Postdoc in Evolution & Ecology of Human Behavior & Culture Lab

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  1. Postdoctoral Researcher for Templeton funded Adoption of new religious rituals project

[ versión en Español aquí 🇵🇪 ]

    • Project: Deciding whether to adopt a new behavior poses a challenge, particularly when it is difficult to verify the efficacy of that trait. New religious beliefs epitomize such a trait. Unfortunately, most accounts of religious changes are retrospective, and therefore cannot measure the social, strategic, and cognitive underpinnings of such cultural change. In a new project we remedy those short comings. We take advantage of a rare opportunity to study the development of a new religious ritual site in the Peruvian Altiplano where people began worshipping an apparition of Jesus, along with traditional Andean figures such as a stone toad, in 2014. We seek a postdoctoral researcher for this project to co-develop a regional and longitudinal project at this site.

    • Timeline: The appointment will be for 3 years if the researcher is able to start on Oct 1, 2022. There is some possibility to start later in Fall 2022, but it would cut down the total appointment time. Reviews will begin Aug 22, 2022 and will continue to be reviewed until Sept 22nd if unfilled by then.

    • Qualifications: This is an interdisciplinary project, so colleagues with many different skills can contribute. As such not all the following are necessary, but the ideal candidate speaks Spanish, has experience with mixed methods anthropological fieldwork, data management, and statistical analyses of these. Expertise in cultural evolutionary theory is a plus. As with most research positions, written and verbal scientific communication skills, interpersonal skills and a willingness to work in a collaborative environment are important. Candidate must have PhD by the time they take up the position.

    • Responsibilities: The postdoctoral researcher will be involved in all phases of the research process from planning up to writing up.

      1. Project planning

        • There is flexibility as to which projects the postdoctoral researcher wishes to lead. During the planning phase they will decide which research questions are of interest to them and help develop the materials and ethics applications for these.

        • Data documentation for previously collected data and preparing data documentation protocol for future data to be collected.

      2. Fieldwork in Peruvian Altiplano (during Northern Hemisphere summers)

        • Accompanying one of the field teams during regional data collection

        • Conducting some interviews, cognitive tasks, & coordinating games.

        • Managing one of the field teams data collection and ensuring data quality

      3. Analysis

        • Devising and implementing data analysis for subsets of data

        • Leading articles for publication

    • Benefits:

      1. Research and conference travel costs are covered by the grant.

      2. All postdoctoral researchers at UC Davis are represented by the UAW. For more information on salary and benefits see: https://grad.ucdavis.edu/postdoctoral-scholar-benefits

      3. Further information from the UC Davis Postdoctoral Scholars Association can be found here: https://postdocs.ucdavis.edu/

    • Application: Applicants should address any questions, or submit their materials to moya@ucdavis.edu. Receipt of each applications will be confirmed. Get in touch if you do not hear from me within a week.

      1. Cover letter (one page): explaining why you are interested in this position and what makes you a good candidate for it

      2. CV

      3. Names and contact information for three references familiar with your work. (letters not necessary)

 

Full advert here

Lecturer (Assistant Professor) in Psychology Position at Murdoch University

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  • Continuous, Full Time (37.5 hours)
  • Base Salary $115k plus 17% employer superannuation contributions
  • Salary Packaging opportunities 
  • Ref: 130591/4190A01

At Murdoch, we pride ourselves on our diverse and vibrant workplace. We are committed to the recruitment and development of skilled and passionate people, who want to make a difference to the world around them. With more than 23,000 students and 1,700 staff across three campuses in the Perth area as well as centres in Singapore and Dubai, Murdoch has an ambitious agenda both locally and internationally.

For undergraduate studies, the psychology discipline was rated top in Australia in overall experience in the Good Universities Guide ranking 2020/2021.

The Role

The successful applicant will conduct research in any area of psychology, apply innovative teaching methods in any area of psychology at undergraduate psychology courses and fourth year psychology courses. The expected candidate will coordinate units and courses and must be confident in the use of technology for teaching.

