Job position

The Laboratory for Computational Analysis of Egonetworks, Social Cohesion and Exclusion (COALESCE Lab; see http://coalesce-lab.com/en) at the Department of Social and Cultural Anthropology of the Autonomous University of Barcelona announces the recruitment of a 

                                                 post-doctoral researcher for 22 months full-time

to conduct research about societal cohesion based on individuals’ acquaintanceship networks for the research project “A network science approach to social cohesion in European societies” (PATCHWORK), funded by the European Research Council (ERC Advanced Grant awarded to Prof. Dr. Miranda Lubbers). Survey data on individuals’ strong and weak ties (Network Scale-Up Method) within and across categorical boundaries will be available based on personal interviews with nationally representative samples of citizens of four European countries within the interdisciplinary project (N=6,000 total). The successful applicant will conduct statistical research based on these data (a) analyzing how structurally cohesive individuals’ acquaintanceship networks are across categorical boundaries of gender, social class, ethnicity, political orientation, or religion, and/or associating these networks with indicators of ideational cohesion such as inter- and intra-group attitudes, social or institutional trust, solidarity, and/or loneliness or (b) analyzing the cohesiveness of the society-scale networks resulting from these ego-network data using simulations. They will write first-authored scientific papers for international journals about these analyses and may be involved in collaborative papers of others.

The successful candidate is expected to start before May 1st, 2025. The job location is in UAB - Bellaterra (Barcelona). The candidate will be expected to work at the UAB office to collaborate with other members of the team. The candidate will become a member of the COALESCE Lab, a research team that studies the nexus between social networks and social phenomena such as polarization, social exclusion, and cohesion. They will be expected to participate actively within the interdisciplinary and international group.

The Project

As European societies are becoming increasingly unequal, diverse, and polarized, concerns about their cohesion are growing. In this light, it is surprising that social cohesion research has almost  entirely ignored one of its core dimensions: relationships. Broad acquaintanceship networks, which connect each individual to hundreds of others, through both intimate and superficial relationships, have long been assumed to bind societies together and provide a sense of community and solidarity. Nonetheless, they have hardly been studied empirically due to the technical complexity of the comprehensive study of society-wide networks. This project develops a ground-breaking, network-scientific approach to social cohesion. After designing a theoretical framework for the structural cohesion of societies, it developed a new methodology to study structural cohesion empirically, hybridizing two strands of network research in an unprecedented way. The methodology has been implemented in a large-scale, cross-national European survey administered to representative samples of the populations of four countries (Hungary, the Netherlands, Poland and Sweden). The postdoctoral position is focused on analyzing the survey data to understand how individuals’ networks of strong and weak ties show societal segregation or cohesion, and how they are connected to social trust and solidarity. The survey estimates are also used (by other researchers in the project) to simulate society-wide networks, to explore resulting macro-level structures. These macro-level structures are then used to specify agent-based models to study in more depth how broad acquaintanceship networks influence subjective manifestations of cohesion. Furthermore, qualitative research in the project studies the temporal and cognitive processes and perceptions that shape subjective manifestations of cohesion against the backdrop of the individual acquaintanceship networks. Overall, the aim of the project is to understand how cohesive broad acquaintanceship networks are across categorical fault lines of citizenship, social class, religion, and political orientation for five societies, how real-life inter- and intra-group relationships cluster to form network constellations that expose individuals in unique ways to other social groups, and how these constellations shape subjective manifestations of cohesion such as tolerance, trust, and acceptance of diversity.

Functions

The postdoc will have the following responsibilities:

− Conducting research based on the statistical analysis of the project’s cross-national survey data about citizens’ acquaintanceship networks in relation to the social cohesion of their societies

− Elaborating (at least 2) papers for high-quality international scientific journals as first author, adjusted to the aims and requirements of the project.

− It is expected that the successful candidate will work in collaboration with Dr. Miranda Lubbers and participate actively in the COALESCE Lab, with the other team members, including PhD students and other postdocs. The candidate will participate in the group’s weekly meetings discussing the ongoing research as well as research papers and help with the activities the group develops.

The postdoc will nothave teaching tasks.

Job position requirements (skills/languages/required experience)

The candidate is expected to have:

− A PhD in network science, (quantitative) sociology, social science statistics, demography, political sciences (quantitative), psychology (quantitative), computational social sciences, data science, or a closely related field with strong training in statistics.

