The Cultural Evolution Society Invites Applications for Research Funding

/in , ,

The Cultural Evolution Society is running a funding scheme called Transforming the Field of Cultural Evolution and its Application to Global Human Futures, thanks to a grant from the John Templeton Foundation.

 

The scheme aims to transform the important, yet underfunded, field of cultural evolution. How our cultures evolve (including how information is transmitted, how people make decisions, and the interaction of culture with our biology) is a pressing issue in a world in which our cultural activities are causing rapid, and drastic, social and physical changes.

 

Through the scheme, the Cultural Evolution Society aims to tackle several issues:

  1. The ever-increasing obstacles to success that early career academics face – this will be redressed through funding, mentoring and training opportunities.
  2. Western-centrism, i.e. the tendency of research to focus far too much on the West and for only Western researchers to receive funding – researchers from countries outside of Northern America and Western Europe are especially encouraged to apply to this scheme.
  3. Disciplinary divides (for example between psychologists and anthropologists or physicists and historians) that hamper research progress.
  4. The gap between scientists and public policy makers – dedicated support is available to help communicate research activities to relevant contacts, in order to enable society as a whole to benefit from research in cultural evolution. Policy makers rarely draw on an explicit scientific theory of cultural change, and in contrast, the sciences often investigate what needs to be changed but invest less in how this may be achieved.

 

 

Research projects 

The funding competition will fund 16 Research Projects in four broad areas. There is more detail regarding these themes on the website but in summary:

1. Variation in creativity and imagination (both across cultures and between species) and the impact this has on the evolution of our technology, as well as art, music, language and religion. We may also understand the influence of cultural norms and different educational practices on creativity throughout the life-time.

 

2. Cultural influences on access to ‘reality’ (or our rationality). When we think of rational thought, we often consider processes based on an evaluation of objective facts rather than supernatural beliefs or emotions. However, recent theories in many diverse disciplines have focused on human ‘irrationality’ and how this may be ‘sensible’ as we live in a world of uncertainty where logic is not a perfect guide. Investigating how cultural beliefs influence our perceived realities and ability to imagine future ones, as well as investigations of how, or why, we transmit so-called ‘fake news’ are important avenues of research.

 

3.  The impact of globalization on cultures. We live in an ever more interdependent world, the current and future implications of which are ripe for investigation through a cultural evolutionary lens. For example, the effects of the hyper-availability of online information to enormous global audiences, and the novel features of digital information transmission, are only recently being investigated. Globalization also poses inherent risks, especially as we increasingly face cooperative dilemmas on an unprecedented global scale (e.g. climate change, pandemics). Likewise, it is also possible that the merging of humanity into a single “effective population” will erase cultural variation with negative impacts on knowledge diversity and our ability to adapt to new challenges.

 

4. Applying cultural evolution to enhance human futures. How cultural evolutionary insights can be used for positive change was identified as one of the ‘grand challenges’ in the field of cultural evolution. One key example is that an understanding of cultural transmission, and the various biases in when and whom individuals learn from, may be used to enhance the spread of desired behaviours. In principle, understanding of these processes could aid in the current Covid-19 health workers’ ‘war’ against misinformation. More generally, cultural evolution could inform ‘Behavioural Insights’ ‘or ‘nudge’ theories used by institutions globally in an attempt to improve public policy.

 

Applied Working Groups 

Alongside the funding of the research grants, there is also a competition to fund 5 Applied Working Groups. These will be designed by the applicants, to implement cultural evolution with real impact on, for example, policy (e.g. public health, education), politics, business, climate change, conservation and welfare. The workshops should include conversations between academics and relevant non-academics to disseminate cultural evolution insights to the general public and engage policy makers in using cultural evolution to help solve current and future real-world problems.

At the end of 2024, there will be a conference in Durham (UK), where the findings from all of the research projects and working groups will be presented to scientists, policy makers and the general public.