What you’ll bring to this role

Essential 

  • A PhD in an area relevant to appointment.
  • Demonstrated experience in teaching in the discipline or profession, or two or more years of postdoctoral or equivalent professional experience.
  • Demonstrated ability to work under broad direction only, exercise initiative in undertaking responsibilities and work effectively as a team member.
  • Demonstrated ability to engage in high quality independent research, with an established record of scholarly publications.
  • Demonstrated capacity to produce grant applications, with a track record in the generation of research funding (either independently or as part of a research team).
  • Demonstrated ability and commitment to successfully supervise honours, postgraduate and HDR students.
  • Demonstrated knowledge of contemporary approaches to curriculum and pedagogy.
  • Well-developed interpersonal skills and the ability to work effectively as a member of an interdisciplinary and collegial team.
  • Demonstrated high levels of written and oral communication skills in English.

See full advert here

Early Career Writing Group Sign-Up

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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:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1MApDYnB5OErkXhgIhA05ataUlJHhY9B16ighMk2xO0A/edit

Fully-Funded PhD Position at University of Zurich on Hunter-Gatherer Tool Use & Culture

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Fully-funded PhD position at University of Zurich on hunter-gatherer tool use & culture

We are offering a 4-year PhD position in the Ape Behaviour & Ecology Group of the Department of
Anthropology at the University of Zurich (www.apegroup-uzh.com) to study hunter-gatherer material
culture in Central Africa.

The PhD candidate will work within the Comparative Human and Ape Technology (CHAT) Project,
which is funded through a SNSF Eccellenza Professorial Fellowship (‘Phylogenetic and Ontogenetic
Origins of Ape Material Culture’). The overall goal of the CHAT Project is to enhance our understanding
of the evolution of technology and to shed light on what made humans the uniquely technological
ape. This research will apply a comparative developmental approach (Koops & Sanz, in press), which
integrates the study of the development of tool use and object manipulation while considering the
influence of ecological and socio-cognitive drivers, across species. The CHAT Project compares
chimpanzees, bonobos, gorillas, and humans. The research for this PhD project will focus on hunter-gatherers
and includes behavioural observations and ecological data collection.

The successful candidate will join an interdisciplinary team of researchers working on the evolution of
tool use and culture. Excellent collaborative, independent working and time management skills are
essential. Previous field experience (incl. behavioural data collection, ideally on humans) and French
language skills are required. Experience working in remote places under basic and challenging living
conditions is highly recommended. The Ph.D. project will require 18-24 months of field work in the
Republic of Congo, split into a number of field seasons.

Candidates should have a M.Sc. degree or equivalent, a relevant background in Biology, Psychology,
Anthropology or a related discipline, a strong interest in human/primate behaviour, advanced
scientific writing (in English) and strong data analytical skills (in R). Start of the position is 1 August
2022. The position is fully funded for max. 4 years.

Please submit your application as soon as possible in a single PDF to kathelijne.koops@uzh.ch. We will
consider applications until the position is filled. Feel free to get in touch if you have any inquiries about
the position. Applications should include: 1) cover letter stating your motivation and how your
expertise fit the project (max. 1 page), 2) Curriculum Vitae, 3) copy of highest degree obtained, 4)
names and contact details of two referees, 5) reprints of 1-2 selected publications or writing samples.

Funded Post-Doc Position at UNSW Sydney

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Postdoc Position – UNSW Sydney – Effects of Inequality on Behaviours Relates to Sex and Gender

We are looking to appoint a postdoc for 2.25 years to work with us on an Australian Research Council funded project – “How Inequalities affect attitudes and behaviours concerning sex and gender”.

The work includes online experiments and may include face-to-face experiments to test hypotheses about the effects of income and gender inequality on a range of gendered behaviours as well as attitudes concerning sex and gender. It will also include opportunities to collaborate on studies of ecological variation in social media, and there will be scope for the appointee to design and conduct other studies related to the area of research.

