One PhD position of four years for 1.0 fte is available at the Department of Experimental and Applied Psychology, VU Amsterdam, under the supervision of Prof. Jan Theeuwes (cognitive psychology & neuroscience) and Prof. Mark van Vugt (organizational & evolutionary psychology). The PhD position concerns a project in the new field of organizational neuroscience, titled  “A neuroscience approach to charismatic leadership.” The anticipated starting date for the position is
1 September, 2018 (though some flexibility is possible). The project will be part of the Institute for Brain and Behavior Amsterdam (http://ibba.institute/). There will be a teaching requirement associated with this position (10%).
 
Research Project
One of the puzzles in social sciences is the power of charismatic leadership. According to sociologist Max Weber, charismatic leaders possess exceptional personal qualities that enable them to attract and mobilize followers for a joint cause. A growing body of research suggests that charismatic leaders are able to persuade followers to relinquish their personal control and set aside their self-interest for a greater cause (Grabo & van Vugt, 2016). However, despite what we know about charisma, the cognitive mechanisms underlying charismatic leadership remain elusive (Schjoedt et al., 2011; Waldman et al., 2011). The aims of this research project are (1) to study the cognitive and behavioral effects of exposure to charismatic leaders by using well-established measures of cognitive control, emotional contagion, and economic game behavior, (2) elucidate how individual differences in personality (traits like openness and suggestibility) moderate the effects of charismatic influence; and (3) investigate the neurocognitive mechanisms underlying the effects of charisma on followers. The project will use methods from both psychology (surveys, games, interaction analysis) and neuroscience (hormones, EEG, fMRI).

•Research Master in Cognitive Neuroscience, Experimental Psychology, Evolutionary, Social or Organizational Psychology (or a related field);
•Interest in and familiarity with cognitive/social/organizational neuroscience methods;
•Excellent knowledge of methodology and statistics;
•Excellent command of written and spoken English;
•Experience with programming or scripting languages (e.g., C++, open sesame, MatLab). 
  

The appointment will be initially for 1 year. After satisfactory evaluation of the initial appointment, it can be extended for an additional 3 years. You can find information about our fringe benefits of employment at  http://www.workingatvu.nl. 
 
The salary will be in accordance with university regulations for academic personnel.
At the VU Amsterdam, salary range from a minimum of € 2222,00 gross (salaryscale 85-0) per month up to a maximum of € 2840,00 gross (salaryscale 85-3), based on a fulltime employment. 
  

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU) is a leading, innovative and growing university that is at the heart of society and actively contributes to new developments in teaching and research. Our university has ten faculties, and provides work for over 4,500 staff and scientific education for more than 23,000 students.

http://www.vu.nl/en/index.asp

The Faculty of Behavioural and Movement Sciences (FBM) at VU Amsterdam is unique in the wide field of behavioural and health sciences for combining the disciplines of psychology, education theory and human movement sciences. The faculty contributes to a better understanding of the way behaviour and movement are caused and can be influenced so as to promote physical and mental health and improve performance. This PhD-position will be in the Department of Experimental and Applied Psychology (http://www.vupsy.nl/) that specializes in the study of brain and behavior (Psychology at the VU received top ratings for research quality in the Netherlands in the latest assessment).