Job Description

The Cognitive and Behavioral Economics Initiative (CBEI) in the Institute for Social and Economic Research and Policy (ISERP) at Columbia University invites applications for a Postdoctoral Research Scholar position in the fields of behavioral economics, neuroeconomics, or computational cognitive science to begin on or around July 1, 2025. The appointment will initially be for one year but is renewable for a total of three years based on satisfactory performance and availability of funding.

The Postdoctoral Research Scholar will join a team, under the direction of Prof. Michael Woodford, who studies the cognitive foundations of economic decision-making, using behavioral experiments and computational modeling. The program is especially interested in research that explores parallels between the cognitive mechanisms involved in perceptual judgments and economic decisions. Projects may involve the accuracy of judgments about probability, value, or risk; learning to forecast or categorize; the role of imprecise perception or memory in learning the values of actions; endogenous allocation of attention; sources of randomness in decisions; or context effects in choice behavior.

Representative recent publications by our group include: Prat-Carrabin and Woodford, Nature Human Behaviour, 2022; Hebert and Woodford, J. Economic Theory, 2023; Prat-Carrabin and Woodford, Psychological Review, 2024; Azeredo da Silveira, Sung, and Woodford, American Economic Review, 2024; Wei and Woodford, PNAS, 2025; and Aridor, Azeredo da Silveira, and Woodford, J. Econ. Dynamics and Control, in press.

Minimum Qualifications : A PhD in economics, psychology, computational neuroscience, computer science, or a related field must be received before starting the position. A strong background in computational modeling is essential.

Preferred Qualifications: Prior experience running behavioral experiments is desirable, as is previous collaboration or engagement with researchers in economics. Familiarity with methods from machine learning will be a plus.

All applications must be made through Columbia University?s Academic Search and Recruiting (ASR/Interfolio). Please upload the following required materials: a 1-2 page statement of research interests, CV, copies of (or links to) one or two representative publications or preprints, and contact information for three references to whom the Search Committee can reach out if needed.

Applications received by May 31, 2025 will receive full consideration. 

Columbia University is an Equal Opportunity Employer / Disability / Veteran

Pay Transparency Disclosure

The salary of the finalist selected for this role will be set based on a variety of factors, including but not limited to departmental budgets, qualifications, experience, education, licenses, specialty, and training.  The above hiring range represents the University?s good faith and reasonable estimate of the range of possible compensation at the time of posting.

About Columbia University

Columbia University is one of the world's most important centers of research and at the same time a distinctive and distinguished learning environment for undergraduates and graduate students in many scholarly and professional fields. The University recognizes the importance of its location in New York City and seeks to link its research and teaching to the vast resources of a great metropolis. It seeks to attract a diverse and international faculty and student body, to support research and teaching on global issues, and to create academic relationships with many countries and regions. It expects all areas of the university to advance knowledge and learning at the highest level and to convey the products of its efforts to the world.

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