[Asis-l] Postdoctoral Associate in Learning Analytics & Social Media

[Caroline Haythornthwaite]

Come Work With Us! Postdoctoral Associate in Learning Analytics & Social Media
 
The Social Media Lab at Ryerson University in Toronto, Canada is seeking a highly motivated and creative postdoctoral candidate to engage in innovative research in learning analytics and social media, including analyses related to studying formal and informal learning that occurs in social media and MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses).
 
The broad goal of the position is to extract actionable insights from large datasets and contribute to the development of next generation learning models and learning analytics dashboards. Applicants are expected to have strong technical, research writing and communication skills, a passion for data analysis and demonstrable expertise and interest in learning analytics.
 
The position will be for one year, renewable for a second year. The starting date is flexible, but would preferably begin on September 1, 2015. The salary range is $42,000 to $45,000 CAD per annum plus benefits, and will be determined by the experience and qualifications of the candidate. (Click here for information about the benefits.)
 
The position is part of the Social Media Lab’s Academic and Education research stream. It is funded by a SSHRC (Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada) grant awarded to Dr. Anatoliy Gruzd (Ryerson University) and Dr. Caroline Haythornthwaite (University of British Columbia).
 
The successful candidate will be a member of and work with an interdisciplinary team of researchers at Ryerson University’s Social Media Lab, headed by Dr. Anatoliy Gruzd at the Ted Rogers School of Management in Toronto, Canada. The incumbent is expected to be located in Toronto.
 
RESPONSIBILITIES:
 
The postdoctoral fellow will be expected to collaborate actively with all team members and contribute to the intellectual life of the lab. These responsibilities include but are not limited to:
 
Contributing substantially to research projects and publications of the lab,
Communicating regularly with the project team,
Actively participating in the knowledge management and translation of the lab research via our blog and other social media channels.

QUALIFICATIONS:
 
A doctorate in Information, Media, Communication, and/or Computer Science or a related field is required
Strong proficiency in quantitative analytical methods
Hands-on experience with Information Visualization, Data Mining and Data Science tools and techniques
Experience with managing and mining textual and social network data from social media sources
Experience in managing big data (both structured and unstructured)
Programming skills (R and Python preferred)
Excellent English writing skills

DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS
 
Strong Publication record in field of expertise
Demonstrated interest in learning analytics
Knowledge of learning theory, educational practice, higher education

TO APPLY:
 
Candidates should submit the following materials electronically to Dr. Anatoliy Gruzd at work at socialmedialab.ca  (Email one PDF file that includes)
 
Cover Letter that describes your relevant background and skills, range of interests and career goals
Academic CV
The name and contact information for three research references (one reference should be your doctoral advisor) *Reference letters will only be solicited from finalists*
At least 2 publication samples of a data-driven research project

DEADINE:
 
Review of applications will begin on May 11, 2015 and continue until the position is filled.
 
INSTITUTIONAL BACKGROUND:
 
Located at the heart of downtown Toronto, the largest and most culturally diverse city in Canada, the Social Media Lab is an internationally recognized multi- and interdisciplinary research laboratory at the Ted Rogers School of Management at Ryerson University. The lab studies how social media is changing the ways in which people communicate and disseminate information and how these changes impact the social, economic and political structures of modern society. Our expertise lies in studying online communities and social networks as well as developing new tools and methods for analyzing and visualizing social media data.
 
Ryerson University is a public research university. The university is composed of 36,000+ undergraduate students, 2,000+ graduate students, and 70,000 yearly certificate and continuing education registrations. Ryerson has been one of the fastest growing research institutions in Canada. Ryerson University is committed to diversity, equity and inclusion. The university is known for innovative programs built on the integration of theoretical and practically oriented learning.