Context:
A four-year PhD position at KU Leuven (2 years) and UCLouvain (2 years) in Belgium. The project will be jointly supervised by Prof. Vera Hoorens (KU Leuven) and Prof. Karl-Andrew Woltin (UCLouvain). The starting date is October 1, 2024.
Project:
This project examines the causal mechanism, determinants, and boundary conditions of the more-less asymmetry: people preferring more-than to less-than comparisons, finding them more true, and agreeing more with them. It is guided by a processing fluency hypothesis and seeks to provide new insights on ease in verbal communication, on the effective use of comparisons in policy communications, and on strategies to combat manipulative comparative communication.
Tasks:
You will design and conduct experiments, analyze data, publish in international peer-reviewed journals, and present at international conferences. You will prepare a dissertation. You may supervise master’s theses on your research topic and will have a minimal teaching task at KU Leuven (max. 10% of your time).
Profile:
- Master in psychology, ideally with a focus on social and/or experimental psychology, or in another domain relevant for this project, or graduation expected by Sept. 2024
- Commitment to ethical, responsible, transparent, and open science
- Pro-active and well-organized; individual worker but also a team player
- Proficiency in English (proficiency in French and/or Dutch is a plus)
- Experience with standard data analysis (with PsychoPy, R and/or multilevel analyses is a plus)
Offer:
- A full-time four year appointment leading to a joint KU Leuven / UCLouvain PhD
- The fellowship is tax free (net amount 2.418€ – 2.521 €/month)
- Included: Waiver of tuition fees for the PhD training programs at both institutions, public transportation pass (UCLouvain), some insurances, funding for research expenses (3720 €/year in years at KU Leuven and 1250€/year in years at UCLouvain)
- Paid holidays and discount on access to university restaurants, sports facilities, etc.
- Affiliation to universities on a short train ride from Brussels.
Further information:
Please contact vera.hoorens@kuleuven.be or karl-andrew.woltin@uclouvain.be
Application:
A full application includes a motivation letter, a detailed CV, a list of courses and grades (transcript of grades), and names and email addresses of two academic referees who may be contacted for references. Besides applying online through the KU Leuven system (via KU Leuven Vacancies | PhD Student in Social Psychology), please also send your application by email to karl-andrew.woltin@uclouvain.be. The deadline for applications via the job platform of KU Leuven is 31 May 2024. Late applications will be considered as long as the vacancy is not filled. Shortlisted candidates will be interviewed in June 2024.