Research in cultural and linguistic evolution is growing rapidly. New scholars need to quickly grasp a range of computational and quantitative methods from across different disciplines, to learn to organise and present data, and to critically evaluate the right approaches for their research. Recognising a need for interdisciplinary training from within the field, the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History will be holding its first Spring School on Quantitative Methods from May 13th-18th 2016. Applications are due March 1st.
Starting date: The position is available from May 2016 onwards, but later start dates are possible.
Description: The PhD project will investigate the role of individual differences in human and animal collective behaviours, including group formation, group coordination and conflict resolution. It will involve experiments with human crowds using GPS tracking devices & video tracking, virtual interactive platforms and simulations. Limited work on animal groups (e.g., fish) is also possible. We seek a PhD student with a strong empirical background and excellent skills in (spatial) data analysis. Programming skills are a bonus.
The Center for Adaptive Rationality at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development (www.mpib-berlin.mpg.de) is a highly interdisciplinary and international research group where English is the working language. We offer an excellent infrastructure including support staff and equipment for conducting experiments (e.g., behavioural laboratory, GPS tracking and supercomputers).
The predoctoral contract is for three years. Applications (consisting of a cover letter describing your research interests, a CV, up to two publications, and two letters of recommendation) should be sent as a single PDF file, with your name as the file name, to Monika Oppong (oppong@mpib-berlin.mpg.de; Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Lentzeallee 94, 14195 Berlin).
Applications will be considered until the position is filled. Application review will begin on February 1, 2016 but applications after this date will be considered equally. For further inquiries about the position, please contact Ralf Kurvers (kurvers@mpib-berlin.mpg.de).
More information:
https://www.mpib-berlin.mpg.de/sites/default/files/download/jobs/stellenanzeige_predoctoral_contract-arc_39-2015_10.12.2015_intern.pdf
Lisa DeBruine is now taking applications for a funded PhD student on her ERC project, How do humans recognise kin?
The PhD student, with guidance from the PI and two postdoctoral RAs, will be responsible for designing studies to test the effects of potential kinship cues on prosocial and sexual behavior, recruiting and testing participants, creating custom face stimuli, preparing saliva samples for MHC analysis, taking 3D face images, and processing 3D face images.
The candidate should possess a 1st or 2.1 Honours degree in Psychology, Biology, Computer Science or equivalent. Having MSc or research experience in a related area is an advantage.
The form states that applications are due by 15 January 2016, but I will be accepting applications until a suitable candidate can be found.
A postdoctoral position is available with the Evolutionary Social Psychology Lab in the Department of Psychology at the University of Michigan. This is a 2-year position and will involve working closely and collaboratively with Dr. Joshua Ackerman and his graduate and undergraduate students. The lab’s research involves applying evolutionary theory to topics in threat management, life history effects, intergroup cognition, romantic relationships, and decision making. Our primary focus is on the range of cognitions, emotions, and behaviors that occur in response to current and historical infectious disease threats. We also plan to incorporate physiological measurement linking immune system functioning to psychological outcomes. Research includes laboratory and field work using both experimental and correlational designs.
The start date is negotiable; however, a start date prior to September 2016 is requested. Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled. If feasible, brief interviews may be scheduled at the SPSP 2016 Conference in San Diego. For additional details, and to apply, go to: http://umjobs.org/job_detail/119700/research_fellow.
The StatUA Statistics Center at the University of Antwerp are currently seeking a motivated candidate to work in the field of evolutionary psychology, focusing on the biological relevance of asymmetry and masculinity in human sexual selection. More details can be found at https://www.uantwerpen.be/en/jobs/vacancies/ap/2015bapfwetex311/
The Cognitive Science Program at Indiana University Bloomington has multiple five-year graduate student fellowships available to study the evolution of human cognition. Research areas include cognitive aspects of human technological and behavioral evolution, evolution of expertise, evolution of the human brain, language evolution, and how evolved minds create and navigate cultural spaces. Training opportunities include experimental archaeology and fieldwork, brain imaging and fMRI, computational modeling and simulation, and other aspects of cognitive science. An interdisciplinary seminar with frequent visiting experts and international workshops and outreach are also part of this initiative. Applications are due by January 8, 2016.
To apply, go to http://cogs.indiana.edu/graduate/cogevadmissions.php. For more information please contact any of the following: Peter Todd [pmtodd@indiana.edu] (Director of Cognitive Science Program, evolutionary cognitive psychology, search in complex spaces), Kathy Schick [kaschick@indiana.edu] and Nicholas Toth [toth@indiana.edu] (palaeolithic archaeology, paleoanthropology), Tom Schoenemann [toms@indiana.edu] (brain & language evolution, brain imaging, endocasts), Colin Allen [colallen@indiana.edu] (evolution of expertise). Or you Can mail us from your Gmail Account
The kinds of surveillance cues I am referring to are generally images of watching eyes — drawings or photographs — and have also been referred to as eyespots. Stimuli that have been used in the past include Horus eyes, Kabuki eyes, Kismet the robot, three black dots in the configuration of an upside-down triangle (suggesting two eyes and a mouth), and photos of watching eyes.
Chapter proposals are invited for an edited book titled “Cognition and Communication in Extraterrestrial Intelligence.” Contributions are invited from a range of disciplines including but not limited to biology, linguistics, psychology, ethology, artificial intelligence, computer science, cognitive semiotics, philosophy, and communications. Chapters should focus on the possible nature of cognition and/or communication of intelligence – either biological or artificial – that may exist elsewhere in the galaxy.
Interested authors should send a 400-word abstract, 200-word biography, and sample of a previously published chapter or article to Douglas Vakoch at dvakoch@setiinternational.org by January 15, 2016.
For additional details, see http://bit.ly/1Nw9sVv.
We are seeking to appoint a Postdoctoral Research Associate to work on an Australian Research Council Discovery Project titled “On the origins and persistence of gender: combining evolutionary and economic approaches to study sex differences and cultural variations“.
The project is a collaboration between Scientia Professor Rob Brooks (Evolution, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences UNSW), Associate Professor Pauline Grosjean (Economics, UNSW Business School) and Professor Paul Seabright (Institute of Advanced Studies, Toulouse). Both Brooks and Grosjean are members of UNSW’s Evolution & Ecology Research Centre (E&ERC).
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