Decision Science News

HIGH LEVEL POSITION

JOB POSTING LINK
https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/509838100

SUMMARY
Become a part of our mission to maintain and strengthen the vitality of the US science and engineering enterprise. For over 70 years, the National Science Foundation (NSF) has remained the premier Federal agency supporting basic research at the frontiers of discovery across all fields, as well as science and engineering education at all levels.

RESPONSIBILITIES
Serves as a member of the Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences Directorate leadership team and as a principal spokesperson in social and economic sciences for the Foundation. Provides leadership and direction to the NSF Division responsible for funding research and education activities, both nationally and internationally, to develop and advance scientific knowledge and methods focusing on our understanding of individuals, social and organizational behavior by creating and sustaining social science infrastructure, and by supporting disciplinary and interdisciplinary research that advances knowledge in the social and economic sciences. The incumbent has managerial and oversight responsibilities for the effective use of division staff and resources in meeting organizational goals and objectives (e.g., broadening participation). Assesses needs and trends involving the social and economic sciences, implements overall strategic planning and policy setting for the Division, provides leadership and guidance to Division staff members, determines funding requirements, prepares and justifies budget estimates, balances program needs, allocates resources, oversees the evaluation of proposals and recommendations for awards and declinations, and represents NSF to relevant external groups. Supervises and provides leadership and guidance to senior staff (Deputy Division Director), program officers, administrative and support personnel. Fosters partnerships with other Divisions, Directorates, Federal agencies, scientific organizations, and the academic community.

DECISION SCIENCE RESEARCHERS ENCOURAGED TO APPLY

The Department of Psychology at Syracuse University invites applications for a full time tenure-track position in Cognitive Psychology to join the Cognition, Brain, & Behavior (CBB) area. The successful candidate is expected to pursue an exceptional program of research driven by a strong theoretical foundation to understand human cognition, broadly construed. The successful candidate will have a research program that uses rigorous computational and/or mathematical modeling methods. We are particularly interested in receiving applications from candidates who use computational models to study human cognition in the context of interactions with artificial intelligence systems or computer-mediated social networks.

Successful candidates will be expected to contribute to the growing cognitive science community at Syracuse University. The Department of Psychology anticipates several hires in the areas of cognitive and information sciences, broadly defined, as part of a multi-year plan to enhance multi-disciplinary research collaborations. These hires will add depth and breadth to Syracuse University’s strong research emphasis in the domains of artificial intelligence and autonomous systems. We anticipate novel collaborations to emerge from participants, including faculty and new hires in Psychology, the School of Information Studies, the College of Engineering and Computer Science, and Departments of Earth Sciences, Geography and Public Administration.

Applicants for the position should have a Ph.D. in Cognitive Psychology, Cognitive Science, or a related field. Successful candidates will show evidence of (1) high quality scholarship and the potential to build a vigorous program of funded research (2) teaching promise at the undergraduate and graduate levels and (3) promise of excellence in engaging graduate and undergraduate students in research. Responsibilities include maintaining an active program of research, teaching and advising at the graduate and undergraduate levels, and service to the university. Information about the department may be found at http://psychology.syr.edu/.

Applicants must complete a brief online faculty application at https://www.sujobopps.com/postings/76729 to which they will attach electronic copies of a cover letter, curriculum vitae, a research statement, a teaching statement, a diversity statement, and a single representative paper. Candidates will be asked to provide the names of 3 references who might be asked to submit a letter of recommendation. Detailed instructions for uploading their confidential recommendation letter into the system will be sent to the references identified in the application. Review of applications will begin November 1.

Syracuse University is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer with a strong commitment to equality of opportunity and a diverse work force. The university and department have a strong commitment to diversity within its faculty and staff, and strives to foster and sustain an inclusive climate. The Department of Psychology and broader Syracuse community provides a rich and supportive environment for inclusive research involving ethnically and economically diverse populations.

Syracuse is located in beautiful Upstate New York. The city and surrounding areas offer outstanding school systems, a modest cost of living, proximity to nature (Adirondack Mountains, Thousand Islands, Lake Ontario, and the Finger Lakes) and easy access to major eastern cities. Several major medical centers, including SUNY Upstate Medical Center and the Syracuse VA Medical Center, are in close proximity to Syracuse University and offer opportunities for interdisciplinary research.

APPLY FOR A CASBS FELLOWSHIP. DEADLINE NOVEMBER 2, 2018.

