About the position
We invite applications for a postdoctoral position in the field of cognition in stressful environments. This position is part of a research project named “Cognition in stressful environments: An integrative approach” (CONTENTMATTERS), funded by an NWO Vici grant.
The postdoc position will be embedded in the Developmental Evolutionary Ecological Psychology (DEEP) lab (PI: Willem Frankenhuis) at the University of Amsterdam (Netherlands). The postdoc will collaborate with stakeholders in educational measurement and testing. The postdoc will develop experimental research on human cognition, as described next.
Growing up in a stressful conditions—due to exposures to threat, deprivation, or unpredictability—can have a negative impact on development and learning. However, in such conditions, people might also develop intact or enhanced cognitive abilities adapted to stressful conditions. Previous research shows that certain content in tasks (e.g., money, faces) can both increase or reduce the performance of people from stressful environments. The current project will examine such content effects in three executive functioning abilities that are key for goal-directed thought and action—attention, memory, and inhibition—using tasks that can illuminate this dual effect on performance. This research will be conducted online with socioeconomically diverse samples from the Netherlands, USA, and South Africa. The findings can support innovative applications in education, policy, and interventions.
The primary tasks of this postdoc will be (1) to develop an open-source stimulus bank that will be used in experimental research on human cognition; (2) to obtain ratings of these stimuli on diverse dimensions (e.g. familiarity, valence) from individuals varying in exposures to threat, deprivation, or unpredictability; and (3) to use cognitive modeling to analyze associations between these stimulus dimensions and performance on cognitive tasks measuring executive functioning. The postdoc will have opportunities to be involved in daily supervision of MSc students who work on the CONTENTMATTERS project.
What are you going to do?
Tasks and responsibilities:
- You will develop an open-source stimulus bank and obtain ratings of these stimuli on diverse dimensions (e.g. familiarity, valence);
- You will develop this stimulus bank in collaboration with an expert panel that includes people who have experienced adversity, scientists (e.g. psychometricians), and social workers;
- You will develop novel experimental research on human cognition and analyze the data using cognitive modeling;
- You will make your research accessible to a broad audience through creating science communication resources;
- You will be a kind, constructive, and reliable member of the department and the DEEP lab.
Your profile
Your experience and profile:
The ideal candidate will have:
- A PhD in cognitive science, psychology, biology, or an adjacent field (e.g. anthropology);
- A strong academic track record, including high-quality publications (quantity is less important);
- Computational and/or programming skills (Matlab, Python, C++, R, or other languages);
- Experience in cognitive modeling (e.g. drift-diffusion modeling, reinforcement learning);
- Experience in psychometric modeling (e.g. Differential Item Functioning analyses)
- A commitment to transparent research practices (e.g. sharing code, scripts, and/or data);
- The ability to participate in an interdisciplinary and international research environment;
- The interpersonal and communication skills to effectively collaborate in team work;
- A proactive and goal-directed work approach and excellent organizational skills;
- Fluency in written and spoken English.
Candidates who only partially meet this profile are nonetheless strongly encouraged to apply.
Our offer
We offer a temporary employment contract for preferably 38 hours per week (a 0,8 fte working week is negotiable) for a period of 12 months with a probationary period of two months, with the possibility to the extend the contract for another 24 months upon a positive evaluation of your performance. The preferred starting date is as soon as possible. For this position the University Job Classification profile Researcher 4 applies.
The gross monthly salary, based on 38 hours per week and dependent on relevant experience, ranges between € 3,546 to €5,538 (scale 10).In addition, you will receive a 8% holiday allowance and 8.3% year-end allowance.
A favourable tax agreement, the ‘30% ruling’, may apply to non-Dutch applicants.
The Collective Labour Agreement of Universities of the Netherlands is applicable.
Besides the salary and a vibrant and challenging environment at Science Park we offer you multiple fringe benefits:
- 232 holiday hours per year (based on fulltime) and extra holidays between Christmas and 1 January;
- multiple courses to follow from our Teaching and Learning Centre;
- a complete educational program for PhD students;
- multiple courses on topics such as leadership for academic staff;
- multiple courses on topics such as time management, handling stress and an online learning platform with 100+ different courses;
- 7 weeks birth leave (partner leave) with 100% salary;
- partly paid parental leave;
- the possibility to set up a workplace at home;
- a pension at ABP for which UvA pays two third part of the contribution;
- the possibility to follow courses to learn Dutch;
- help with registration at UvA- Housing for a studio or small apartment when you’re moving from abroad.
