Are you interested in how people are influenced in their choices? Do you specialize in neuroimaging? Effective immediately, we are looking for postdoctoral researcher to study in the neural mechanisms of social information use in decision-making.

We are seeking a postdoctoral researcher for the Social Smart project, which is being funded by the ERC and the NWO. This position is part of the Connected Minds Lab at the Department of Developmental Psychology.

What will you be doing?

The primary goal of the postdoc project is to gain insights in the neural mechanisms of social information use and how real social networks are represented. During the project you will rely on computational models of social information processing and link these to brain function.

What do we require of you?

You have:

• demonstrated scientific expertise, with publications in refereed journals;
• a strong interest in experimental research and has experience with advanced neuroimaging techniques (in particular representational similarity analyses);
• excellent writing skills.

You are:

• looking forward to working in a team;
• motivated to contribute to open science.

The following will count in favour of the candidate: solid programming skills, knowledge of computational modelling or social network analyses, and experience with developmental populations. Mastery of the Dutch language is helpful but not strictly necessary.

Our offer

The position concerns a temporary employment contract of 38 hours per week for a term of one year with the possibility of an extension.

Salary depends on past education and relevant work experience, with a minimum salary of €3,746 and a maximum salary of €5,127 gross per month based on full-time employment of 38 hours per week (in keeping with scale 11, as per the Collective Labour Agreement of Dutch Universities). We additionally offer an extensive package of secondary employee benefits, including a generous holiday scheme and year-end bonus. Because we value your continued personal development and professionalisation, we also offer excellent opportunities for study and development.

What else can we offer you?

A challenging work environment with a variety of duties and ample scope for individual initiative and development within an inspiring organisation. The social and behavioural sciences play a leading role in addressing the major societal challenges faced by the world, the Netherlands and Amsterdam, now and in the future

You will be joining a young and interdisciplinary lab that is embedded in the psychology research institute of the the University of Amsterdam. The Department of Psychology is internationally renowned for its high-quality research and advanced methods. Further things we have to offer:  competitive pay and excellent benefits; very friendly, interactive and international working environment; office located in the city center of one of Europe's most beautiful and lively cities.

Imaging studies will take place at the Spinoza Centre for Neuroimaging. This is a Royal Academy of Arts and Sciences offers a resourceful and stimulating scientific environment and houses a fully equipped 3T Philips scanner dedicated to research (in the basement of the psychology department).

The project is embedded in a larger project on social learning in social networks on which several PhD students and Postdoctoral researchers are working. You are expected to develop research projects in collaboration with the team, but there is also ample room for the development of individual projects.

University of Amsterdam

With over 5,000 employees, 30,000 students and a budget of more than 600 million euros, the University of Amsterdam (UvA) is an intellectual hub within the Netherlands. Teaching and research at the UvA are conducted within seven faculties: Humanities, Social and Behavioural Sciences, Economics and Business, Law, Science, Medicine and Dentistry. Housed on four city campuses in or near the heart of Amsterdam, where disciplines come together and interact, the faculties have close links with thousands of researchers and hundreds of institutions at home and abroad.  

The UvA’s students and employees are independent thinkers, competent rebels who dare to question dogmas and aren’t satisfied with easy answers and standard solutions. To work at the UvA is to work in an independent, creative, innovative and international climate characterised by an open atmosphere and a genuine engagement with the city of Amsterdam and society.