Post-doctoral researcher in the evolution of religion and cooperation

The Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany, unites scientists with various backgrounds (natural sciences and humanities) whose aim is to investigate the history of humankind from an interdisciplinary perspective with the help of comparative analyses of genes, cultures, cognitive abilities, languages and social systems of past and present human populations as well as those of primates closely related to human beings.

Call for post-doctoral researcher in the evolution of religion and cooperation

The Department of Human Behavior, Ecology and Culture at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology invites applications for a post-doctoral researcher in the evolutionary, cognitive, cultural and/or behavioral sciences of religion. The candidate will work under the direct supervision of Dr. Benjamin Purzycki (Senior Researcher).

The contract period is for 2 years. The salary is according to the German public service pay scale (TVöD). The appointment is based in Leipzig.

We are looking for a researcher with a background in methods and/or data analysis interested in working on a series of projects examining the cross-cultural co-evolution of religion and cooperation. We ultimately hope to develop ways of examining and explaining cross-cultural variation in the domain of religion. The central questions we’re asking are:

Do specific socioeconomic and ecological conditions contribute to the content of religious beliefs and the costs, timing, and placement of ritual behaviors?Do salient, locally specific problems feed into the forms religions take?If so, how? Does the form that religions take reduce the costs of corresponding problems? The successful candidate will have opportunities to analyze already-collected data, take the lead in ongoing projects, write reports and collaborate on publications with the supervisor and his research network. The ideal candidate will have an eye toward field research and/or the development of longitudinal, cross-culturally applicable methods for field researchers.

The candidate is expected to:

• Analyze extant data and write up results
• Design and manage projects assessing the social and ecological conditions that predict religious beliefs and practice
• Manage edited volumes

Requirements:

• PhD degree in Anthropology, Psychology, Evolutionary Ecology/Biology, or another relevant field
• Fluency in spoken and written English
• Strong, demonstrated knowledge of data management and analysis of quantitative data and/or modelling
• Excellent organizational and time management skills

Please address questions and completed applications electronically to Dr. Benjamin Purzycki (benjamin_purzycki[at]eva.mpg.de) with the subject heading “MPI POSTDOC APPLICATION”. 

Applications should include (in a single pdf document):

1. a cover letter describing: a) how you meet the aforementioned requirements, b) how you might contribute to the general goals of the call for post-docs, and c) your preferred start date.

2. a CV with the contact information of at least three professional references who are prepared to write informative letters of support

All electronic applications received by October 31, 2017 will be considered. We interview suitable candidates via Skype by November 30, 2017 for a flexible starting date. Current doctoral students and post-docs finishing in 2018 are encouraged to apply.

The Max Planck Society wishes to increase the proportion of women in areas in which they are underrepresented; women are therefore explicitly encouraged to apply.
 

The Max Planck Society is committed to equal opportunities and to employing individuals with disabilities and explicitly encourages them to apply.

We look forward to receiving your completed application.

The Society for the Scientific Study of Religion (SSSR) is soliciting paper proposals for its annual meeting, to take place in Indianapolis this November. The theme of this year’s meeting will be “building bridges” between different methods and subfields within the scientific study of religion. Papers on cognitive science, evolutionary psychology, and other methods that depart from SSSR’s traditional social-science emphasis are strongly encouraged. From SSSRweb::

•••••

Our theme for the 2014 conference is “Building Bridges” between all those interested in the study of religion. This includes any disciplines that focus upon the study of religion as well as scholars from the widest possible geographical and cultural areas. Our intent is to build bridges between disciplines and cultures that have become isolated and communicate only among themselves and not to others with similar interests but from different perspectives. Suggestions for contributions include:

•     the study of religion in diverse cultures and regions (Eastern, Central Europe, Asia, South America, etc.)

•     the study of religion within diverse faith traditions (Islam, Christianity, Paganism, NRMs, etc.)

•     inter-disciplinary studies of religion (religious studies & the social and behavioral sciences, etc.)

•     new disciplines that study religion (cognitive science, evolutionary psychology, etc.)

•     methodology interaction in the study of religion (quantitative, qualitative, creative, etc.)

•     the study of non-belief and atheism

All session and paper proposals must be submitted via the on-line submission system that will be available on the SSSR’s web site, http://www.sssrweb.org. In addition to the session proposer’s full contact information, a session proposal requires a session title and an abstract of not more than 150 words describing the goal of the session and how the proposer expects the session to contribute to scientific knowledge about religion. Individual paper proposals require the name(s) of the author(s), first author’s full contact information, an abstract of not more than 150 words that succinctly describes the question(s) motivating the research, the data and methods used, and what the paper contributes or expects to contribute to the knowledge or understanding of religion. 

