"PhD candidate on attention and technology use (full-time, 4 years)"

Job Description

The department of Social Psychology at Tilburg University has two vacancies for PhD candidates on the topic of attention and technology use (full-time, 4 years).

Project Description

The candidates will work on the project “Testing the Technology Related Attention Decline Hypothesis” funded by a European Research Council (ERC) Starting Grant awarded to Matti Vuorre. In this project, we seek to determine if and how cognitive abilities related to attention have changed in the past decades of intensive internet technology adoption, and whether these digital technologies might affect users’ attentive abilities. We aim to do so through large-scale secondary data analyses of existing cognitive psychology data; new longitudinal studies involving experiments, surveys, and digital trace data; and statistical modeling.

The positions are for four years and are hosted by the Department of Social Psychology of Tilburg University (https://www.tilburguniversity.edu/about/schools/socialsciences/organization/departments/social-psychology). The PhD candidates are supervised by a team consisting of Matti Vuorre (Assistant Professor at the Department of Social Psychology, Tilburg University; co-promotor), Douglas Parry (Assistant Professor at the Department of Communication Science, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam; co-promotor), and Janneke Oostrom (Professor at the Department of Social Psychology, Tilburg University; promotor).

The PhD candidates will lead their own studies, but are expected to also collaborate as team members on other studies within the project. Studies in the project will include collating and analyzing existing cognitive psychology datasets from a broad array of attention tasks and measures to investigate how these measures of attention abilities have changed over time; designing, recruiting participants, and managing longitudinal studies on attentional abilities and technology engagement behaviors; and programming experiments, survey instruments, and digital trace data collection and analysis tools.

Responsibilities

• Writing a PhD thesis
• Planning and executing data collection (secondary and/or new data)
• Setting up online & lab experiments, surveys, digital trace data analysis tools, and longitudinal studies
• Executing advanced data analyses
• Preparing scholarly manuscripts to lucidly and accurately communicate theoretical backgrounds, methodologies, analyses, and findings
• Implementing open science practices such as data curation, version control, transparency, and reproducibility
• Presenting at national and international scientific conferences
• Teaching and supervision (e.g., supervision of bachelor theses; not more than 20% of the PhD candidate’s time will be devoted to these tasks)

Requirements

We are looking for highly motivated and curious PhD candidates who possess relevant expertise in (the theory & methods of) cognitive and experimental psychology, statistical modeling and data science, and open science. Candidates ideally have a relevant academic background in psychology (or other relevant discipline) and be in the possession of a master’s or research master’s degree (or expect to obtain such a degree in the near future). We are looking for candidates who have (and are motivated to further develop):

• An interest in conducting interdisciplinary research on the cognitive psychology of attention and how it may relate to individuals’ digital technology use
• Demonstrated abilities in conducting quantitative research to a high standard
• Advanced research skills (for example, experimental and survey design, open science practices) and data analytic abilities (for example, meta-analysis, simulation studies, multilevel and/or mathematical modeling)
• In-depth knowledge of (statistical) programming tools (e.g., R, Python)
• Project management and organization skills
• Proficiency in English at an academic level, including strong writing skills
• Skills for providing small-scale education, such as bachelor thesis supervision

Conditions of Employment

This is a fully funded, four-year PhD position. The PhD candidate is employed by Tilburg University, which is among the top Dutch employers and has an excellent policy concerning terms of employment. The appointments are intended to lead to the completion of a PhD thesis. For this position we offer you:

• A position based on 1 FTE (40 hours per week).
• A salary of €3,059 gross per month in the first year, up to €3,881 gross per month in the fourth year for full-time employment, based on UFO job profile PhD Candidate and salary scale P. Tilburg University uses a neutral remuneration system based on relevant education and work experience.
• This is a vacancy for a temporary position following Article 2.3 paragraph 8 under b of the CLA DU. You will initially receive a temporary contract for 12 months to assess your suitability. If suitable, this contract will be followed by a new fixed-term contract of 36 months.
• Vacation pay of 8% and a year-end bonus of 8.3%.
• Over 8 weeks of vacation leave.
• Hybrid working with home working allowance (€2 p/day) and internet allowance (€25 p/month).
• Reimbursement for sustainable commuting: walking, cycling, and public transport.
• Options model for additional leave, pension, a bicycle or personal training.
• Budget for participation to academic conferences and trainings.
• Moving allowance (subject to conditions).
• Employees from outside the Netherlands may be eligible for a tax-free allowance of 30% of their taxable wages, we apply for this compensation for you;
• A pension with ABP; the largest Dutch pension fund.
• Training in personal development, career development, leadership, education, and research, or a language course at our Language Center.
• A work culture in which we embrace differences, everyone is welcome and given equal opportunities.
• A vibrant campus in green surroundings that is easily accessible by public transport.

Please visit working at Tilburg University for more information about our terms of employment.

Employer

Tilburg School of Social and Behavioral Sciences (TSB) is a modern, specialized university. The teaching and research of the Tilburg School of Social and Behavioral Sciences are organized around the themes of Adaptive societies, organizations, and workers, Healthy life span, Personalized prevention and care. The School's inspiring working environment challenges its workers to realize their ambitions; involvement and cooperation are essential to achieve this.

Additional Information

The closing date for applications is Monday, December 1, 2025. Interviews will take place in the following month (on campus or by video call). The project starts on or after March 1st, 2026, depending on availability of the candidate.

Applicants should send the following information through the link mentioned below:

• CV
• official grade list
• a one-page motivation letter
• an example of their own research (e.g., a paper or a thesis)
• contact details of 2 references (e.g., teachers, supervisors, employers)

Additional information about the vacancy (including a more detailed project description) can be requested from: Matti Vuorre (m.j.vuorre@tilburguniversity.edu).