Position Overview

The University of Minnesota’s (UMN) Playful Problem Solving Lab seeks a candidate to fill one Researcher 6 position. The successful candidate for this position will act as Principal Investigator (PI), manage, and oversee all research activities for the Playful Puzzle Mechanics project. The Playful Puzzle Mechanics project will investigate the ways game mechanics of a puzzle game influence how players solve problems in their play, how game developers design puzzles to create an engaging experience and provide consulting to a collaborating curriculum development group. This position actively supports and advances the University’s commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion.

The researcher 6 will be a full-time, 12-month employee of the University of Minnesota. The position will work closely with and be supervised by Dr. David DeLiema in the Department of Educational Psychology.

The University of Minnesota encourages a healthy work life balance for employees. CEHD is committed to an excellent employee experience, offering a flexible work environment that meets the needs of students, staff, faculty, and the communities we serve. Flexible work arrangements may include flexibility in schedule and/or work location. Please note that 100% remote work requires approval. All UMN employees are expected to follow applicable public health and safety procedures.

Job Responsibilities

Research (100%)

• Serve as PI for the Playful Puzzle Mechanics project.
• Conduct data collection efforts, develop research materials and protocols.
• Supervise, train and mentor graduate students on data collection efforts.
• Consult with partnering non-profit collaborators 9 Dots to create curricula and supporting units to teach computational literacy via game mechanics used in puzzle games.
• Lead and assist with the preparation of research articles, reports, grants and related materials.
• Disseminate research findings in reputable academic conferences and journals.
• Manage the grant budget, produce grant reports, and present progress reports to document study progress to the funding agency.
• Conceptualize, design, and implement experimental research projects that make use of large gameplay datasets, interview data, and survey data.
• Work alongside lab faculty to design, plan, coordinate and implement logistical aspects of projects: Track progress, facilitate communication, and ensure organization both within and across research projects.
• Manage, institute, and document procedures for research planning, data analyses, and reporting at the University of Minnesota.
• Contribute to the theoretical framework and measures core to the project’s approach to conceptualizing problem solving.
• Use Natural Language Processing (NLP) and machine learning techniques to develop algorithms to improve our understanding of problem-solving in puzzle games, e.g. labeling play patterns and student cognitive/affective states.
• Plan, manage, and contribute to the collection of new data on the project, especially gameplay data to be used for data mining and experimental analysis.
• Plan and host a game summit for puzzle game designers, including a game jam demonstrating puzzle game mechanics and development strategies.
• Contribute to theoretical and methodological research in the learning analytics and game design domains by developing new techniques for analyzing game play data.

The researcher 6 should be committed to producing original research and publishing their work in highly ranked conference proceedings and journals (as appropriate).

Required Qualifications
*All required qualifications must be documented on application materials for fullest consideration.

• PhD in computer and data science or equivalent with an emphasis on game research
• At least 3 years post-graduation experience managing research projects
• Experience with learning analytics or machine learning research, preferably using Natural Language Processing and Sequence Mining techniques.
• Proficiency with managing large data sets.
• Strong organizational and communication skills.
• Strong professional writing skills, including research reports, peer-reviewed research articles, or other print and electronic publications.
• Ability to work well with diverse populations.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in collaborating as a member of a larger research team.

About University of Minnesota Twin Cities

The University of Minnesota, founded in the belief that all people are enriched by understanding, is dedicated to the advancement of learning and the search for truth; to the sharing of this knowledge through education for a diverse community; and to the application of this knowledge to benefit the people of the state, the nation, and the world.

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