Postdoc in the QUANTA project

Knowledge that shapes society

UiB aims to be among Europe's leading universities, internationally recognized for high quality in research and education. As a social institution, we shall contribute to sustainable and democratic development and be an attractive and inclusive place of study and work.

Video: https://youtu.be/M5n6RnScNgAPostdoc position

There is a vacant position as a postdoc at the Department of Social Psychology, The Faculty of Psychology, University of Bergen (UiB). The position is a fixed-term position for 3 years and is part of the project “Evolution of Cognitive Tools for Quantification (QUANTA)”, funded by the European Research Council (ERC) through a Synergy Grant to Andrea Bender (UiB), Francesco d’Errico (CNRS Bordeaux), Russell Gray (MPI for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig) and Rafael Núñez (UiB). Start date for the position is no later than January 1, 2027.

About the project/tasks:

QUANTA aims to reconstruct the origin and development of number systems: when and why they were invented, and how and why they further developed and became diverse. The six-year project started in September 2021 and is organized at three institutions – UiB, CNRS Bordeaux and MPI EVA Leipzig – which collaborate closely and have frequent exchange.

The postdoc position will be part of the group led by professor Andrea Bender (UiB). The work will mainly consist of collecting data on embodied number systems in an extensive database, coding data for representation analyses, and using these to test hypotheses about the development of cognitive tools for quantification.

More information about the project can be found on this website.

Qualifications and properties:

• You must have obtained a PhD or have submitted your doctoral thesis for evaluation by the application deadline. It is a prerequisite that the PhD is obtained before employment can take place.
• The PhD must be in psychology or another cognitive or social science discipline with an emphasis on cognition and cultural development.
• You must have experience with extensive literature searches and building databases, as well as knowledge of number understanding (numerical cognition) and cultural evolution.
• You must have competence in at least one of these methods (competence in several is an advantage):

• collection of large ethnographic databases
• representation analysis
• cognitive experiments and/or anthropological fieldwork, preferably with cross-cultural or cross-linguistic methods
• phylogenetic comparative analyses with Bayesian computational tools

• You must have experience with embodied number systems. Knowledge of number systems in sign language is an advantage.
• You must be able to work independently and structured, and be willing to collaborate with others. Experience from interdisciplinary collaboration is particularly desirable.
• Good written and oral expression in English is necessary.

Personal qualities will be emphasized, in addition to research experience, ambitions, and potential.

About the postdoc position:

The postdoc position is a fixed-term position and has the main goal of qualifying the person employed for work in top academic positions. The fixed-term period for this position is 3 years. No one can be employed for more than one fixed-term period as a postdoc at the same institution.

The University of Bergen is subject to export control regulations. These regulations will be used in the processing of applications. If the university has not received an assessment from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs within 6–12 weeks after an application for an export license, any offer of employment will be withdrawn.

Applicants shall, upon employment, present a proposal for the qualification work containing a progress plan. For a postdoc position linked to externally funded projects, the completion of the plan for the qualification work will take place in dialogue with the project leader/center leader. It is a prerequisite that the person employed completes the project during the employment period.

We offer:

• Exciting and developing tasks in a strong academic environment
• Gross annual salary as a postdoc (position code 1352) NOK 685,900. Further advancement occurs according to seniority in position. For particularly qualified applicants, it may be relevant to consider a higher salary.
• Membership in Statens pensjonskasse
• Good welfare schemes

The application shall include:

• A short statement about your research interests and motivation for the position. This shall include a paragraph on how you meet the qualification requirements (especially relevant experiences for QUANTA), and a paragraph on how your research interests fit with the position and the QUANTA project.
• Name and contact information for two references (one must be the main supervisor from the Ph.D. program)
• CV
• Transcripts and diplomas. If you have not yet completed your PhD, you must submit a confirmation that the thesis has been submitted
• List of scientific works (publication list)
• Up to three scientific works you wish to be evaluated
• Relevant certificates

The application and attachments with certified translations into English or a Scandinavian language must be uploaded in Jobbnorge.

General information:

More detailed information about the position can be obtained by contacting:

• professor Andrea Bender, andrea.bender@uib.no

Diversity is a strength and enables us to solve our tasks even better. UiB therefore needs qualified employees regardless of gender, ethnicity, religion, belief, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, and age.

The University of Bergen utilizes increased transparency in recruitment for scientific positions.

Information about the applicant may be made public even if the applicant has requested not to be included in the applicant list. If the request is not followed, the applicant shall be notified of this.

We encourage applicants with disabilities, immigrant backgrounds, or gaps in their CV to apply. If you check this in the application, you may receive positive special treatment. We always invite at least one qualified applicant from each of these groups to an interview. More about the recruitment process here.

About the employer:

The University of Bergen is a recognized educational and research institution, organized into seven faculties and approximately 54 departments and academic centers. The campus is located in central parts of Bergen with university areas at Nygårdshøyden, Haukeland, Marineholmen, Møllendalsveien, and Årstad.

The Faculty of Psychology consists of five departments and two centers. Read more about the faculty and associated departments.