The application deadline is 5th January 2022, and there will be a pre-application workshop in early November 2021. Details of the scheme are available here, and you can also find out more on the following social media accounts:

 

https://twitter.com/CultEvolFunding

https://www.linkedin.com/company/cultural-evolution-funding

https://www.facebook.com/CultEvolFunding

 

For any questions, please email our grant manager Lorna Winship in the first instance: ces.transformationfund@durham.ac.uk.

Student and ECR Subsidies for EP Preconference at SPSP

/in , ,

HBES is sponsoring registration subsidies for the Evolutionary Psychology Preconference at SPSP 2022! Limited subsidies are available to cover preconference registration costs for some students and early career researchers with financial hardships. Apply by Nov-15! For details and how to apply, see the preconference website: https://ep2022.mystrikingly.com

Questions? Reach out to one of the preconference organizers:  Will McAuliffe (williamhbmcauliffe@gmail.com); Juliana French (juliana.french@okstate.edu); Michael Barlev (MLBarlev@gmail.com)

Seeking subject matter expert nominees: future of human welfare, evolution, and societal change

/in ,

Hello! We apologize for this intrusion, but we are eager to capture the insights that experts in your field have to offer into a big-topic debate: the near and longer-term future of human welfare and societal change. For example, whether advances in our understanding of cultural evolution or behavioral genetics or gene editing technology will have positive or negative influences on human welfare. We refer to any area of societal change (e.g., economic conditions, public health, freedoms, happiness, life expectancy, functional institutions, technological innovations, peace, education, social capital), seeking to understand whether such conditions will improve, stay the same, or worsen in the future.

To this end, we are asking for confidential nominations about the most relevant, prolific, and well-respected experts in your field who study issues related to the future for humanity, cultural evolution and societal change. Self-nominations are welcome. Top nominees will be invited to share their insights—and eventually share a distillation of these expert opinions with the academic community and society at large.

 

Provide your input here!

2.5 Year Post-Doc Department of Political Science, Aarhus BSS, Aarhus University

/in , , ,

The Department of Political Science, Aarhus BSS, Aarhus University, invites applications for a postdoctoral position offering applicants the opportunity to join the research project “Exemplar Democracy (EXDEM) – Psychological Biases and the Impact of Exemplars on Factual Perceptions and Attributions of Government Responsibility”. The project is led by Associate Professor Lene Aarøe and funded by the Independent Research Fund Denmark.

The postdoctoral position is a full-time fixed-term position for 2.5 years starting on 1 March 2022 or as soon as possible hereafter subject to mutual agreement.

The research project

When reporting about social problems, the media typically use exemplars, i.e., the narrative of a specific person who is personally affected by the issue. In different lines of research, this type of media reporting is also referred to as “human interest frames”, “case reports” and “episodic frames”. While these lines of research use different terminologies, they all emphasize that exposure to exemplars can create an extreme perspective that triggers (1) factual misperceptions in the mass public and (2) biases people’s democratic responsibility attributions of whether the government or the individual is to blame for the problem. The EXDEM project seeks to understand why some types of media exemplars are so powerful in shaping factual misperceptions and responsibility attributions in the mass public, while others are uninfluential. Second, the project seeks to advance knowledge about how the effects of powerful but unrepresentative exemplars can be corrected to combat misinformation in the mass public.

The EXDEM project is theoretically ambitious and will develop a new interdisciplinary theory integrating insights from psychology, communication, cognitive science, and political science to answer the research questions. In doing so the project advances scientific knowledge about the consequences of media exposure as well as the sources of misinformation and biased democratic responsibility attributions in the mass public and develops new best practice guidelines for how to mitigate them. Examples of relevant sources of theoretical inspiration include (but are certainly not limited to) research on cognitive biases and heuristics, emotions, interpersonal communication, and identity.

Methodologically, the project implements a unique cross-national research design combining different types of survey experiments with analyses of people’s real-world reactions to real-world media tweets. The project will develop and implement a series of parallel experiments in the United States, France, and Denmark to study the research questions. Data collection in an additional country can be added to the project depending on the applicant’s empirical interests and background knowledge. The full project description is available upon request.