Are you curious to read more about our extensive package of secondary employment benefits, take a look here.
About us
The Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics (IBED) is one of eight research institutes of the Faculty of Science at the University of Amsterdam. The research at IBED aims to unravel how ecosystems function in all their complexity, and how they change due to natural processes and human activities. At its core lies an integrated systems approach to study biodiversity, ecosystems and the environment. IBED adopts this systems approach to ecosystems, addressing abiotic (soil and water quality) and biotic factors (ecology and evolution of plants, animals, and microorganisms), and the interplay between those. The IBED vision includes research encompassing experimental and theoretical approaches at a wide variety of temporal and spatial scales, i.e. from molecules and microorganisms to patterns and processes occurring at the global scale. The University of Amsterdam has excellent high performance computing facilities. Furthermore, IBED has a dedicated computational support team with specialized knowledge of bioinformatics, (geo)database management and scientific programming. IBED also works with non-academic partners to deliver transdisciplinary science for society.
The position will be based in the Department of Evolutionary and Population Biology. Research in this department focuses on understanding the ecological and evolutionary processes that drive community dynamics and speciation, and determine biodiversity patterns. The current position fits with the department’s focus on the evolution of phenotypic plasticity, the ability of organisms to produce different phenotypes depending on environmental conditions.
Want to know more about our organisation? Read more about working at the University of Amsterdam.
Are you interested in individual differences in human cognition? Do you want to understand how people developmentally adapt to stressful environments? The Department of Evolutionary and Population Biology (EPB) at IBED is looking for a skilled, responsible, and organized postdoctoral researcher to develop experimental research on human cognition with diverse populations.
About the position
We invite applications for a postdoctoral position in the field of cognition in stressful environments. This position is part of a research project named “Cognition in stressful environments: An integrative approach” (CONTENTMATTERS), funded by an NWO Vici grant.
The postdoc position will be embedded in the Developmental Evolutionary Ecological Psychology (DEEP) lab (PI: Willem Frankenhuis) at the University of Amsterdam (Netherlands). The postdoc will collaborate with stakeholders in educational measurement and testing. The postdoc will develop experimental research on human cognition, as described next.
Growing up in a stressful conditions—due to exposures to threat, deprivation, or unpredictability—can have a negative impact on development and learning. However, in such conditions, people might also develop intact or enhanced cognitive abilities adapted to stressful conditions. Previous research shows that certain content in tasks (e.g., money, faces) can both increase or reduce the performance of people from stressful environments. The current project will examine such content effects in three executive functioning abilities that are key for goal-directed thought and action—attention, memory, and inhibition—using tasks that can illuminate this dual effect on performance. This research will be conducted online with socioeconomically diverse samples from the Netherlands, USA, and South Africa. The findings can support innovative applications in education, policy, and interventions.
The primary tasks of this postdoc will be (1) to develop an open-source stimulus bank that will be used in experimental research on human cognition; (2) to obtain ratings of these stimuli on diverse dimensions (e.g. familiarity, valence) from individuals varying in exposures to threat, deprivation, or unpredictability; and (3) to use cognitive modeling to analyze associations between these stimulus dimensions and performance on cognitive tasks measuring executive functioning. The postdoc will have opportunities to be involved in daily supervision of MSc students who work on the CONTENTMATTERS project.
What are you going to do?
Tasks and responsibilities:
- You will develop an open-source stimulus bank and obtain ratings of these stimuli on diverse dimensions (e.g. familiarity, valence);
- You will develop this stimulus bank in collaboration with an expert panel that includes people who have experienced adversity, scientists (e.g. psychometricians), and social workers;
- You will develop novel experimental research on human cognition and analyze the data using cognitive modeling;
- You will make your research accessible to a broad audience through creating science communication resources;
- You will be a kind, constructive, and reliable member of the department and the DEEP lab.
