The Department of Education offers a two-year postdoc position in the area of Educational Sciences / Educational Psychology / (Applied) Cognitive Psychology. This postdoc position is part of the NRO-funded project DOUBT IT: Diagnostic Opportunities to Understand Biased Thinking and Improve Training of critical thinking skills in higher education. This project is conducted in close collaboration with Avans University of Applied Sciences.

Your job
A major goal of higher education is to improve students’ critical thinking skills. This is crucial because, in complex and high-stakes professional environments, biased reasoning can lead to errors with severe consequences. Research shows that students need training to recognize and avoid biases in reasoning and decision-making. However, before implementing such training widely across higher education, several key challenges must be addressed. These include understanding individual differences that influence (un)biased reasoning and determining how to make training more adaptive based on this knowledge. This project aims to tackle these challenges, focusing specifically on improving probabilistic and statistical reasoning—a critical competency for both higher education and society.

In this postdoctoral project, you will explore the practical significance of ‘conflict detection’ measures in learning contexts. Research indicates that when students provide biased answers, many display an awareness—consciously or subconsciously—that their intuitive response is incorrect. This awareness appears to influence their openness to feedback. Using a large, pre-existing dataset, this project will examine how conflict detection relates to other individual differences and whether it impacts students’ responsiveness to training.

Building on these insights, you will design and conduct experiments to evaluate the effectiveness of tailoring training based on students’ conflict detection abilities. Since the training materials are in Dutch, fluency in Dutch is advantageous. However, international candidates with relevant expertise in this field are also welcome to apply.

Your tasks are:

• conducting the research (literature research, designing the studies, recruiting participants, pre-registering studies, collecting and analysing data, preparing and storing data packages for sharing);
• writing international scientific publications;
• giving presentations at (inter)national scientific conferences;
• actively engaging in outreach activities and disseminating findings to educational professionals and the general public;
• active participation in the local and (inter)national research team involved in this project and in the research team of the UU Department of Education;
• teaching courses or supervising Bachelor's/Master's theses for 10% of your hours.

The team consists of Professor Tamara van Gog and Dr Eva Janssen at Utrecht University, Dr Peter Verkoeijen at Avans University of Applied Sciences, and the PhD candidate on this project, Rowan Haen, MSc.

• A PhD in educational sciences, educational psychology or (applied) cognitive psychology;
• experience with experimental research and (advanced) statistical methods;
• ambition and skills to conduct excellent scientific research;
• social, organisational, and self-regulatory competencies;
• good communication skills (written and oral);
• proficiency in Dutch and English.

We offer:

• a temporary employment contract for two years (90% research, 10% teaching);
• a working week of 36 until 40 hours and a gross monthly salary between €3,378 and €5,331 in the case of full-time employment (salary scale 10 of the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities (CAO NU));
• 8% holiday pay and 8.3% year-end bonus;
• a pension scheme, partially paid parental leave and flexible terms of employment based on the CAO NU.

In addition to the terms of employment laid down in the CAO NU, Utrecht University has a number of schemes and facilities of its own for employees. This includes schemes facilitating professional development, leave schemes and schemes for sports and cultural activities, as well as discounts on software and other IT products. We also offer access to additional employee benefits through our Terms of Employment Options Model. In this way, we encourage our employees to continue to invest in their growth. For more information, please visit Working at Utrecht University.

Universiteit Utrecht

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 strategic themes. Our focus is on Dynamics of Youth, Institutions for Open Societies, Life Sciences and Pathways to Sustainability. Sharing science, shaping tomorrow.

The Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences is one of the leading faculties in Europe providing research and academic teaching in cultural anthropology, educational sciences, interdisciplinary social science, pedagogical sciences, psychology, and sociology. Almost 7,000 students are enrolled in a broad range of undergraduate and graduate programmes. The Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences has some 1,100 faculty and staff members, all providing their individual contribution to the training and education of young talent and to the research into and finding solutions for scientific and societal issues. The faculty is located at Utrecht Science Park near the historical city centre of Utrecht.

For more information about this position, please contact Professor Tamara van Gog at t.vangog@uu.nl.

Candidates for this vacancy will be recruited by Utrecht University.