Job description

The postdoctoral researcher will be employed as part of the EXDEM project team and is expected to engage in collaborative research with Associate Professor Lene Aarøe and other project team members (from Aarhus and beyond). We expect the postdoc to take a leading role in developing, designing, and coordinating studies in one or more countries within the project, to conduct high-quality research within the context of the EXDEM project, and to contribute to publications in top outlets.

Research will primarily be carried out in collaboration with other project members, but there will be some opportunities to pursue independent work within the overall focus of the project. The project offers significant funding for data collection, research assistants, travel, and workshops.

In addition to the outlined research tasks, the position implies modest teaching obligations equivalent to one course per year. If an applicant is interested, a one-year further extension in return for additional teaching might be negotiable, depending on the applicant’s prior teaching experience and the Department’s need for teaching capacity in the relevant years. The Head of Department will decide on any such extension no later than one year after employment. Interested applicants are thus encouraged to describe their potential contributions to teaching obligations in the Department’s BA or MA programs. Salary is according to the Danish pay schedule.

Your qualifications

Applicants are expected to hold – or be close to completing – a PhD in relevant areas in political science, political/social/evolutionary psychology, communication, or cognitive science. In addition to a keen interest in conducting collaborative research in the EXDEM project, the successful candidate must demonstrate ambition and ability to produce high-quality research.

We expect applicants to have strong quantitative skills and excellent command of statistical programming languages (e.g., STATA or R), experience with or a strong interest in experimental designs and a willingness to acquire new methodological skills. Some experience with social media research or automated content analyses is an additional asset but not required. Applicants are expected to have an excellent command of spoken and written English.

Interested applicants should submit an application letter motivating why they are interested in being part of the EXDEM project and how they can contribute to the success of the project, outlining potential ideas for research relevant to the focus of the project (2-3 pages). Selected candidates will be asked to come for an interview and present research ideas.

 

See the full advert here.

Call for Papers for a Special Issue of Evolutionary Psychology

/in , ,

Evolutionary Psychology invites submissions for a forthcoming special issue on Evolutionary Criminology.  The goal of this special issue is to advance the understanding of how, and in what ways, an evolutionary framework can be applied to understand criminal behavior.  In the past several decades, research examining the connection between evolutionary processes and criminal behavior has gained momentum across multiple disciplines, such as psychology, criminology, and the biological sciences.  With this in mind, this special issue seeks to combine papers from diverse fields of study, that employ different methodologies, and focus on various topics relevant to evolutionary criminology.  All submissions should be submitted via Evolutionary Psychology’s manuscript submission portal at: https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/evp.  The deadline for papers to be received is October 1st, 2022.

 

Any questions can be directed to the guest editors of the special issue:

 

Kevin M. Beaver, Ph.D.

Florida State University

kbeaver@fsu.edu

 

Bridget Joyner, M.S.

Florida State University

bnj13@my.fsu.edu

Oklahoma State University seeking Assistant Professor of Cognitive Psychology

/in , , ,

DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHOLOGY, OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY is seeking an outstanding scientist to fill a one full-time, Assistant Professor, tenure track position in Psychology beginning August, 2022, with an area of specialization in Cognitive Psychology. Candidates must have a strong background and research expertise in human cognition, broadly defined (e.g., decision-making, computational modeling, applied cognitive, cognitive development, memory, and cognitive neuroscience). Candidates are expected to have a strong background in and dedication to scholarly activity, and to interact well with colleagues and students. They must also demonstrate the capacity to maintain a high-quality research program leading to scholarly productivity in the form of professional publications, presentations, and grantsmanship. Competitive salary and start-up funds are available.

Candidates will be expected to serve as a research mentor for doctoral students, to supervise undergraduate research, and to provide quality classroom instruction for both graduate and undergraduate courses. Typical teaching load is two courses per semester. The successful candidate will be expected to teach courses in cognitive psychology, decision-making, memory, and research methods at both the graduate and undergraduate levels. The Department has a shared laboratory space with facilities and equipment to support current scientists exploring genetic and endocrine contributions to behavior that would be available to new faculty. Candidates would also have access to the OSU brain initiative https://tulsa.okstate.edu/braininitiative, and growing interdisciplinary neuroscience program at OSU.