Submissions Open: February 03, 2014 (see http://www.sssrweb.org)
Submissions Close: March 31, 2014
Decision Notification: April 30, 2014

A position has become available for a Research Associate to carry out a project sponsored by the Faraday Institute for Science and Religion, St. Edmund’s College, Cambridge [www.faraday-institute.org]. It is available immediately, and will continue until the end of January 2015. The research associate will conduct a study into the way in which cultural backgrounds, religious beliefs, behaviours and practices of people cause them to respond differently to natural disasters, and ways in which this understanding might be used to mitigate or adapt to future possible disasters. It will be under the supervision of Prof Robert White, FRS (University of Cambridge, www.esc.cam.ac.uk).

The successful candidate could come from one of a range of disciplines, including biblical studies, sociology, geography and earth sciences. They will have a university degree in a relevant subject. It is likely that the successful candidate will also have a higher degree such as a MSc or PhD. There will be opportunities for field work abroad, possibly in collaboration with an aid agency. The applicant must be in agreement with the ethos and aims of The Faraday Institute. The salary will be up to £27,478 per annum, depending on qualifications and experience, plus benefits.

Applications quoting Position FP2/8 should include a c/v, naming three referees, together with a covering letter summarising the relevance of the applicant’s background and experience for this position. Applications (preferably by e-mail) should be sent to: The Faraday Institute Administrator, Mrs Polly Stanton, St. Edmund’s College, Cambridge, CB3 0BN, UK [ps400@cam.ac.uk] by Tuesday 1st May 2012. Interviews will be held in early May. For further details about the project please contact Mrs Polly Stanton.

Tel: 01223 741281 Fax: 01223 741285 E-mail: Faraday.Administrator@st-edmunds.cam.ac.uk

www.faraday-institute.org

St Edmund’s College is a registered charity number 1137454

New Round of Newton International Fellowships

A new round of Newton International Fellowships – an initiative to fund research collaborations and improve links between UK and overseas researchers – has now opened.

The Newton International Fellowships are funded by the British Academy and the Royal Society and aim to attract the most promising early-career post-doctoral researchers from overseas in the fields of the humanities, the natural, physical and social sciences. The Fellowships enable researchers to work for two years at a UK research institution with the aim of fostering long-term international collaborations.

Newton Fellows will receive an allowance of £24,000 to cover subsistence and up to £8,000 to cover research expenses in each year of the Fellowship. A one-off relocation allowance of up to £2,000 is also available.

In addition, Newton Fellows may be eligible for follow-up funding of up to £6,000 per annum for up to 10 years following completion of the Fellowship to support activities which will help build long term links with the UK.

The scheme is open to post-doctoral (and equivalent) early-career researchers working outside the UK who do not hold UK citizenship.

Applications are to be made via the Royal Society’s online application system which is available here. The closing date for applications is Monday 16 April 2012.

Further details are available from the Newton International Fellowships website: www.newtonfellowships.org

March 1st – 3rd, 2012

The Laboratory for the Experimental Research of Religion (LEVYNA), the Czech Association for the Study of Religions, and the Department for the Study of Religions (Masaryk University) invite interested scholars and students to submit proposals for papers (lasting no more than 25 minutes) and/or posters for possible inclusion in the program of its upcoming meeting on March 1-3, 2012 at Masaryk University in Brno, Czech Republic.

Submissions related to the theme of scientific and comparative methodologies, specifically sociological, ethnographical, historical, and/or experimental will be given priority. We recognize that the scientific study of religion encompasses a wide array of disciplines and methods from the humanities as well as the social and natural sciences; therefore,  “scientific”  is broadly construed as academic and empirical, and non-theological in nature. Furthermore, we invite experimental data and analyses papers/posters to the program. Presentations advancing new scientific theories of diverse religiosity and/or discussing the future of Religious Studies are also welcome. Additionally, we welcome advanced undergraduates and postgraduates students to submit papers related to their current research interests. The workshop/mini-conference will consist of four panels, each related to a main area in the academic study of religion: sociological, ethnographical, historical, and experimental.

The language of the Workshop/Mini-Conference will be English.

Proposals should include:

1. Presentation title

2.  All  authors’  names  (in  case  of  papers  with  multiple  authors)

3.   All   authors’   email   addresses   (papers   with   multiple   authors   should   explicitly indicate which of the addresses should serve for any future communication)

4. An abstract of the presentation, no more than 300 words long.

Proposals should be sent to 2012levynaworkshop@gmail.com as MS Word   attachments   in   an   email   with   “PPFSSR2012   submission”   in   the   subject line. The deadline for submission is February 19, 2012.

All prospective participants (those who wish to present a paper as well as those who do not) are also kindly asked to register here.