Most research on the evolution of cooperation in humans has focused on the benefits that cooperation brings about. However, if reached at the expense of others, cooperation can also have negative consequences. The negative consequences of cooperation become apparent in extra-legal contexts, where agents must join forces in pursuit of their individual goals but cannot trust one another nor appeal to the law. We seek to appoint a PhD candidate who will perform research on the “dark side” of cooperation using computational social science methods.

This project is embedded in the Department of Sociology/Research school ICS, and the candidate will be supervised by Dr. Wojtek Przepiorka and Prof. Dr. Vincent Buskens.

Job tasks/responsibilities

• Conducting the research (literature research, collecting and analyzing data, reporting results), resulting in international scientific publications and a dissertation.
• Assist in data collection, experiments and advanced methods of statistical data analysis.
• To present results at national and international scientific conferences.
• Teaching (max. 10% per year).
• Active participation in the research group of the project and of the Department.
• Ambition to collaborate with (inter)national partners and to pay visits to these partners.

We are looking for someone who:

• holds (or nearly holds) a Master’s degree in Sociology, Economics, Computer Science or a related field;
• has strong affinity with computational social science methods and/or analytical sociology;
• has excellent statistical skills at research master level;
• has good social skills;
• is effective and efficient, and able to think conceptually;
• is able to meet deadlines, and conduct research independently and as part of a team;
• has good communication skills (written and oral) in English.

We offer a temporary position (1.0 FTE) for one year, starting preferably September 1, 2019. Upon a positive performance, the appointment will be extended for three further years. The gross salary - depending on previous qualifications and experience - ranges between €2,325 and €2,972 (scale P according to the Collective Labour Agreement Dutch Universities) gross per month for a full-time employment. Salaries are supplemented with a holiday bonus of 8 % and a year-end bonus of 8.3 % per year. We offer a pension scheme, (partly paid) parental leave, collective insurance schemes and flexible employment conditions (multiple choice model). More information is available at our website: Working at Utrecht University

A better future for everyone. This ambition motivates our scientists in executing their leading research and inspiring teaching. At Utrecht University, the various disciplines collaborate intensively towards major societal themes. Our focus is on Dynamics of Youth, Institutions for Open Societies, Life Sciences and Sustainability.

Utrecht is a young and vibrant city with a large academic population, around 30 minutes south of Amsterdam. It combines a beautiful old city centre with a modern university. Utrecht has an excellent quality of life, with plenty of green space and a strong bicycle culture.

The Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences is one of the leading Faculties in Europe providing research and academic teaching in Interdisciplinary Social Science, Cultural Anthropology, Educational Sciences, Pedagogical Sciences, Psychology, and Sociology. More than 5,600 students are enrolled in a broad range of undergraduate and graduate programmes. The Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences has some 850 faculty and staff members, all providing their individual contribution to the training and education of young talent and to the research into and finding solutions for scientific and societal issues.