The Department has 25 full-time faculty and offers Ph.D.s in experimental psychology and clinical psychology. The clinical program, continuously APA-accredited since 1971, is based on the Clinical Science model of training and is a member of the Academy of Clinical Sciences and both APA and PCSAS accredited. The Department offers training to a diverse graduate and undergraduate student body (30% minority enrollment) of approximately 60 doctoral students and 900 undergraduate majors. Applicants are encouraged to visit the Department website at http://psychology.okstate.edu.

OSU is located in Stillwater, OK, an environmentally clean, safe, pleasant city of 45,000 located in north central Oklahoma, approximately 70 miles from both Oklahoma City and Tulsa. Stillwater public schools are frequently rated among the best in Oklahoma, and the city has excellent affordable housing.

For full consideration, application materials must be received by October 15, 2021. However, applications will be accepted until the position is filled. It is anticipated that interviewing will begin in late November or early December. Applications should include a cover letter indicating research and teaching interests, vita, reprints/preprints, research statement, summary of course evaluations/evidence of teaching excellence, and three letters of recommendation. The application portfolio, compiled as a single PDF file, should be uploaded to the application portal at [INSERT INTERFOLIO LINK].  Please direct questions to Shelia Kennison, Chair, Human Cognition Search Committee, Department of Psychology, Oklahoma State University, 116 North Psychology Building, Stillwater, OK 74078-3064; (405) 744-7335; shelia.kennison@okstate.edu

Oklahoma State University, as an equal opportunity employer, complies with all applicable federal and state laws regarding non-discrimination and affirmative action.  Oklahoma State University is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all individuals and does not discriminate based on race, religion, age, sex, color, national origin, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, disability, or veteran status with regard to employment, educational programs and activities, and/or admissions. Position is contingent upon available funding. For more information, visit https:///eeo.okstate.edu.

 

Qualifications

Candidates must have a strong background and research expertise in human cognition, broadly defined (e.g., decision-making, computational modeling, applied cognitive, cognitive development, memory, and cognitive neuroscience). Candidates are expected to have a strong background in and dedication to scholarly activity, and to interact well with colleagues and students. They must also demonstrate the capacity to maintain a high-quality research program leading to scholarly productivity in the form of professional publications, presentations, and grantsmanship.

Application Instructions

For full consideration, application materials must be received by October 15, 2021. However, applications will be accepted until the position is filled. It is anticipated that interviewing will begin in late November or early December. Applications should include a cover letter indicating research and teaching interests, vita, reprints/preprints, research statement, summary of course evaluations/evidence of teaching excellence, and three letters of recommendation. The application portfolio, compiled as a single PDF file, should be uploaded to the application portal at [INSERT INTERFOLIO LINK].  Please direct questions to Shelia Kennison, Chair, Human Cognition Search Committee, Department of Psychology, Oklahoma State University, 116 North Psychology Building, Stillwater, OK 74078-3064; (405) 744-7335; shelia.kennison@okstate.edu

See full advert here

University of Colorado, Colorado Springs seeking Assistant Professor of Developmental or Social Psychology

/in , ,

The Psychology Department at the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs (UCCS) is seeking applicants for a tenure-track Assistant Professor with background in Developmental or Social Psychology beginning August 2022. Area of specialization is open, but candidates with expertise in diversity, prejudice, cultural psychology, psychology and law, or researchers with an applied focus are especially encouraged to apply. The department has existing strengths covering comprehensive sub-disciplines of psychology. We are committed to equity, diversity and inclusion.

Candidates must have a PhD in developmental or social psychology, or a related field, and demonstrated potential for excellence in research and teaching.

Responsibilities include teaching a variety of undergraduate and graduate-level courses in the candidate’s area of specialization; teaching core psychology survey courses and seminar courses; supervising student research activities, theses and dissertations; and maintaining an active and productive program of empirical research.

The psychology faculty are committed to excellence in teaching and research, with the expectation that faculty maintain a productive program of research with a commitment to obtain external funding. The Psychology Department currently offers a BA in Psychology, MA programs in Psychological Science (with subplans in Cognition, Geropsychology, Trauma, and Developmental) and Clinical Psychology (with subplans in Trauma and Geropsychology), and a PhD in Clinical Psychology (with tracks in Geropsychology and in Trauma Psychology). More info can be found at https://psychology.uccs.edu/.

This position has been determined to be exempt from the overtime provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

What We Offer:

Salary Range: Generally starting at $71,500 to $75,000

The salary of the finalist(s) selected for this role will be set based on a variety of factors, including but not limited to, internal equity, experience, education, specialty and training.

The University of Colorado offers excellent benefits, including medical, dental, retirement, and a tuition benefit. Information on university benefits programs, including eligibility, is located at http://www.cu.edu/employee-services. Total compensation goes beyond the value on the paycheck.  Please consider reviewing the Total Compensation page at Total Compensation Calculators | University of Colorado.

Tentative Search Timeline:

  • The priority date for applications is October 3, 2021.
  • The potential dates for interviews will begin in October/November 2021.
  • The potential employee start date is August 2022.

See full advert here

University of Colorado, Colorado Springs seeks Assistant Professor of Quantitative Psychology

/in , ,

The Psychology Department at the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs (UCCS) is seeking applicants for a tenure-track Assistant Professor with expertise in Quantitative Psychology beginning August 2022. The department has existing strengths covering comprehensive sub-disciplines of psychology.

Candidates must have a PhD in quantitative psychology or a different sub-field of psychology with advanced quantitative expertise and demonstrated potential for excellence in research and teaching. The specific area of research specialization is open, whether their PhD is in quantitative psychology, a different sub-field of psychology, or allied field with knowledge of methodology used in the discipline of psychology.

Responsibilities include teaching a variety of undergraduate and graduate-level courses in research methodology and statistics including contemporary advanced methodologies (e.g., longitudinal methods and analysis, methods for understanding cultural group differences, SEM, nonlinear modeling, etc.); teaching core psychology survey courses and seminar courses; supervising student research activities, theses and dissertations; consulting with students and faculty on statistics and methodology and maintaining an active and productive program of empirical research.

This position has been determined to be exempt from the overtime provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

Who We Are: 

The psychology faculty are committed to excellence in teaching and research, with the expectation that faculty maintain a productive program of research with a commitment to obtain external funding. The Psychology Department currently offers a BA in Psychology, MA programs in Psychological Science (with specialty tracks in Cognition and Developmental) and Clinical Psychology (with specialty tracks in Trauma and Geropsychology), and a PhD in Clinical Psychology (with tracks in Geropsychology and in Trauma Psychology). More info can be found at https://psychology.uccs.edu/. We are committed to equity, diversity and inclusion. Therefore, the department is especially interested in candidates who can contribute to the diversity and excellence of the academic community through their research, teaching, and/or service.

The University of Colorado Colorado Springs (UCCS) is one of four campuses in the University of Colorado system and is home to over 9,500 undergraduate and 1,900 graduate students.

Colorado Springs (pop. 450K+) is situated at the base of Pikes Peak, offers many recreational and cultural activities and was recently ranked by U.S. News & World Report as one of the top Best Places to Live in the U.S.

What We Offer: 

Salary Range: Generally starting at $72,000 – $75,000 per academic year

The salary of the finalist(s) selected for this role will be set based on a variety of factors, including but not limited to, internal equity, experience, education, specialty and training.

The University of Colorado offers excellent benefits, including medical, dental, retirement, and a tuition benefit. Information on university benefits programs, including eligibility, is located at http://www.cu.edu/employee-services. Total compensation goes beyond the value on the paycheck.  Please consider reviewing the Total Compensation page at Total Compensation Calculators | University of Colorado.

Tentative Search Timeline:  

  • The priority deadline is September 16, 2021.
  • The potential dates for interviews will begin in September/October 2021.
  • The potential employee start date is August 2022.

See full advert here

Duke Kunshan University (DKU) Invites Applications for Faculty Position in Evolutionary Anthropology

/in , , ,

Duke Kunshan University (DKU) invites applications to a faculty position in evolutionary anthropology, beginning in the academic year 2022-2023. We seek a candidate working at the intersection of psychology and biology, who is eager to contribute to our new interdisciplinary major in Behavioral Science. We encourage especially candidates capable of teaching classes in the comparative analysis of behavior, evolution, evolutionary and population genetics, or physiology. We are open with regard to a candidate’s research focus. Our interest includes but is not limited to scholars studying cultural evolution, evolutionary psychology, human evolutionary genetics, cognitive development and evolution, evolutionary neuroscience, primatology and human behavioral ecology. This position is open with regard to rank, including tenured, tenure track and non-tenure track. Mid-career and senior faculty are especially encouraged to apply.

As an international intellectual community that encourages diversity, openness and creative learning, DKU welcomes outstanding faculty from around the world who contribute diverse perspectives and experiences to a global learning and research environment. DKU particularly welcomes applications from underrepresented groups and minorities.

In order to meet Chinese visa requirements, prior to the position start date international (non-Chinese) candidates must have worked full-time (work experience obtained while studying full-time is not considered as full-time work experience) for at least two years in a relevant area (including post-doctoral work) after receiving their Bachelor’s degree, or begin their appointment at DKU within 12 months of obtaining their master’s degree/Ph.D. and without having work experience between graduation date on master’s degree diploma/Ph.D. diploma and position start date.

DKU is a collaborative partnership of Duke University, Wuhan University and the Municipality of Kunshan, China (https://dukekunshan.edu.cn/). Our campus provides an innovative and robustly interdisciplinary undergraduate liberal arts experience to a student body that will number 2000 students and 150+ faculty, with an acceptance rate of <8% and a student body represented by over 60 countries. We also offer a discrete number of Master’s level graduate programs. The DKU pedagogical model draws on the best of Duke’s educational experience and resources to reimagine undergraduate instruction on an intimate campus setting.

Similar to the best liberal arts colleges in the United States, DKU values dedication to teaching excellence in a liberal arts environment, as well as a strong commitment to successful scholarly engagement and research. This includes research with undergraduate students. As a whole, the Duke Kunshan faculty will have strong commitments to teaching and research, and outstanding quality in both areas will be highly valued.

Candidates must hold a Ph.D. degree or equivalent in a relevant field. Research experience at a postdoctoral level (or greater) and teaching experience are desirable, as is experience working in an interdisciplinary setting. Applicants should provide a cover letter including a clear statement of the candidate’s specific interest in DKU, a curriculum vitae, a research statement, a teaching statement, and three reference letters. All materials should be submitted through Academic Jobs Online: https://academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/19343. The search committee also invites and encourages letters of nomination for potential candidates. Nominations and questions about the positions may be sent to integrated-science-search@dukekunshan.edu.cn using “Evolutionary Anthropology” as the subject line. Priority will be given to applications received by October 15, 2021; we will accept applications until the positions are filled.

The DKU campus is 37 miles west of Shanghai in Kunshan, and is connected to Shanghai via an 18-minute high-speed train and a subway-light rail train system. DKU provides internationally competitive compensation, housing allowance, child education benefits (for applicable faculty positions), and a discretionary fund or start-up package.

Early Career Writing Group Sign-Up

/in

Early Career Writing Group!

A virtual writing group is being organized by Stacey Makhanova for early career evolutionary psychologists and evolutionary scientists more broadly who want some external motivation to get writing done and an opportunity to network (and commiserate) with people in similar career stages. For this group, “early career” means assistant professors, post-docs, and graduate students at the dissertation stage.

If you are interested, see the Google Doc for details and to add your contact info to the email list.