Postdoc Position in Computational Modelling of Agency and Resilience

The Department of Psychology at the University of Zurich invites applications for a two-year postdoctoral position within the SNSF-funded project “Building Resilience: A Lab-to-Life Investigation of How Control Beliefs and Active Coping Develop in Stressful Transitions”, led by Dr. Laura Meine.

Moving beyond predicting who will be resilient, the project aims to investigate how resilience is actively built and sustained during stressful life transitions. Specifically, it examines how self-efficacy beliefs and coping strategies develop in response to unfamiliar stressors and contribute to psychological resilience. To this end, the project will combine computational modelling of data from laboratory experiments, pupillometry, and ecological momentary assessments in everyday life. The findings are expected to advance knowledge about the dynamic mechanisms underlying resilience and may inform interventions to support mental health during demanding life transitions.

The successful candidate will play a leading role in the computational modelling components of the project and contribute to the advancement of innovative approaches for linking laboratory-based measures of agency with real-world behaviour and mental health outcomes. They will develop computational models, advance reproducible analysis pipelines, and support open science practices. The successful candidate will be embedded within a supportive, multidisciplinary, and internationally connected research group with opportunities for scientific exchange and collaboration. The position offers excellent prospects for professional and academic development in computational psychology, resilience research, and intensive longitudinal methods, including opportunities to contribute to the scientific direction of the project, take the lead on several publications, and supervise a PhD student alongside the principal investigator. Particular emphasis will be placed on supporting the successful candidate in developing an independent research profile and securing future funding.

Responsibilities

• Adapt and extend computational models of self-belief updating and instrumental action across laboratory and real-world settings
• Process, analyse, and integrate behavioural, psychophysiological (pupillometry), ecological momentary assessment, and longitudinal data to characterise individual differences in agency and resilience
• Develop reproducible analysis pipelines and open-science workflows
• Contribute to study design, implementation, and data collection
• Lead the preparation of scientific manuscripts for peer-reviewed journals and present findings at national and international conferences
• Supervise Master’s theses and mentor a PhD student alongside the principal investigator
• Contribute to future grant applications and collaborative research initiativess

Requirements

• PhD in Psychology, Cognitive Science, Neuroscience, Computational Psychiatry, Computational Cognitive Science, Behavioural Economics, Statistics, or a related discipline
• Strong interest in computational approaches to mental health, resilience, learning, decision-making, or related topics
• Advanced analytical and programming skills (e.g., R, Python), including experience with computational modelling of behavioural data
• Track-record of scientific publications in peer-reviewed journals
• Experience with pupillometry, ecological momentary assessment, reinforcement-learning models, or related methods is an advantage
• Excellent written and spoken English; German language skills are useful but not required
• Ability and motivation to work both independently and collaboratively as part of a research team, with strong written and verbal communication skills
• Experience in supervising students is a plus

Benefits

Our employees benefit from a wide range of attractive offers. Find out more: https://www.uzh.ch/de/explore/work.html.

Information on your application

If you are enthusiastic about stress and resilience research that bridges controlled laboratory environments with the complexity of daily life and meet the qualifications listed, please send your CV, a cover letter, relevant work samples (i.e., PhD thesis, 1-3 scientific publications), and the names as well as contact details of two referees as a single PDF file to laura.meine@uzh.ch.

Applications received by 5th January 2027 will receive full consideration. The position will remain open until filled.

About us

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