Applications are invited for a funded four-year PhD position on the evolution of human social cognition, based at Utrecht University (The Netherlands). The project forms part of a large multi-disciplinary collaboration that is investigating the contribution of different research fields to the understanding of the human mind. This research programme, made up of ten sub-projects, will hire seven PhD students and two postdoctoral fellows in total.
Sub-project description: This project will investigate the combined roles of cultural and genetic evolution in shaping human social cognition, ethics, and norms. It will also investigate the assumptions of current evolutionary approaches to understanding human behaviour, and the way in which public discussions and opinions of human nature are informed by popular accounts of evolutionary biology and cognitive neuroscience. We envisage the work to involve theoretical models of gene-culture co-evolution, combined with experimental studies investigating the assumptions and predictions of these models. Experimental and survey work will investigate how popular reports of research on the evolution of human cognition influence public attitudes to science and to society. The precise approach taken will depend on the interests and background of the PhD candidate.
Requirements: MA or MSc in biology, psychology, anthropology or philosophy, or a related discipline, with a clear interest in human cognition and evolution.
The successful candidate will be appointed at the Department of Biology, Utrecht University and will be co-supervised by Prof. Johan Bolhuis, Dr. Simon Reader, and Prof. Marcus Düwell. Links to additional information and details of the application procedure are available via http://www.bio.uu.nl/behaviour/Reader/
The application deadline is January 1, 2011.
Sub-project description: This project will investigate the combined roles of cultural and genetic evolution in shaping human social cognition, ethics, and norms. It will also investigate the assumptions of current evolutionary approaches to understanding human behaviour, and the way in which public discussions and opinions of human nature are informed by popular accounts of evolutionary biology and cognitive neuroscience. We envisage the work to involve theoretical models of gene-culture co-evolution, combined with experimental studies investigating the assumptions and predictions of these models. Experimental and survey work will investigate how popular reports of research on the evolution of human cognition influence public attitudes to science and to society. The precise approach taken will depend on the interests and background of the PhD candidate.
Requirements: MA or MSc in biology, psychology, anthropology or philosophy, or a related discipline, with a clear interest in human cognition and evolution.
The successful candidate will be appointed at the Department of Biology, Utrecht University and will be co-supervised by Prof. Johan Bolhuis, Dr. Simon Reader, and Prof. Marcus Düwell. Links to additional information and details of the application procedure are available via http://www.bio.uu.nl/behaviour/Reader/
The application deadline is January 1, 2011.