Job Summary

Position Title: Lecturer

Position Duties: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY invites applications for a Lecturer in the Cognitive Science Department. This position will prepare and teach relevant undergraduate and graduate courses, including psychology courses, during the academic year, as needed.

Specifically, the lecturer will perform the following duties:

• Teach undergraduate and graduate psychology courses;
• Conduct research, which includes submitting proposals and writing scientific papers in peer-reviewed journals;
• Advise undergraduate and graduate students in their curriculum;
• Advise and mentor undergraduate, graduate students, and postdocs in research; and
• Serve on relevant Departmental committees.

Travel is not a requirement of the position. From time to time, the incumbent may have the opportunity to travel to conferences and professional events, but this is not required.

This position may also teach the following courses, among other courses:

• PSYC 4330 - Cognitive Neuroscience: This survey course is intended as an introduction to Cognitive Neuroscience. The topics covered will focus on exploring the neural underpinnings for cognitive processes, such as sensation, language, attention, motor control, executive functions, social communication, emotions, consciousness, and learning/memory. Basic aspects of nervous system function and neuroanatomy, brain development/evolution, structural and functional imaging techniques, and other research methods used in Cognitive Neuroscience will be discussed.

• PSYC 4370: Cognitive Psychology: The focus of this course is on the flow of information from sensory input to retrieval from long-term memory. Within this framework, topics such as mnemonics, pattern recognition, attention, computer simulation, reasoning, and the relationship between culture and thought are discussed.

• PSYC 4410: Sensation & Perception: This course will focus on the physiological and neural mechanisms underlying sensation (sight, hearing, and touch), the qualitative aspects of human perceptual experience, and how perception and action are interconnected. Color perception, object recognition, space and motion perception, and perception and action are all examined.


Requirements: Ph.D. in Psychology, Science and Technology Studies, or a related scientific field.

Rate of Pay: $67,920 per year

Name of Employer: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Position Location: Troy, New York

Starting Salary/Rate

Expected hiring range: $67,920 per year

Pay transparency disclosure: The selected candidate’s salary will be determined based on factors that include the available budget, internal equity, and the final candidate’s qualifications, experience, education and other job-related credentials. This hiring range is provided as Rensselaer’s good faith estimate of the expected hiring range at the time of posting.

Application instructions

Follow the on-screen prompts to create a brief online profile. Please be ready to upload the following:

• CV
• cover letter
• evidence of effective teaching 

If you need assistance with the online application process, please contact careers@rpi.edu.

Total Compensation and Benefits Information

Rensselaer’s Total Compensation Program is designed to provide stable pay growth, a comprehensive and affordable benefits package, and a comprehensive and affordable retiree medical and prescription plan. Our goal is to provide you and your family with a comprehensive health and welfare program as an umbrella of financial security and protection during your employment. For more information, please visit Benefits | Human Resources (rpi.edu).