Your profile
Your experience and profile:
The ideal candidate will have:
- A PhD in cognitive science, psychology, biology, or an adjacent field (e.g. anthropology);
- A strong academic track record, including high-quality publications (quantity is less important);
- Computational and/or programming skills (Matlab, Python, C++, R, or other languages);
- Experience in cognitive modeling (e.g. drift-diffusion modeling, reinforcement learning);
- Experience in psychometric modeling (e.g. Differential Item Functioning analyses)
- A commitment to transparent research practices (e.g. sharing code, scripts, and/or data);
- The ability to participate in an interdisciplinary and international research environment;
- The interpersonal and communication skills to effectively collaborate in team work;
- A proactive and goal-directed work approach and excellent organizational skills;
- Fluency in written and spoken English.
Candidates who only partially meet this profile are nonetheless strongly encouraged to apply.
Our offer
We offer a temporary employment contract for preferably 38 hours per week (a 0,8 fte working week is negotiable) for a period of 12 months with a probationary period of two months, with the possibility to the extend the contract for another 24 months upon a positive evaluation of your performance. The preferred starting date is as soon as possible. For this position the University Job Classification profile Researcher 4 applies.
The gross monthly salary, based on 38 hours per week and dependent on relevant experience, ranges between € 3,546 to €5,538 (scale 10).In addition, you will receive a 8% holiday allowance and 8.3% year-end allowance.
A favourable tax agreement, the ‘30% ruling’, may apply to non-Dutch applicants.
The Collective Labour Agreement of Universities of the Netherlands is applicable.
Besides the salary and a vibrant and challenging environment at Science Park we offer you multiple fringe benefits:
- 232 holiday hours per year (based on fulltime) and extra holidays between Christmas and 1 January;
- multiple courses to follow from our Teaching and Learning Centre;
- a complete educational program for PhD students;
- multiple courses on topics such as leadership for academic staff;
- multiple courses on topics such as time management, handling stress and an online learning platform with 100+ different courses;
- 7 weeks birth leave (partner leave) with 100% salary;
- partly paid parental leave;
- the possibility to set up a workplace at home;
- a pension at ABP for which UvA pays two third part of the contribution;
- the possibility to follow courses to learn Dutch;
- help with registration at UvA- Housing for a studio or small apartment when you’re moving from abroad.
Are you curious to read more about our extensive package of secondary employment benefits, take a look here.
About us
The Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics (IBED) is one of eight research institutes of the Faculty of Science at the University of Amsterdam. The research at IBED aims to unravel how ecosystems function in all their complexity, and how they change due to natural processes and human activities. At its core lies an integrated systems approach to study biodiversity, ecosystems and the environment. IBED adopts this systems approach to ecosystems, addressing abiotic (soil and water quality) and biotic factors (ecology and evolution of plants, animals, and microorganisms), and the interplay between those. The IBED vision includes research encompassing experimental and theoretical approaches at a wide variety of temporal and spatial scales, i.e. from molecules and microorganisms to patterns and processes occurring at the global scale. The University of Amsterdam has excellent high performance computing facilities. Furthermore, IBED has a dedicated computational support team with specialized knowledge of bioinformatics, (geo)database management and scientific programming. IBED also works with non-academic partners to deliver transdisciplinary science for society.
The position will be based in the Department of Evolutionary and Population Biology. Research in this department focuses on understanding the ecological and evolutionary processes that drive community dynamics and speciation, and determine biodiversity patterns. The current position fits with the department’s focus on the evolution of phenotypic plasticity, the ability of organisms to produce different phenotypes depending on environmental conditions.
Want to know more about our organisation? Read more about working at the University of Amsterdam.
If you feel the profile fits you, and you are interested in the job, we look forward to receiving your application. You can apply online via the ‘Apply’-button on the vacancy’s webpage. We accept applications until and including 01 June 2026.
Applications should include the following information (all files besides your cv should be submitted in one single pdf file):
- a detailed CV including the months (not just years) when referring to your education and work experience;
- a letter of motivation (max. 2 pages);
- a list of publications;
- the names and email addresses of two references who can provide letters of recommendation.
Only complete applications received within the response period via the link below will be considered.
A knowledge security check can be part of the selection procedure. (for details: national knowledge security guidelines)
We will invite potential candidates for interviews soon after the closing date.
Do you have any questions, or do you require additional information? Please contact:
