Postdoctoral Researcher in Marketing (Two Project Options) - 80% employment grade

Your position

This is an 80% employment contract for initially two years; additional compensation may be available and can be discussed with shortlisted candidates. The post-doc's role is project-focused, contributing primarily to one of the following projects:

Project A – Synthetic Data for Theory-Driven Behavioral Research
This project investigates how large language models (LLMs) produce synthetic responses to psychological experiments and how these compare with human data. Within the scope of a given behavioral domain, we design theoretically guided prompting strategies and study when LLM and human responses converge or diverge. The project requires an interest in how psychological theory can improve synthetic data and in deepening our understanding of when and why LLM-generated responses approximate human behavior. The project involves a collaboration between behavioral and computer scientists. The ideal candidate has some knowledge in both areas, and the specific behavioral domain is open to discussion.

Project B – Understanding and Countering Misinformation
This project investigates how emotions shape people's belief in true and false claims. We have previously observed that emotional states can causally influence belief formation and that emotional interventions can reduce belief in false information beyond purely logical arguments. This project will involve designing behavioral experiments, conducting online field studies, and theoretically developing possible mechanisms involved in belief updating. We also examine consequences of these beliefs, such as sharing on social media.

Your responsibilities

• Conduct high-quality research as a co-author within one of the two projects described above
• Develop new ideas that advance the project's aims
• Contribute to grant proposal development
• Engage constructively with colleagues in ways that support the project's progress
• Teaching responsibilities of no more than 20%, including:
• grading short-essay assignments
• preparing multiple-choice questions for an introductory course, partly depending on your background in marketing or in behavioral science
• supervising bachelor's and master's theses on topics you define that are appropriate for students in marketing

Your profile

We welcome applications from candidates who will have completed their PhD by the start date. Relevant fields include behavioral marketing, psychology, experimental economics, quantitative marketing, or computer science. For Project A, experience with natural language processing and computational methods is advantageous, as well as knowledge of a behavioral science; for Project B, beyond experience with behavioral experiments, experience with online field methods is useful. For both projects, skills in statistical data analyses are important.

You enjoy engaging with ideas in depth and are motivated by understanding concepts rather than simply completing tasks. You are willing to learn a literature carefully, develop explanations, and pursue conceptual issues that matter for theory and study design. You take initiative when encountering a gap in your knowledge and appreciate open, collaborative exchange.

We offer you

• A two-year contract at 80% employment grade with the possibility of a third and fourth year contingent on performance.
• Opportunities for additional compensation beyond the 80% employment grade.
• Strong interdisciplinary links to psychology and decision sciences.
• Mentoring from Prof. Brendl on how to write manuscripts that meet the standards of premier journals in marketing and psychology.
• A strong placement record of former students and postdocs at leading international business schools (see Professor Brendl's CV online).
• An environment that values careful thinking, conceptual depth, and open discussion.