Research Director, Cognitive Synthesis - Cheshire Cat - Fractional - Founding Role

Research Director, Cognitive Synthesis (The Cheshire Cat) The Alice in Wonderland Paradox Quartet Oh! Love Ya Dawn — Constellation Layer

About the Quartet The Alice in Wonderland Paradox Quartet is a four-seat interdisciplinary research initiative focused on a singular human moment: When the world stops making sense before the self does. Each seat studies a different failure mode: Disorientation (perception, space, time, body) Language & Logic Paradox (rules, meaning, contradiction) Cognitive Synthesis (what remains when both collapse) Paradox Pedagogy (how to teach safely) This role is the hinge.

The Role We are seeking a Research Director, Cognitive Synthesis — informally known within the Quartet as The Cheshire Cat. This role does not originate primary data.

It does not adjudicate truth. It does not resolve paradox.

Instead, it performs a rarer function: It identifies what still coheres when perception and language fail at the same time. You are responsible for recognizing patterns that survive collapse — the structures that remain visible after the system that produced them disappears.

Your Seat in the Quartet If Seat 1 asks “What is happening to perception?” and Seat 2 asks “What is language doing about it?” You ask: “What still makes sense — even now?” You are the one who: Integrates findings across radically different epistemologies Names patterns without overclaiming causality Holds uncertainty precisely Allows the smile to remain after the cat is gone

Core Responsibilities Synthesize research outputs from Disorientation and Language & Logic seats Identify recurring patterns, invariants, and structures across collapse states Develop internal maps that remain useful under ambiguity Translate theory and data into models that can be taught later Work closely with the Paradox Pedagogue to ensure synthesis remains human-safe Serve as the Quartet’s integrative memory and coherence function You do not “explain everything.” You make it possible to keep going.

What This Role Is Not Not a primary data generator Not a philosopher resolving paradox Not a clinician diagnosing pathology Not a storyteller smoothing edges This role resists premature coherence.

Required Qualifications Terminal degree or equivalent depth of expertise in: Systems science Cognitive science Ethics & epistemology Medicine + research synthesis Interdisciplinary science leadership Demonstrated experience integrating: Quantitative and qualitative research Theory and lived experience Uncertain or incomplete datasets Exceptional judgment around when not to conclude

Strongly Valued Experience working at ethical boundaries of research Comfort operating where evidence is partial and stakes are real Prior work synthesizing across disciplines with incompatible assumptions A reputation for intellectual restraint rather than dominance The ability to say, “This is what we know — and this is what we don’t.”

Why This Role Exists Most systems collapse when inputs conflict. Children cannot afford that.

This role exists to ensure that when: perception destabilizes, language contradicts itself, and certainty is unavailable, there is still a safe internal structure holding the work together.

Structure & Compensation Founding Constellation-layer role Fractional or flexible engagement possible Equity-based participation consistent with Oh! Love Ya Dawn standards As funding matures, this role is expected to include cash compensation, aligned with scope and sustainability Remote-first, with collaboration driven by the research itself

A Final Note If you are someone who: Is trusted when answers are unavailable Is called in when others disagree Can sit with paradox without trying to tame it …and if you understand why the most important thing in Wonderland is the grin — then this role may already feel familiar. Show more Show less