We invite applications for a full-time Postdoc / Senior Researcher position (m / f / d) in the context of the “CovSocial” project (www.covsocial.de) funded by the Max Planck Society and the Berlin University Alliance (BUA) under the direction of Prof. Dr. Mazda Adli (Charité Berlin) and Prof. Dr. Tania Singer (Max Planck Research Group Social Neurosciences) and a consortium of five other professors from Charité (Prof. Dr. Sonja Entringer & Prof. Dr. Christine Heim), Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (Prof. Dr. Emanuel Voelkle), Freie Universität Berlin (Prof. Dr. Felix Blankenburg) and Max Planck Institute for Psychiatry (Prof. Dr. Elisabeth Binder). The position is initially limited to 2 years with the possibility of extension.

The aim of the project is to investigate factors related to mental health, social stress and social cohesion as well as pro- and antisocial and addictive behaviors during the SARS-CoV2 pandemic in a large cohort of Berliner citizen. The project is divided into two successive phases. These include 1) the retrospective assessment of all relevant variables in the first pandemic period from March to June and 2) a prospective app-based Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) study in a vulnerable subsample including the assessment of objective stress and (epi) genetic markers as well as behavioral variables. The second phase also includes a mental training intervention study with the goal to reduce stress, increase resilience and foster social cohesion.

Your Tasks

·         Implementation and execution of the two phases of the study including an app-based Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) study to record mental health and socio-emotional experiences (including social cohesion) during the Covid-19 pandemic with web and app-based methodology.

·         Evaluation of questionnaire and daily state-related longitudinal time series data (e.g. EMA).

·         Analysis of stress-related biomarkers and (epi) genetic markers.

·         Analyses of behavioral data (prosocial behavior, social cognition, stress etc.)

·         Implementation of an app-based mental training intervention.

·         Interdisciplinary collaboration with experts in the field of psychobiology (e.g. stress physiology) and other specialist areas.

·         Publication of the results in peer-reviewed scientific journals.

Your Qualifications

·         Successfully completed dissertation in the field of psychology, social neuroscience or another relevant subject.

·         Evidence of high scholarly promise in the form of publications and other academic achievements.

·         Experience in the development and implementation of psychological experiments and in the use of modern technologies for the collection of psychological data in everyday life (e.g. EMA, palm pilots, mobile phones, internet, event sampling).

·         In-depth knowledge of modern statistical analysis methods (e.g. time series analysis, structural equation models, etc.) and the use of software packages (e.g. SPSS, R, MATLAB, etc.).

·         Very good knowledge of German and English, both spoken and written.

·         Interest in mental training and mindfulness-based intervention studies and translational field research.

·         Commitment, organizational skills, ability to work independently, ability to work in a team, flexibility, careful and organized way of working.

The employment, remuneration and social benefits are based on the collective agreement for the public service (TVöD, EG 13). All institutions involved (Charité, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Free University Berlin and the Max Planck Society) are committed to increasing the number of individuals with disabilities in its workforce and therefore encourages applications from such qualified individuals. Furthermore, all institutions seek to increase the number of women in research and therefore explicitly encourage women to apply.

Your application:

Please send us your complete application documents including a letter of motivation, CV in English and German, as well as three references by email to Dr. Juliane Domke, office@social.mpg.de. Application review will continue until the position is filled. Each position is based on the gross salary levels of the public sector (TVöD, E13) and for a duration of two years with possible extension. Shortlisted candidates will be invited to Berlin, Germany.