Postdoctoral Researcher in experimental & computational psychology/cognitive science with focus on social learning and cultural evolution

Do you want to contribute to top quality research?

The Mechanisms of Social Behavior lab at the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, Sweden is seeking a highly qualified postdoctoral researchers to join our team. With Björn Lindström as teamleader and funded by the European Research Council and the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation, we are developing a new framework for understanding the psychological, neural, and computational mechanisms of social learning, social transmission and cultural evolution. Our interdisciplinary, multi-methods approach combines behavioral experiments, computational (RL/cognitive) modelling and multi-agent simulations, brain imaging (fMRI), social networks, and analyses of online data. We offer a dynamic, international research environment where you can contribute to cutting edge research at the highest international level. 

Your mission

As a postdoctoral fellow in the group, you will lead new projects that aim to uncover the mechanisms underlying human social learning, and how these mechanisms contribute to collective, societal-level outcomes (e.g., cultural evolution). In this role, you will work at the forefront of research in this field, developing novel empirical and computational models to understand human social learning. You will have the opportunity to develop your own research ideas within the areas of social learning and cultural evolution. Your responsibilities will include the design and implementation of experiments (in person and/or online), development/analysis of computational models, data analysis, and dissemination of the results.

As a postdoctoral fellow, you will be part of a successful and well-funded research group, surrounded by senior and junior researchers. We have access to state-of-the-art 3-Tesla MRI scanners at the Karolinska Institutet and Stockholm University Brain Imaging Center (SUBIC). Our research group collaborates with other groups at the department and a number of prominent research groups around the world, providing opportunities for international exchanges. The position is for a temporary period of 2 years (with the possibility of extension). 

Your profile

We are looking for an ambitious, innovative, and enthusiastic researcher with a PhD in a relevant research field (such as psychology, neuroscience, computational social science, computer science, biology or a related field). You must have good programming  skills (e.g., R, Python, Matlab), knowledge of statistics/data analysis and experience with computational modeling (e.g., cognitive modeling, multi-agent simulation/agent-based modeling). 

In addition, you must have a strong background in at least one of the following skills/methods:

• experimental methods
• brain-imaging (fMRI)
• natural language processing (NLP)
• reinforcement learning

Experience in several of these skills/methods is an advantage.

Previous research experience on social learning, cultural evolution and/or (human) reinforcement learning is meritorious, but not required. Excellent academic merits, including publications in high-quality international scientific journals, is required. Fluency in English is also a requirement.

Personal skills and suitability will be considered when filling the position. We encourage researchers with a passion for social learning and cultural evolution to apply.

To be eligible for employment as a postdoctor a doctoral degree or a foreign degree deemed to be equivalent to a Swedish doctoral degree is required. This eligibility requirement must be fulfilled at the latest at the time of the employment decision. It is considered as an advantage if you have completed your doctoral degree within the last three years, if there are special reasons, your degree may have been completed earlier.

What do we offer?

A creative and inspiring environment with wide-ranging expertise and interests. Karolinska Institutet is one of the world's leading medical universities. At Karolinska Institutet, we conduct successful medical research and hold the largest range of medical education in Sweden. At KI, you get to meet researchers working with a wide range of specialisms and methods, giving you ample opportunity to exchange knowledge and experience with the various scientific fields within medicine and health. It is the crossover collaborations, which have pushed KI to where it is today, at the forefront of global research. Several of the people you meet in healthcare are educated at KI. A close relationship with the health care providers is important for creating groundbreaking top quality education and research. Karolinska Institutet is also a state university, which entitles you to several benefits through our collective agreement.

Location: Solna

Read more about PI and team leader Björn Lindström
Read more about the Research Group you will be part of

Application

An employment application must contain the following documents in English or Swedish:

• A cover letter 
• A complete resumé, including date of the thesis defence, title of the thesis, previous academic positions, academic title, current position, academic distinctions, and committee work
• A complete list of publications
• A summary of current work (no more than one page)

Welcome to apply at the latest September 30th 2024. 

The application is to be submitted through the Varbi recruitment system.

Want to make a difference? Join us and contribute to better health for all!

1. Björn Lindström, Senior Researcher, bjorn.lindstrom@ki.se
2. Lisa Rister Walker, HR partner, lisa.rister@ki.se:08-52483287

1. Venus Azhary, OFR, 0707-124127
2. Arsalan Amir, SACO, 070-4831165
3. Henry Wölling, SEKO, henry.wolling@ki.se