Postdoctoral Researcher in affective learning and decision-making

Do you want to contribute to better health for everyone?

Our research group, led by Andreas Olsson at Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, is seeking a qualified and motivated postdoctoral researcher. The group studies the behavioral, neural, and computational principles behind human learning and decision-making in social environments. Our interdisciplinary approach combines behavioral experiments, psychophysiology, computational modeling, and brain imaging (fMRI).

We offer a dynamic, international research environment where you can contribute to top-level international research. The position is a fixed-term employment for 2 years (with the potential possibility of extension).

Your mission

As a postdoctoral researcher in the group, you will lead a new project aimed at understanding the mechanisms underlying context-dependent human social learning of affective responses and social values. In this role, you will work at the forefront of research, developing new empirical and computational models to understand social learning. You will have the opportunity to develop your own research ideas under supervision.

Your responsibilities include designing and conducting experiments (both in the lab and in the field), coordinating cross-cultural studies involving multiple international research groups, data analysis, computational modeling, and writing scientific articles. The research group has direct access to multiple test rooms and virtual environments, all fully equipped for measuring behavior and psychophysiology. We also have access to state-of-the-art 3-Tesla MRI scanners at Karolinska Institutet and Stockholm University Brain Imaging Center (SUBIC).

You will be part of a productive research group, surrounded by senior and junior researchers. We collaborate with other groups both at KI and internationally, providing opportunities for international exchanges.

Your profile

We are looking for a highly motivated researcher with a doctoral degree in psychology, cognitive science, or cognitive neuroscience. You have documented experience in experimental research on learning or decision-making with knowledge of computational models (e.g., reinforcement learning). Good statistical skills and programming experience (e.g. R, Python) are required. Experience with psychophysiological methods, such as eye tracking and skin conductance, is advantageous.

Excellent academic merits, including publications in high-quality international scientific journals, are required. Fluency in English is also required. Personal skills and suitability will be considered when filling the position.

To be eligible for employment as a postdoctor, a PhD or a foreign degree deemed to be equivalent to a Swedish PhD is required. This eligibility requirement must be fulfilled at the latest at the time of the employment decision. Completion of your doctoral degree within the last three years is considered an advantage. If there are special reasons, your degree may have been completed earlier.

What do we offer?

A creative and inspiring environment with wide-ranging expertise and interests. Karolinska Institutet is one of the world's leading medical universities. At Karolinska Institutet, we conduct successful medical research and hold the largest range of medical education in Sweden. At KI, you get to meet researchers working with a wide range of specialisms and methods, giving you ample opportunity to exchange knowledge and experience with the various scientific fields within medicine and health. It is the crossover collaborations, which have pushed KI to where it is today, at the forefront of global research. Several of the people you meet in healthcare are educated at KI. A close relationship with the health care providers is important for creating groundbreaking top quality education and research. Karolinska Institutet is also a state university, which entitles you to several benefits through our collective agreement.

Location: Solna

Read more about the Department of Clinical Neuroscience
Read more about the Research Group you will be part of

Application

An employment application must contain the following documents in English or Swedish:

• Cover letter
• PhD certificate
• A complete resumé, including date of the thesis defence, title of the thesis, previous academic positions, academic title, current position, academic distinctions, and committee work
• A complete list of publications
• A summary of current work (no more than one page)

Welcome to apply at the latest March 14th 2025. 

The application is to be submitted through the Varbi recruitment system.

Want to make a difference? Join us and contribute to better health for all!