You could start as early as May or as late as October – the important thing for us is to get the right person.
The two Chief Investigators on this project (Rob Brooks and Khandis Blake) are based in Sydney and Melbourne respectively, but have a long track record of collaboration. We want to appoint somebody who can work with us both, and with members of our labs, helping us build the next phase of our collaboration.

In our imagination, the ideal appointee will have experience running psychology experiments, including Qualtrics skills. They will have some academic understanding of evolution and a willingness to work across both evolutionary and gender psychology with a commitment to using experiments and data to test hypotheses. They will have some experience with OpenScience and a willingness to work in that framework. And they are adept at writing, speaking, planning, and communicating with colleagues.

You might have only some of these arrows in your quiver, but still be what we are looking for. So please head to the UNSW Human Resources Website (https://external-careers.jobs.unsw.edu.au/cw/en/job/506994/postdoctoral-research-associate) and have a look at the criteria. Then apply online.

If you have informal questions about the position, the labs, or anything else, please let us know by email. (But please don’t send us your application by email).
Rob.brooks@unsw.edu.au
Khandis.blake@unimelb.edu.au

Sign Up for the Evo Early Career Writing Group

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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:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1MApDYnB5OErkXhgIhA05ataUlJHhY9B16ighMk2xO0A/edit

University of Michigan Flint Seeking Assistant Professor of Psychology

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The Department of Behavioral Sciences, within the College of Arts and Sciences, at the University of Michigan – Flint (UM-Flint) invites applications for a tenure track faculty position in Applied Psychology to begin in Fall 2022. For this position, Applied Psychology refers to the application of theory, principles and techniques of psychology to solving real world issues or problems. Candidates may come from many subareas, including clinical psychology, community psychology, health psychology, industrial/organizational psychology, and sports psychology, among others.

UM-Flint’s mission is built upon three pillars: excellence in teaching, learning and scholarship; student centeredness; and engaged citizenship. As an institution and community, we are  committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), in accordance with our DEI Strategic Action Plan. Consistent with our mission, the ideal candidate will be a teacher-scholar who can integrate these three pillars to provide the best learning opportunities for our students while working to improve the communities we serve and advancing UM-Flint’s commitment to DEI.  Responsibilities include teaching 18 credits per academic year (2-3 courses per semester), establishing an ongoing program of research, mentoring students in research, academic advising, and engaging in service activities that support the department, college, and university.

The position requires a PhD in psychology or closely related field, demonstrated excellence in teaching at the undergraduate level, preferably, in multiple modalities (in person, online), and a coherent program of research that lends itself to student involvement and the possibility of external funding, as evidenced by research productivity. ABDs with verification of substantial progress towards completion will be considered, but a doctoral degree is preferred at the time of appointment and required within one year of hire date. The ideal candidate will teach some combination of introductory psychology, core courses (e.g. Cognitive, Abnormal, etc.), and methods courses (e.g., Research Methods, Stats, etc.). Willingness to offer courses on the Flint campus and via distance education (e.g. at a regional satellite campus and/or online) are necessary.

Located in downtown Flint, many unique opportunities await new faculty members at The University of Michigan – Flint campus. We are experiencing a dynamic downtown revitalization rich with opportunities for service learning, research collaboration, and practice in applied psychology. The University also offers laboratory facilities and internal funding opportunities, along with potential collaboration opportunities with several regional colleges and universities. We are seeking candidates who are excited by the opportunities that the University offers and who wish to be part of this energy and growth. The University of Michigan –  Flint boasts an enrollment of over 6,000 graduate and undergraduate students, and sits on a beautiful 75-acre riverfront campus in downtown Flint, Michigan.

University of Michigan-Flint is committed to building a culturally diverse faculty and staff and strongly encourages applications from women, minorities, individuals with disabilities, and veterans. The University of Michigan is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer.

 

See full advert and info here

Peace Research Institute Oslo seeking Post-Doc for Adapted to War Project

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The Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO) invites applications for a 1.5-year, full-time Postdoc position within the project Adapted to War (AWAR), funded by the European Research Council (ERC Starting Grant).