− Excellent command of English (spoken and written), the language in which the project is conducted. Fluency must be demonstrated in the submitted documents and, for the candidates selected for the third stage, in the interview. Proficiency in Catalan and/or Spanish is appreciated but not mandatory. Optionally, copies of language certificates can be submitted along with the application (this is not mandatory).

Furthermore, we value:

− Solid training in statistical modeling and quantitative research methods in the social sciences (e.g., multilevel analysis)

− Extensive experience with statistical software (particularly, R)

− Previous work experience as a hired researcher (in pre- or postdoctoral contracts or grants, or as research assistant), especially in competitive and collaborative research projects involving advanced statistical analysis

− Other curriculum items: Having published in academic journals, participation in competitive research projects, academic visits to foreign research centers, specialization courses at PhD-student level, contribution to software, are all valued

− Demonstrable interest in the topics associated with the project

− Eagerness to work in an interdisciplinary, international environment

− Strong motivation to publish international articles

− Excellent teamwork skills

− Excellent academic writing skills

− Professional attitude and conduct that includes organizational sensitivity, integrity, high ethical standards in research with participants, pragmatism, and good communication skills

− Independent thinking and a hands-on mentality

Candidates can be of any nationality.

Benefits

A salary of €38.200 gross annually, based on a full-time position (1.0 FTE). For income tax levels in Spain, see https://sede.agenciatributaria.gob.es/Sede/en_gb/irpf.html

− A position for two years (full time). The successful candidate will first be offered a temporary position of half a year, which will be renewed to two years unless their functioning is unsatisfactory.

− Social security (i.e., public health insurance for the applicant and their spouse and children are covered, in Spain and other EU countries; pension benefits), good secondary conditions, e.g., parental leave and flexible hours for work-family reconciliation. 

The Autonomous University of Barcelona is based on the Bellaterra Campus on the periphery of the city of Barcelona. Barcelona is a bustling metropolis on the Mediterranean Sea, with a rich cultural life and a pleasant climate.

Eligibility criteria

50% excellence of academic record based on curriculum, motivation letter, and academic transcripts (PhD), 20% quality of the writing sample, 30% interview and references.

Only eligible candidates (PhD requirements in relevant disciplines before 1 May 2025 and fluency in English) are assessed according to these criteria and scales:

• Academic record, motivation letter and CV: 50 points

Includes:

− CV evaluation: 17: Having published scientific articles, participation in research projects, presentations at academic conferences, international stays, specialization courses at PhD level, contribution to software are valued.

− Specific training and experience in statistical modelling: 10

− Computer knowledge in the field of quantitative analysis (especially R): 10

− Professional experience in research: 8: - As a research support technician or contracted researcher in research projects or similar: 0-6; - PhD scholarship, predoctoral research contract, postdoctoral scholarship, postdoctoral research contract: 7-10;

− Letter: Professionalism and motivation of the motivation letter, written communication skills: 5.

• Quality of the writing sample: 20 points

− Quality of the research presented in the sample, especially level of statistical analysis: 10;

− Academic writing skills: 10

• Interview and evaluation of references: 30 points

− Motivation, demonstrable interest, interdisciplinary teamwork skills, oral communication skills in English; professional attitude; independent thinking: 20

− Evaluation of positive academic references on the candidate's experience, professionalism, independent thinking and initiative: 10

Minimum score required to pass the selection process: 60 (Only the candidate with the highest score will be selected). If no candidate has a score higher than 60, the call will be called again.

Selection process:

The selection will be carried out in two stages:

1. Evaluation of motivation letter, CV, and academic transcripts of Bachelor and Master studies (50), and evaluation of writing sample (20) 

2. Online interview and evaluation of references (30)

In stage 1, candidates will be assessed on the basis of their curriculum, motivation letter, transcripts, and writing sample following the evaluation criteria, and the evaluation committee will make the first selection.

Shortlisted candidates for stage 2 (40 points or higher of the 70 evaluated in stage 1) will be invited to an individual online interview in English, further establishing the fit between the candidate and the position. Prior to the interview, academic references will be contacted. Only candidates who fulfill the requirements of a doctorate in one of the mentioned disciplines and excellent proficiency in English will be considered.

Our selection procedure follows the European Commission’s European Code of Conduct for the recruitment of researchers,

https://euraxess.ec.europa.eu/jobs/charter/code.

To validate this request, you must validate the form that is accessed at the URL https://seleccio.uab.cat/ 

Any application that is not submitted in this way will not be included in the selection process.