Postdoctoral Researcher
The Schiller Institute of Integrated Science and Society at Boston College is seeking a postdoctoral associate in the behavioral sciences, including psychology, economics, sociology, political science, communication, and anthropology. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the position has been filled, with the position starting as early as March 2022 and no later than July 2022.
In this position, the post-doc will work closely with Schiller Institute staff and faculty, as well as be co-mentored by incoming Professor Gregg Sparkman and Professor Liane Young of Boston College’s Morality Lab, which is housed in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience in BC’s Morrissey College of Arts & Sciences. This position is funded by a John Templeton Foundation grant that investigates how social norms can be harnessed to promote virtue and make progress on contemporary social issues related to climate change, social justice, and public health, while also carving out novel theories of social change, social influence, motivation, and morality.
The post-doc will combine traditional behavioral methods with field research in partnership with organizations in the government, non-profit, and for-profit sectors. Experience researching social networks, diffusion of ideas and/or science communication is preferred. Within the broad topic area of social norms and virtues, the post-doc may work on other projects within this grant as specified by the Institute or the Morality Lab.
Boston College is a research university with a strong and growing Psychology and Neuroscience department, located in an academic hub city with many opportunities for cross-lab collaboration. The newly established Schiller Institute enhances multi-disciplinary, collaborative research and pedagogies that address critical societal issues in the areas of energy, health and the environment. Researchers within the Institute produce research in these substantive areas as well as explore issues attending interdisciplinarity, idea diffusion and social betterment in higher education. Learn more by visiting https://www.bc.edu/bc-web/centers/schiller-institute.html.
The Morality Lab researches diverse topics related to social and moral cognition; for example, the impact of social norms on virtuous behavior, social learning and prediction error, the tradeoff between principles of moral obligation and impartiality, perceptions of reputation signaling and norm signaling, and judgments of others’ actions vs. words. The lab uses behavioral methods (e.g., online data collection), fMRI, TMS, and computational modeling, in both typical and atypical populations, adults and children. Learn more by visiting https://moralitylab.bc.edu.
This position is fully funded for one year and is renewable for two additional years, contingent on performance. Salary is competitive and follows NIH stipend guidelines. To apply, please email Laura J. Steinberg (ljs@bc.edu), Liane Young (younglw@bc.edu), and Gregg Sparkman (greggrs@princeton.edu) with a CV (titled ‘LastName_CV’) and a statement of your current and future research interests. Please include “Schiller Postdoc Application 2022” in the subject line of any correspondence and also provide contact information for three references. Review of applications will start immediately and proceed until the position is filled.
Women, LGBTQ and under-represented minority applicants are encouraged to apply. Boston College is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. In addition to comprehensive health and dental insurance plans, Boston College offers many other benefits, including various types of insurance coverage, tuition remission opportunities, a 401(k) plan match, and a significant number of paid holidays and vacation days.