Doctoral Position at the Center for Cognitive and Decision Sciences

Candidates should be interested in studying how individuals and society evaluate novel technologies and manage associated risks. The doctoral project will focus on risk and benefit perceptions, public discourse, and science communication around existing and emerging technologies (e.g., genetic modification, nuclear power, artificial intelligence). The project will involve analyzing public and media discourse as key components of democratic decision-making, identifying how different audiences mentally represent risks and benefits, and testing which communication formats are most effective for informing diverse publics. Approaches will include cognitive science and computational social science methods, such as natural language processing and network science, as well as large-scale surveys and behavioral experiments.

The Faculty of Psychology is one of seven faculties of the oldest university in Switzerland. With our core focus Society & Choice and Health & Interventions, we are successful both nationally and internationally in our research and study programs. The Center for Cognitive and Decision Sciences investigates how individuals across the lifespan understand and evaluate risks and make decisions.

• Holds an MSc in Psychology or a related field

• Has experience with, or a strong interest in learning, computational methods including programming in the context of data analysis

• Possesses excellent written and oral language skills in both English and German

• Has an interest in public opinion, risk perception, and science communication