Apply for a CASBS Fellowship

Stanford’s Center for Advanced Studies in Behavioral Sciences (CASBS) offers a residential fellowship program for scholars working in a diverse range of disciplines that contribute to advancing research and thinking in social science. Fellows represent the core social and behavioral sciences (anthropology, economics, history, political science, psychology, and sociology) but also the humanities, education, linguistics, communications, and the biological, natural, health, and computer sciences. They are pleased to partner with several entities to provide funding for some residential fellowships whose research projects focus on certain topics. Our newest partner fellowship program is the Chinese University of Hong Kong fellowship, which joins the Berggruen, National University of Singapore, Presence-CASBS, and Stanford-Taiwan Social Science fellowships offered through CASBS.

CASBS is a collaborative environment that fosters the serendipity arising from unexpected intellectual encounters. We believe that cross-disciplinary interactions lead to beneficial transformations in thinking and research. We seek fellows who will be influential with, and open to influence by, their colleagues in the diverse multidisciplinary cohort we assemble for a given year.

Applications for the 2019-20 fellowship year are now open. Click here to apply.

The application deadline is November 2, 2018. Applicants will be notified of decisions via email in February 2019.

JUDGMENT AND DECISION MAKING RESEARCHERS ENCOURAGED TO APPLY

Decision Science News is a fan of the management group at UCSD and encourages readers to apply for this position.

Job posting link

Recruitment Period
Open date: September 13th, 2018
Next review date: October 15th, 2018. Apply by this date to ensure full consideration by the committee.
Final date: May 31st, 2019. Applications will continue to be accepted until this date, but those received after the review date will only be considered if the position has not yet been filled.

The Rady School of Management (http://rady.ucsd.edu) at UC San Diego is committed to academic excellence and diversity within the faculty, staff, and student body. The Rady School invites applications for one or more open-rank faculty positions at the assistant professor level (tenure-track) in the area of Management. Candidates must have a Ph.D. or be working toward completion of a Ph.D. by the start date of the new academic year (July 2019). Preference will be given to candidates whose research interests include judgment and decision-making, social psychology, organizational behavior, or people analytics. The School seeks candidates whose research, teaching, and/or service has prepared them to contribute to our commitment to diversity and inclusion in higher education.

Salary and appointment level are dependent on experience and based on University of California pay scales. The position is expected to have a start date of July 1, 2019.
Applicants are asked to submit a detailed vita, statement of research, statement on diversity, relevant research papers, and 3-5 reference letters via our on-line submission web site: https://apol-recruit.ucsd.edu/apply/JPF01861.

The application should include: a detailed curriculum vita, a statement of research with relevant publications, and a diversity statement summarizing their contribution, or potential for contribution, to diversity and leadership. The diversity statement should summarize past experience in activities that promote diversity and inclusion and/or plans to make future contributions. Further information about the required diversity statement can be found at http://facultyexcellence.ucsd.edu/c2d/index.html.

Review of applications begins October 15, 2018, and continues until position(s) are filled. For applicants interested in spousal/partner employment, please visit the UCSD Partner Opportunities Program web site: https://aps.ucsd.edu/services/pop/index.html. UCSD is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer with a strong institutional commitment to excellence and diversity (http://diversity.ucsd.edu).

VISIONARY, ENTREPRENEURIAL LEADER SOUGHT

Application Link
https://uacareers.com/postings/30073

Position Summary
The University of Arizona (UA) seeks an energetic, visionary and entrepreneurial leader to be the next director of the Norton School of Family and Consumer Sciences (http://cals.arizona.edu/fcs/). Reporting to the director, the school has three academic degree programs: Family Studies and Human Development (FSHD), Personal and Family Financial Planning (PFFP), and Retailing and Consumer Sciences (RCSC) with nearly 1,000 undergraduate pre-majors/majors; and three multidisciplinary research, outreach, and corporate engagement units: the Frances McClelland Institute for Children, Youth, and Families; the Terry J. Lundgren Center for Retailing; and the Take Charge America Institute for Consumer Financial Education and Research; as well as FCS Cooperative Extension. These supporting units play key roles in translating research into practice while also attracting financial and strategic partners and resources to the University.

The Norton School’s mission is to conduct transformational research, teaching and outreach that helps to solve social problems, improve the lives of individuals and families, and strengthen communities and the marketplace. Our approach is applied and interdisciplinary, grounded in the science of human behavior. Faculty and students routinely collaborate with both internal colleagues (interdisciplinary, across campus) and external community and industry partners. Community engagement is a core strength that builds our knowledge base and guides translation of research insights into solutions for practical problems, especially through Cooperative Extension and the school’s center/institutes.

The Norton School aspires to national and international recognition as a thought leader for both scholarship (generation of new knowledge) and application of research knowledge to strengthen individuals, families, communities and the marketplace to improve quality of life. The Norton School Director must also share the faculty’s aspiration to national prominence for their transformational degree programs that infuse research into the classroom and utilize experiential learning to train students for leadership roles in their fields.

The University of Arizona is a leading public university, with regional roots and global impact. As the state’s land-grant institution, the University of Arizona is a student-centered Research I institution. The University of Arizona provides a comprehensive, high quality education that engages our students in discovery through interdisciplinary research and broad-based scholarship, serving the diverse citizens of Arizona and beyond. We empower our graduates to lead in solving complex societal problems. To its 43,000 students the UA offers more than 300 graduate and undergraduate degrees. The campus is located in Tucson, a city of nearly 1 million people (100 miles south of Phoenix and 50 miles north of Mexico). The UA has been designated an Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI), the only public university in the state with this designation. The local culture reflects the region’s Native American, Mexican, and pioneer heritage, and every year the city hosts a variety of cultural events in a revitalized urban center. Ringed by mountains and set in the Sonoran Desert of southern Arizona, Tucson is a year-round resort destination, and the beautiful natural environment and mild climate promotes a casual lifestyle and many outdoor recreational activities, including golf, tennis, hiking, cycling, and horseback riding (http://www.visittucson.org/about/).

Outstanding UA benefits include health, dental, and vision insurance plans; life insurance and disability programs; paid vacation, sick leave, and holidays; UA/ASU/NAU tuition reduction for the employee and qualified family members; state and optional retirement plans; access to UA recreation and cultural activities; and more!

The University of Arizona has been listed by Forbes as one of America’s Best Employers in the United States and World at Work and the Arizona Department of Health Services have recognized us for our innovative work-life programs.

Duties and Responsibilities
The Director is the senior appointed academic administrative officer of the Norton School. The Director reports to the Dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) and will work collaboratively with four Associate Deans, three other school directors, six academic department heads, and other support unit heads within CALS to ensure the Norton School contributes its share toward meeting the college and university strategic goals, as well as the Arizona Board of Regents performance metrics. Familiarity with the evolving UA strategic plan will be essential for developing, articulating and executing the Director’s vision and leadership of the School. In accordance with university policies, the Director will oversee all School activities, including but not limited to the promotion of undergraduate and graduate education, research activities, support of student and faculty, staff and appointed personnel development/recruitment, management of all departmental budgets, assignment of teaching, and faculty evaluation. The Director is responsible for developing and strengthening the relationships with existing partner institutions in the public and private sector; greatly expanding the Norton School’s donor base and corporate connections. The Director must be an effective strategist, entrepreneur, brand manager and implementer as well as being an excellent personnel manager. The Director will decide how best to maintain their own active research and/or teaching and/or extension programs.

Minimum Qualifications
Ph.D., or other qualifications and record, consistent with the Norton School faculty recommending tenure at the rank of full professor.
We welcome applicants with academic qualifications and who bring knowledge, skills and talents in addition to those often considered sufficient in academia.

The next School director must have a solid understanding of the public land-grant university mission, Cooperative Extension and the history and evolution of family and consumer sciences programs (and their predecessors) within the land-grant system.

We are looking for an entrepreneurial leader who can articulate and promote an expanded vision for the School and its collaborative partnerships with the College and University. The successful candidate will have demonstrated excellence in:
a. Developing and sustaining external partnerships, outreach programs, grant funding, corporate partnerships, and private philanthropic support
b. Administration, personnel management, and building/managing complex budgets
c. Leading diversified teams to maximize performance
d. Harnessing the power of diversity as a key driver of innovation and success
e. Recruiting and cultivating advisory board members and other external stakeholder groups to increase organizational reach and impact
f. Leveraging technology, including social media, to stimulate innovation, expand the engaged community, and promote programs and brand.

PERCEIVED TEMPERATURE

Click to enlarge

(We got a request for a Celsius version of this post and since we are a full service website we created one and put it here).

So, we were wondering, what’s this heat index we hear about? We went to the Wikipedia article on it. It is an index that combines air temperature and relative humidity to convert a (hot) temperature into something like perceived temperature, how hot it feels. It formalizes the adage “it’s not the heat, it’s the humidity.”

The equation to get heat index from temperature and relative humidity is big:

Click to enlarge

This heat index chart is also complicated, but it allows one to look up the heat index rather easily.

Click to enlarge

We wanted a better way to see what the heat index is doing. So we made this plot:

Click to enlarge

When it’s 90 degrees outside with 90% relative humidity, it feels 30 degrees hotter. That’s a lot of degrees.

It turns out there is another heat index formula. This one’s even more complicated.

Click to enlarge

We wanted to see how it compared to the first, so we plotted both together:

Click to enlarge

We like averaging, so we plotted the average of the two outputs:

Click to enlarge

We thought it looks not so far from linear so we fit a regression model to the average and plotted that:

Click to enlarge

Then we couldn’t resist coming up with a simple heuristic (shown in dots):

Click to enlarge

The heuristic comes pretty close to the regression model.

Click to enlarge

The error (mean absolute deviation) of the heuristic to the average model is about 3 degrees. The error of the regression model to the average model is about 2 degrees, so it’s not bad, considering that the two different heat index formulae can differ by over 5 degrees.

So what’s the heuristic?

• Relative Humidity of 50%: Add 10 degrees for every 10 degrees above 80
• Relative Humidity of 70%: Add 20 degrees for every 10 degrees above 80
• Relative Humidity of 90%: Add 30 degrees for every 10 degrees above 80 + 5

It’s quite a bit simpler than the 9 and 16 term equations above and should be good enough for everyday use.

R CODE
For those who want it

OID PROFESSORSHIP: DEADLINE TO APPLY OCTOBER 21, 2018

The Operations, Information and Decisions Department at the Wharton School is home to faculty with a diverse set of interests in behavioral economics, decision-making, information technology, information-based strategy, operations management, and operations research.

We are seeking applicants for a full-time, tenure-track faculty position at any level: Assistant, Associate, or Full Professor. Applicants must have a Ph.D. (expected completion by June 2019 is preferred but by June 30, 2020 is acceptable) from an accredited institution and have an outstanding research record or potential in the OID Department’s areas of research. The appointment is expected to begin July 1, 2019.

More information about the Department is available at:
https://oid.wharton.upenn.edu/

Interested individuals should complete and submit an online application via our secure website, and must include:
* A curriculum vitae
* A job market paper
* (Applicants for an Assistant Professor position) Three letters of recommendation submitted by references

To apply, please visit this web site: https://oid.wharton.upenn.edu/faculty/faculty-positions/

Further materials, including (additional) papers and letters of recommendation, will be requested as needed. To ensure full consideration, materials should be received by October 21st , 2018.

Contact:
OID Department
The Wharton School
University of Pennsylvania
3730 Walnut Street
500 Jon M. Huntsman Hall
Philadelphia, PA 19104-6340

The University of Pennsylvania is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment and will not be discriminated against on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

WHAT SET OF COINS MINIMIZES THE AVERAGE NUMBER OF COINS NEEDED TO MAKE CHANGE?

We draw your attention to the cleverly-titled article What This Country Needs is an 18 Cent Piece. It’s a piece of recreational mathematics that asks the question “what set of coins minimizes the average number of coins needed to make change”?

It’s fun, but I’m sure my marketing colleagues will bristle at the assumption “we assume that every amount of change between 0 and 99 is equally likely.” That said, the author does acknowledge nines pricing and Benford’s law in a footnote.

We also imagine this to be the kind of article that when dangled before our serial co-author Preston McAfee, would cause him to engage in a few hours of recreational mathematics himself.

CITATION
Shallit, J. The Mathematical Intelligencer (2003) 25: 20. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02984830

CHANCE TO WORK WITH MICHELLE MEYER AND CHRIS CHABRIS

Geisinger Health System seeks an outstanding behavioral scientist to serve as Research Director for its newly-launched Applied Behavioral Insights @ Geisinger Team. The ABIG Team was created to apply behavioral science methods to the design, implementation, and evaluation of “nudges”—lightweight behavioral interventions intended to improve outcomes and experiences for patients, providers, employees, and other stakeholders of Geisinger Health System. Geisinger is an integrated health system serving more than 3 million residents in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. As a learning health care system, Geisinger incorporates research into all aspects of medicine and healthcare delivery, aided by unparalleled access to electronic health records, insurance data, and other information.

The ideal candidate will have experience both in conducting original behavioral science research and in implementing research results within organizations. A Ph.D. or other terminal degree in psychology, economics, decision sciences, marketing, management, or any relevant scholarly discipline is required, as are track records of publishing original empirical research, managing research projects and staff, and applying for research funding.

The Research Director will report to Professors Michelle Meyer and Christopher Chabris, the founding Faculty Directors of the ABIG Team. S/he will be based in Danville, Pennsylvania at the main campus and headquarters of Geisinger (although location is negotiable for an exceptional candidate), and will participate in the hiring and supervision of postdoctoral research fellows and other personnel for the Team.

