Research Scientist in the project “Hearing Together - An Integrative Socio-Neuroscientific Perspective on Hearing & Social Behavior”

About us

The University of Oldenburg is receiving €22.5 million from the Ministry of Science and Culture (MWK) and the Volkswagen Foundation from the “Strategic Development of Potential” funding line to sharpen its profile and strengthen its national and international competitiveness through the project "A Programme for Excellence. Developing Strengths and Building Potentials by Interdisciplinary and International Networking". Among other things, this is to be achieved through consistent networking across national and international borders, the promotion of students and scientists in early career phases and the strengthening of interdisciplinary research priorities in socially relevant and innovative areas.

The impulse group “HearingTogether” is an interdisciplinary subproject of the Faculties of Medicine and Health Sciences and Educational and Social Sciences, led by Prof. Dr. Sebastian Schnettler, Prof. Dr. Ulla Licandro, and Prof. Dr. Christiane Thiel. The project is affiliated with the Cluster of Excellence “Hearing4all” and embedded in a dynamic research environment within the framework of the Northwest Alliance, in collaboration with the University of Bremen and the University of Groningen.

The Northwest Alliance currently pools its research activities with the aim of further expanding cross-site collaboration and strengthening joint third-party funding initiatives. The project thus offers a research-intensive and internationally connected environment with diverse opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration and profile development.

At the core of the project is the investigation of the relationship between hearing loss and social relationships, including the underlying social and neural mechanisms, structured around three closely interconnected components:

1. analysis of the links between hearing and social (support) networks based on quantitative and qualitative survey data;
2. examination of the interplay between hearing loss and neural networks associated with social behavior;
3. development of a theoretical framework integrating sociological action theories and approaches from theoretical neuroscience.

Further information about the project can be found on the project website: https://uol.de/mesf/impulsgruppe-hearingtogether.

Your tasks

• Preparation and analysis of survey and panel data (e.g., German Ageing Survey);
• presentation and publication of the results at scientific conferences, in reports, and in leading academic journals;
• active participation in further planning of the project and in third-party funding efforts;
• if applicable, collection and analysis of qualitative data; 
• networking with other teams in the Cluster of Excellence “Hearing4all” and within the Northwest Alliance.

Your profile

Requirements

• A successfully completed scientific university degree (Diploma/Master) in the social sciences or a comparable empirical discipline relevant to the position;
• experience in independently planning and conducting scientific studies;
• experience in academic publishing, demonstrated by (co-)authorship in peer-reviewed scientific journals;
• ability to work independently in a scientific manner and to further develop research questions conceptually within the project context;
• extensive experience in the quantitative analysis of social science survey data;
• solid knowledge of advanced statistical methods; 
• proficiency in a statistical programming language (e.g., R, Python, Stata);
• good command of written and spoken English.

Preferred Additional Qualifications

• A completed doctoral degree or a Ph.D. near completion;
• in-depth knowledge of R / RStudio;
• strong expertise in statistical methods for longitudinal and multilevel data, as well as extensive experience in preparing and analyzing complex panel data;
• in-depth knowledge of relevant social science research areas related to the project (e.g., neurosociology, hearing research, aging research, medical sociology, social network research, health sciences, health services research, family research)
• experience in collecting and analyzing qualitative data;
• publications in international and interdisciplinary scientific journals;
• experience in interdisciplinary collaboration.

We offer

• Involvement in an innovative research project;
• Participation in a dynamic research team;
• Opportunities for further academic qualification (e.g. habilitation);
• Exposure to other research projects;
• Secure salary according to collective agreement (TV-L), including annual bonus; company pension scheme (VBL) and employer contributions to savings schemes;
• 30 days of vacation, December 24 and 31 off;
• Flexible working hours and the option to work remotely part of the time;
• Access to university child care and vacation programs;
• A wide range of free training opportunities, workplace health promotion services, and other consulting, support, and sports offers;
• A modern workplace in a convenient location with free parking and good public transport connections;
• Good infrastructure with cafeteria, cafes, library, shops, and restaurants nearby;
• Exciting contacts on a vibrant campus.

Our standards

The University of Oldenburg is dedicated to increase the percentage of female employees in the field of science. Therefore, female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply. In accordance to § 21 Section 3 NHG, female candidates with equal qualifications will be preferentially considered. Applicants with disabilities will be given preference in case of equal qualification.

Further information

The fixed-term contract is limited to 4 years (with the possibility of a 1-year extension following a positive overall project evaluation and subject to available funding).

Contact

If you have questions about the position, please contact Prof. Dr. Sebastian Schnettler ()