The Department of Social, Health and Organizational Psychology has a job opening for an Assistant Professor of Social Psychology with a specific focus on Applications of Social Cognition Research. The position is embedded within the Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences and contains a combination of teaching (60%) and research (40%).

The Assistant Professor will teach in the domains relevant to the department, and does research in the programme of the social psychology group. The teaching is implemented in the Bachelor's Psychology, the one-year Master's Social, Health and Organizational Psychology, the Research Master's Social and Health Psychology, and the Bachelor's and Research Master's Artificial Intelligence (AI). The section also teaches courses at University College Utrecht. The teaching includes (large-scale) lectures, (small-scale) instruction meetings, and (individual) internship and thesis supervision, along with more general tasks of coordination and administration.

The research programme of the social psychology group addresses basic and applied research on social cognition and motivation and studies how people regulate and experience their behaviour in a  social context. Ongoing basic topics include behavioural and neurocognitive research of goals and habit formation, personal autonomy, social influence and social justice. We also pay considerable attention to high-quality application of basic research in the areas of behavioural change interventions, interpersonal relationships and societal conflict. In our recent application of social cognition research we focus on the profound impact of AI on social life in which nonhuman agents, such as robots and virtual personal assistants, increasingly become part of our social interactions and relationships. We are looking for a person who will strengthen our programme in various ways.

We believe individual and collective achievements should be in balance. That’s why we assess both individual and team performance. We stimulate good academic leadership at all levels. And last but not least we encourage Researchers to share the results of scientific research with society, so we can achieve more collectively and increase the university’s contribution to society. 

 

We are looking for an enthusiastic colleague (m/f/x) who subscribes the values above and meets the requirements below: 

• You are a teamplayer and have strong interpersonal skills for building contact with colleagues and students.
• You hold (or have nearly obtained) a PhD degree in the field of Psychology, or a related field.
• You hold a Basic Teaching Qualification (BKO) or are willing to acquire this qualification in the near future.
• You have experience and skills in academic teaching.
• Experience in developing and coordinating academic courses is an asset.
• You have ample experience with conducting empirical research, and using advanced statistical methods and models to analyze data of this research.
• You possess scientific creativity and productivity, as evident in recent publications in international peer-reviewed journals or peer-reviewed conferences.
• Your English is fluent in speaking and writing at an academic level;
• You speak Dutch or are willing to learn Dutch. We believe that understanding and speaking Dutch makes it easier to connect with colleagues. We offer free Dutch language courses.

We offer an exciting opportunity to work in a collaborative, social and dedicated team. We will guide you in your research and teaching activities, which will help develop your academic career. 

• We offer a position for a period of 1 year (0.8-1.0 FTE). After a positive evaluation, the appointment will be made permanent.
• The gross monthly salary - depending on previous qualifications and experience - ranges between €3,746 and €5,826, based on a full-time employment (scale 11/12 according to the Collective Labour Agreement Dutch Universities).
• The salary is supplemented with an annual holiday bonus of 8%, and an end-of-year bonus of 8.3% per year.
• We also offer a pension scheme.

We encourage you to grow professionally, and support a healthy work-life balance. That’s why we offer employment benefits such as professional development, leave arrangements, partially paid parental leave and sports. We also give you the opportunity to expand your terms of employment via the Employment Conditions Selection Model. 

And that's not all. We are happy to have you as a new colleague and will give you a warm welcome. To this end, we host a good introduction process for our new colleagues where you will introduced and shown around our faculty and university. For more information, please visit 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.

 

The Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences is one of the leading faculties in Europe for research and academic teaching in cultural anthropology, educational sciences, interdisciplinary social science, pedagogical sciences, psychology and sociology. We are a faculty at the heart of society and one which cooperates closely with others. Our almost 6,000 students are enrolled in a broad range of undergraduate and graduate programmes. We have approximately 900 faculty and staff members, who all work closely together to educate and train young talent and to research and find solutions to scientific and societal issues. Our focus is on Dynamics of Youth and Institutions for Open Societies.