EDUCATION AND/OR EXPERIENCE
• A Ph.D. in psychology, economics, decision sciences or any other relevant discipline
• Graduate training in behavioral science research methods, including experimentation and multivariate data analysis
• Experience using statistical software (preferably R, others acceptable)
• Experience managing behavioral research projects, including supervising research assistants or other personnel
• Experience applying for research funding or other grant support
• Scholarly publications

Qualifications:
• Experience researching and/or implementing nudges
• Training in behavioral economics
• Experience with econometrics
• Experience in interdisciplinary research and working in collaborative teams
• Experience in the healthcare industry
• Experience with programming (e.g., Python)

WORKING CONDITIONS/PHYSICAL DEMANDS:
Work is typically performed in a clinical/office environment.

To apply: Please send a cover letter, C.V. or resume, and two representative scholarly publications in a single email to ABIGResearchDirector@gmail.com. Please include names, titles, and contact information for three references. Questions about the position may also be sent to the same address. Review of applications will begin immediately and will continue until the position is filled.

Professor Meyer: http://www.michellenmeyer.com
Professor Chabris: http://www.chabris.com

OUR PURPOSE & VALUES: Everything we do is about caring for our patients, our members, our students, our Geisinger family and our communities. KINDNESS: We strive to treat everyone as we would hope to be treated ourselves. EXCELLENCE: We treasure colleagues who humbly strive for excellence. LEARNING: We share our knowledge with the best and brightest to better prepare the caregivers for tomorrow. INNOVATION: We constantly seek new and better ways to care for our patients, our members, our community, and the nation.
ABOUT GEISINGER: Geisinger is a physician-led health system comprised of approximately 30,000 employees, including nearly 1,600 employed physicians, 13 hospital campuses, two research centers, and a 583,000-member health plan Geisinger is nationally recognized for innovative practices and quality care. Geisinger serves more than 3 million people in central, south-central and northeast Pennsylvania and also in southern New Jersey with the addition of National Malcolm Baldridge Award recipient AtlantiCare, A member of Geisinger. In 2017, the Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine became the newest member of the Geisinger Family.

We offer healthcare benefits for full time and part time positions from day one, including vision, dental and domestic partners.* Perhaps just as important, from senior management on down, we encourage an atmosphere of collaboration, cooperation and collegiality. For more information, visit www.geisinger.org, or connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter.

* Does not qualify for J-1 waiver. We are an Affirmative Action, Equal Opportunity Employer Women and Minorities are Encouraged to Apply. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment and will not be discriminated against on the basis of disability or their protected veteran status.

Contact Us: gblowry@geisinger.edu

PERCEIVED TEMPERATURE (CELSIUS EDITION)

Click to enlarge

(If you would like to see the Fahrenheit version of this post, please go here.)

So, we were wondering, what’s this heat index we hear about? We went to the Wikipedia article on it. It is an index that combines air temperature and relative humidity to convert a (hot) temperature into something like perceived temperature, how hot it feels. It formalizes the adage “it’s not the heat, it’s the humidity.”

The equation to get heat index from temperature and relative humidity is big and it’s in Fahrenheit:

Click to enlarge

This heat index chart is also complicated and also in Fahrenheit, but it allows one to look up the heat index rather easily.

Click to enlarge

We wanted a better way to see what the heat index is doing. So we made this plot in Celsius:

Click to enlarge

When it’s 32 degrees C outside with 90% relative humidity, it feels 17 Celsius degrees hotter. That’s a lot of degrees.

It turns out there is another heat index formula. This one’s even more complicated and also in Fahrenheit.

Click to enlarge

We wanted to see how it compared to the first, so we plotted both together:

Click to enlarge

We like averaging, so we plotted the average of the two outputs:

Click to enlarge

We thought it looks not so far from linear so we fit a regression model to the average and plotted that:

Click to enlarge

Then we couldn’t resist coming up with a simple heuristic (shown in dots):

Click to enlarge

The heuristic comes pretty close to the regression model.

Click to enlarge

This heuristic is rounded from the Fahrenheit version, the accuracy of which was not bad. The error (mean absolute deviation) of the Fahrenheit heuristic to the average model was about 1.6 Celsius degrees. The error of the regression model to the average model was about .97 Celsius degrees, so it’s not bad, considering that the two different heat index formulae can differ by over 2.8 Celsius degrees.

So what’s the heuristic?

• Relative Humidity of 50%: Add 5 degrees for every 5 degrees above 27
• Relative Humidity of 70%: Add 10 degrees for every 5 degrees above 27
• Relative Humidity of 90%: Add 17 degrees for every 5 degrees above 27 + 3

It’s quite a bit simpler than the 9 and 16 term equations above and should be good enough for everyday use.

R CODE
For those who want it