal skills, with the ability to work effectively with individuals from diverse disciplinary backgrounds;

• Superior written and verbal communication skills, including public speaking, technical writing, and collaborative communication;

• Experience supervising and mentoring student researchers and managing team dynamics;

• Excellent organizational and project management skills with the ability to prioritize tasks and meet multiple deadlines;

• Ability to work independently and collaboratively within interdisciplinary research teams.

Additional Information:

All application materials must be uploaded to the University of Arkansas System Career Sitehttps://uasys.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com/UASYS

Please do not send to listed recruitment contact.

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock is committed to providing a safe campus community. We conduct background checks for applicants being considered for employment. Background checks include a criminal background check and a sex offender registry check. For certain positions, there may also be a financial (credit) background check, a Motor Vehicle Registry (MVR) check, and/or drug screening. Required checks are identified in the position listing. A criminal conviction or arrest pending adjudication or adverse financial history information alone shall not disqualify an applicant in the absence of a relationship to the requirements of the position. Background check information will be used in a confidential, non-discriminatory manner consistent with state and federal law.

Persons must have proof of legal authority to work in the United States on the first day of employment.

All application information is subject to public disclosure under the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act.