Postdoctoral Researcher (Zurich Survey of Academics) 80-100 %

The Department of Sociology at the University of Zurich looks back on more than 50 years of active research and teaching. It is one of the leading empirically oriented institutes in Switzerland and Europe. The basic understanding is based on theory-driven empirical social research with a strong focus on quantitative methods.

We are looking for a postdoctoral researcher interested in joining the research group of Prof. Dr. Heiko Rauhut. The position is funded by the SNSF Starting Grant “Social norms, cooperation and conflict in scientific collaborations” (CONCISE) and co-funded by the University of Zurich. The position is initially limited to two years with the possibility of extension upon successful funding acquisition. Note that we also accept applications of doctoral candidates, given a sufficient fit, independence and high level of theoretical and methodological expertise.

We are particularly interested in attracting candidates working on projects described in the CONCISE proposal. Details of these research areas, the full CONCISE proposal, related articles, the research profile of the professorship and further information is found at www.suz.uzh.ch/rauhut.

The Zurich Survey of Academics:
The core project of the CONCISE Starting grant is the Zurich Survey of Academics (ZSoA) – a large-scale and representative web survey among scientists at universities in Switzerland, Germany, and Austria (DACH region) that was conducted in 2020 and includes over 15’000 scientists from 263 universities. The survey is motivated by recent developments, such as the significant increase of team work in science and problems of how to organize fair and sustainable collaborations. It also reflects recent discussions around the replication crisis, problems of scientific integrity, and the apparently increasing pressures in scientific work. The aim of the survey is to obtain in-depth insights from researchers in Europe and to learn how researchers deal with conflicts and increasing pressure to publish with a focus on different kinds of selfish and altruistic behavior, scientific misconduct, and social norms about collaboration, such as authorship order. The survey includes a number of new measurements, such as factorial surveys, behavioral games, an Implicit Association Test on misconduct, indirect questioning techniques for eliciting scientific misconduct, randomized survey experiments on selective publishing behavior, and more.
For more information about the ZSoA, please have a look on the survey report; for access, please click here: survey report

Your responsibilities

Independent and dedicated research within the framework of the CONCISE proposal and in particular the ZSoA

Optional: design and implementation of follow-up studies
Publication of research results in peer-reviewed international journals
Presentation of research results at international conferences
Support in teaching and research activities of the chair
Support in the supervision of PhD candidates and Master’s students and administrative tasks

Your profile

We are looking for prosocial and team-oriented candidates that will support us with the data analyses of the ZSoA and dissemination of the results in journal publications. We are particularly looking for candidates bringing together a strong theoretical and analytical perspective, such as game theory, rational choice theory, analytical sociology or related approaches, with quantitative methods to study mechanisms of the emergence and decay of social norms and cooperation in the field of science studies

A proactive, collaborative, and creative mindset with the ability to communicate complex ideas persuasively and inspiringly
A doctoral degree (or close to completion) in Sociology or a related field (such as Economics, Social Psychology, Political Science, Computational Social Science)
Strong interest and experience in science studies, higher education research and/or bibliometrics
Very good knowledge and experience in the application of quantitative empirical social research and statistics, including experience in using statistical software such as R, Stata, or Python
Publication experience within international peer-reviewed journals
Excellent English skills, both written and spoken

What we offer

A stimulating, dynamic and research-oriented environment with a supportive and cooperative team
The opportunity to participate in a large-scale scientific project within science studies with the possibility of innovative data linkages
The integration of own research ideas within the framework of the Zurich Survey of Academics, for instance follow-up studies
The possibility to work with a certain degree of flexibility (in terms of time and place)

Place of work

University of Zurich, Department of Sociology, Andreasstrasse 15, 8050 Zurich, Switzerland

Start of employment

The starting date is flexible from May 2021. Please submit your application in one pdf file until 09.05.2021. Include the following in your application:

A motivational letter (max. 1 page)
CV (including publications)
Transcripts of your Bachelor’s, Master’s, and doctoral degree
One-page summary of your dissertation
Up to three papers you consider your strongest work (e.g. published papers, thesis chapters, or a working papers)
Two articles that fascinate you with a short description of how they might influence your research in the next years
Contact details of two referees (or two letters of recommendation)

More information you can find here.