Description

Role

We are seeking an Applied Cognitive Scientist to analyze, create, and improve the design of software-based systems and user interfaces for high complexity, high consequence systems. The candidate will work in collaborative teams with human factors engineers, UI/UX designers, and systems engineering and software development teams. We encourage applications from any range of experience, from recent graduates to those with extensive resumes. 

Responsibilities

•       Identify user task needs and design user interface solutions through the application of cognitive science and human factors methods and literature
•       Document research, analysis, findings, and recommendations in industry-standard formats
•       Present project plans and user-centered design methods, analyses, results and solutions to users, software development teams, customers, and acquisition communities
•       Lead and contribute to project proposals and business development

Requirements

Required Qualifications, Skills, and Experience

•       Advanced degree in Cognitive Science, Cognitive or Perceptual Psychology, Engineering Psychology, Human Factors, or a closely related field
•       Ability to learn quickly, reason critically, and think analytically to understand the scope of a problem, identify user challenges, and propose and evaluate solutions 
•       Ability to work collaboratively in, and when needed lead, multi-disciplinary teams
•       Excellent verbal, written and presentation skills
•       Proficiency with MS Office suite or equivalent
•       Ability to obtain and maintain a US Government DOD security clearance as required by DOD government contracts (DOD security clearance requires US citizenship)
•       Ability to commute to/from home to PSE office location and client sites (to include military installations)

Preferred Qualifications, Skills, and Experience

•       PhD in Cognitive Science, Cognitive or Perceptual Psychology, Engineering Psychology, Human Factors, or a closely related field
•       3 or more years of experience solving applied problems with complex systems in real-world work domains
•       Experience conducting user-centered design of software systems and user interfaces
•       Knowledge of the applied human factors and cognitive science literature, including areas such as human decision-making, human attention, human-   automation interaction, spatial comprehension, and information display
•       Experience with experiment design and the measurement of human performance in applied or laboratory environments
•       Experience planning and leading workshops with the representative end-users of target systems
•       Experience creating innovative information visualizations and/or coding interactive software prototypes in languages such as JavaScript (DataTables, D3) or R (ggplot2, Shiny)
•       Experience with computational modeling and simulation, automation/algorithm development, and/or applications of Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence (e.g., for classification, anomaly detection, and clustering)
•       Familiarity with user interface and graphic design tools (e.g., Adobe XD or Adobe Illustrator)
•       Familiarity with Department of Defense (DoD) programs, domains, and technologies
•       Occasional travel to user, collaboration, and client sites (both domestic and international)