The position provides an opportunity to work in a leading international research institute, located in Norway’s capital city, as part of an interdisciplinary project on human aggression.

Summary of AWAR

Have humans evolved psychological adaptations to coalitional aggression or small-scale war? This question has generated major scientific debate involving anthropologists, archaeologists, economists, primatologists, psychologists, and political scientists. If humans are adapted to war, then human psychology must be equipped with adaptations designed for the effective navigation of war: efficient, complex, and specialized (sensory, perceptual, cognitive, affective, and behavioral) mechanisms promoting planning, execution, and defense against coalitional attacks. AWAR focuses, specifically, on coalitional formidability assessment mechanisms, which likely helped ancestral humans to avoid costly fights. The project also explores contemporary implications of coalitional formidability assessment mechanisms: if they indeed exist, do they shape our attitudes and behavior today, particularly in the context of modern political violence (e.g., violent protests or civil conflicts)?

The Postdoc’s role in the team

The project’s core team will consist of Postdoc 1, Stefan Goetz (psychologist; expertise: evolutionary psychology), Postdoc 2 (psychologist/cognitive scientist; expected expertise: cognitive psychology experiments), and Principal Investigator (PI), Henrikas Bartusevičius (political scientist; expertise: the psychology of political violence).

This vacancy concerns Postdoc 2, whose key responsibilities will be as follows:

  • Collaborating with the research team in designing cognitive psychology experiments (online and/or lab) to probe the existence and design features of the theorized coalitional formidability assessment mechanism;
  • Contributing to conducting and analyzing the experiments;
  • Writing journal articles in collaboration with Postdoc 2 and PI.

Opportunities

The project provides an opportunity to contribute to a novel research program that combines psychology, political science, and evolutionary theory to understand basic psychological processes underpinning coalitional aggression and contemporary political violence. The project also provides an opportunity to contribute to the establishment and development of a pioneering political psychology lab/research group in Norway.

The project and the institute are committed to supporting the Postdoc’s career development. Therefore, the project includes funding (e.g., for conference travel and research stays at other research institutions) to help the successful candidate build new competences. The project also has an ambitious publication plan, targeting general science or multidisciplinary journals. The project includes a large budget for well-powered cross-cultural research, spanning lab and online experiments across 40 countries. The project also includes a budget for research assistance to support the research team.

The project will collaborate with other psychology and political psychology labs in Norway and Denmark, including the Politics and Evolution Lab (directed by Michael B. Petersen) at Aarhus University. The project thus offers opportunities to network and present research in interdisciplinary environments.

The project will also strive to create conditions for the Postdoc to complete ongoing research, initiate new research agendas, and apply for new research funding.

Work environment and conditions

PRIO has an international research staff of approximately 85 members in full and part-time positions, and in addition 15 in administrative and support functions. The working language at the institute is English. PRIO is an equal opportunity employer and values staff diversity.

The institute is located in spacious and attractive premises in central Oslo, Europe’s fastest-growing capital city. Employee benefits include access to the PRIO cabin in the mountains, a subsidized canteen, weekly physiotherapy exercise, weekly running group, discounted gym membership and various social events.

Postdoctoral scholars at PRIO formally hold the position of a Senior Researcher. The starting salary for a Senior Researcher at PRIO is NOK 689,600 (equivalent to 73 in the Norwegian State salary system). Employees are offered membership in the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund.

The candidate should have an interest in PRIO’s broader mission of conducting high-quality academic research on questions relevant to the promotion of a more peaceful world. For more information about PRIO’s research, see https://www.prio.org/

The position is for one and a half year. This is a full-time research position with no teaching requirements.

