The PhD candidate will be part of the research project "How to eat your cake and enjoy it, too! - Examining determinants of successful hedonic goal pursuit", which will investigate factors that influence hedonic goal pursuit. The project is led by Dr. Katharina Bernecker.

Scope of duties

• scientific tasks (e.g., literature research, questionnaire creation, data collection and analysis)
• organizational tasks (e.g., programming questionnaires/computer tasks, conducting  laboratory studies, supervising research assistants)
• publication activity
• participation in national and international conferences
• scientific qualification (PhD)

We expect

• a very good university degree with a major in psychology
• strong research interest in the field of motivational psychology
• proof of successful first research experience (e.g., by a very good empirical thesis in psychology, research internships, work as a research assistant)
• very good English language skills
• good German language skills or willingness to learn German
• sound knowledge of empirical methods and advanced statistics (including multilevel analysis)
• very good computer application knowledge (MS Office, SPSS, R)
• high commitment, ability to work under pressure, flexibility, independence, enjoy working in a team
• interest in international research visits

We offer

• an attractive research environment and a close exchange within the team
• pleasant and well-equipped working environment
• close supervision
• international contacts to research and practice
• if interested, the opportunity to teach
• yearly salary before taxes: 47’040 CHF (1st year), 48’540 CHF (2nd year), 50’040 CHF (3rd year)

The position is limited to 3 years.

Deadline for applications is 21st March 2021. Please email the usual documents (CV, high school diploma, certificates of psychology studies), a letter of motivation of at least one page in which you explain why the topic of the research project is of interest to you and why you want to do a doctorate. Please also add the name of one or two reference persons (e.g. supervisor of master thesis or research internship) to your CV and send your application as a single PDF file to Dr. Katharina Bernecker (k.bernecker@psychologie.uzh.ch).

Contact details

Dr. phil. Katharina Bernecker
Department of Psychology, Psychology of Motivation, Volition, and Emotion, University of Zurich
Phone: +41 (0) 44 635 75 08
E-Mail: k.bernecker@psychologie.uzh.ch
Web: www.psychologie.uzh.ch/motivation