Postdoctoral Researcher in social/cognitive neuroscience with focus on social learning

Do you want to contribute to top quality medical research?

The Mechanisms of Social Behavior lab at Karolinska Institutet (PI: Björn Lindström) is seeking a highly qualified postdoctoral researcher. Funded by the European Research Council and the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation, our lab develops new frameworks for understanding the psychological, neural, and computational mechanisms of social learning, transmission, and cultural evolution. Our interdisciplinary research combines behavioral experiments, computational modeling (RL/cognitive), brain imaging, and multi-agent simulations. We offer a dynamic, international environment for conducting cutting-edge research at the highest level. The position is for a limited period of two years, with the possibility of a one-year extension.

Your mission

As a postdoctoral fellow, you will lead a project aimed at uncovering the neurocomputational mechanisms underlying human social learning (e.g., via observation or language).

In this role, you will:

• Work at the forefront of research in social learning
• Have the opportunity to develop your own research ideas within the lab’s focus areas
• Design and conduct brain imaging and behavioral studies of social learning
• Be responsible for the dissemination of results through publications and presentations
• (Depending on your interests) Be responsible for the development and analysis of computational models

You will join a supportive, well-funded group with access to 3-Tesla MRI, MEG, EEG, eye-tracking, and other psychophysiological tools.

Your profile

We are seeking an ambitious, innovative, and enthusiastic researcher with:

• A PhD in a relevant field (e.g., social/cognitive neuroscience, cognitive science, psychology, computational social science, or a related area)
• Strong programming skills (e.g., R, Python, or Matlab)
• Proficiency in statistics/data analysis
• Proficiency in brain-imaging (e.g., fMRI) methods and analysis (e.g., univariate, MVPA, RSA)
• Experience with conducting behavioural experiments
• Strong academic credentials, including publications in high-quality international journals, are required
• Fluency in English, both written and spoken, is a requirement

It is meritorious if you have:

• Prior experience with computational modeling of human behavior.
• Prior research experience in social learning, cultural evolution, or reinforcement learning

Personal skills and suitability will be considered when filling the position. We encourage talented researchers with a passion for social learning and cultural evolution to apply.

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 research group you will be part of
Read more about the Department of Clinical Neuroscience

Application

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

• 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)
• Cover letter

Welcome to apply at the latest June 18, 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!