 

Full advert and info here

UCSB Seeking Assistant Professor of Advanced Quantitative Skills, Psychological and Brain Sciences

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The Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at the University of California, Santa Barbara invites applications for a tenure-track faculty position in Advanced Quantitative Skills at the level of Assistant Professor, with an anticipated start date of July 1, 2022. The Department is looking for individuals trained in any area of psychological science that develop and/or apply advanced quantitative methods in domains that synergize with our existing strengths in Developmental and Evolutionary Psychology, Social Psychology, Neuroscience and Behavior, and Cognition, Perception, and Cognitive Neuroscience. This scholar would have expertise in one or more quantitative approaches including, but not limited to multilevel modeling, structural equation modeling, generalized and linear mixed models, actor-partner effects, Bayesian analyses, machine learning, computational modeling, causal inference, and/or big data analyses. The candidate would be expected to teach courses in their area of expertise as well as foundational undergraduate and graduate-level courses in statistics and advanced quantitative methods.

The Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences conducts cutting-edge research in core areas of psychology including cognition and the perceptual sciences, developmental and evolutionary psychology, neuroscience and behavior, and social and cultural psychology. The department is in a period of growth, having hired 7 faculty across these areas in the past 5 years. The department’s commitment to interdisciplinary pursuits are reflected in expansive research and teaching collaborations with a variety of other disciplines. UCSB provides a dynamic intellectual environment that prizes academic rigor and creativity to generate discoveries with wide-ranging impact.

Responsibilities of faculty members generally include the development of an actively funded research program of the highest quality, teaching at graduate and/or undergraduate levels, recruitment, supervision, and mentorship of graduate students, and participation in university service and professional activities. The University is especially interested in candidates who can contribute to the diversity and excellence of the academic community through research, teaching, and service. Diversity, equity, and inclusion are core values at UCSB. Our excellence can only be fully realized by faculty, students, and staff who share our commitment to these values.

 

For more information:

Apply now: https://recruit.ap.ucsb.edu/JPF02079/apply
View this position online: https://recruit.ap.ucsb.edu/JPF02079

MindCORE Seeking Postdoctoral Research Fellow for 2022

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MindCORE Postdoctoral Research Fellowships

MindCORE seeks to recruit outstanding postdoctoral researchers for our Research Fellowship for Postdoctoral Scholars. Housed within the School of Arts and Sciences of the University of Pennsylvania, MindCORE (https://mindcore.sas.upenn.edu/) is an interdisciplinary effort to understand human intelligence and behavior.

 

Designed for individuals who have recently obtained a PhD degree in psychology, linguistics, neuroscience, philosophy, computer science or other cognitive science discipline, the MindCORE Fellowship is a springboard for young researchers as they establish their own research program. Fellows are also encouraged to pursue collaborative research with faculty working across disciplines at Penn.

 

Benefits

Fellows receive a competitive salary, relocation allowance, health insurance, plus a modest research budget of $20,000. Fellows also benefit from access to the greater community of academics including visiting scholars plus leading research facilities equipped with cutting-edge instrumentation all on an urban campus in a vibrant city. Fellows are invited to join regular working group meetings within their field plus career development workshops aimed at young researchers, and will be provided with a mentoring committee. Funding is provided in one-year terms renewable for up to three years.

 

Eligibility & Application

We are accepting applications for 2022-2023 until January 10, 2022.

 

Applicants must have formally completed all requirements of the PhD degree and provide a copy of their diploma at the time of appointment (typically July 1, 2022 – Jan 15, 2023). Candidates must submit a research statement that identifies at least three MindCORE faculty (https://mindcore.sas.upenn.edu/people/faculty-and-associates/) at Penn with whom the applicant could potentially collaborate; along with a CV, and contact information for two referees. Complete applications should be submitted along with some basic information using a form available on the website: https://mindcore.sas.upenn.edu/post-doctoral-research-fellowship/.

 

Selection

All eligible and complete applications will be evaluated by the Selection Committee after January 10. Applications are judged on the following criteria:

Scientific excellence

Scientific match and interdisciplinarity

Career potential

 

MindCORE seeks to award ~2 post-doctoral Fellowships per year. Positions may start as early as July 1, 2022.

 

Questions? Contact pennmindcore@sas.upenn.edu