173 FB 8/IKW Research Associate (m/f/d), Institute of Cognitive Science

The Comparative BioCognition Research Group (Prof. Dr. Simone Pika) of the Institute of Cognitive Science at Osnabrück University invites applications for a

Research Associate (m/f/d)
(Salary level E 13 TV-L, 63,3 %)


to be filled as soon as possible for a period of 3 years.

The position allows for further scientific qualification (Ph.D/habilitation).


Description of Responsibilities:

The position involves participation in the research and teaching activities of the Comparative BioCognition group at Osnabrueck University in the domain of nonhuman animals’ social cognition, communication and trust. The core of the work will be on grooming behaviour and social matrices of chimpanzees in the wild. The selected candidate will analyse video footage of grooming interactions of East and Central African chimpanzees and develop his/her own research questions within the scope of the broader focus on the the presence and expression of trust. The selected candidate will also have the opportunity to conduct independent research on human infants and their caretakers at the Interaction Island lab, examining trust and linking these findings to the data from chimpanzees. This position will be under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Simone Pika and co-supervised by Prof. Dr. Nicole Gotzner and Dr. Kayla Kolff.

The position involves teaching Cognitive Science courses at B.Sc. and M.Sc. levels (2,5 semester hours).

Required Qualifications:

  • an academic degree in Biology, Evolutionary Anthropology, Psychology, Cognitive Science or related fields and a strong background in animal behaviour or cognition
  • salient expertise in conducting statistical analyses using programmes like R, LMM’s and GLMM’s or Bayesian Statistics
  • good written and spoken English skills

Desired skills:

The ideal candidate has

  • experience in behavioral analyses, analysis of social factors and demonstrates eagerness for developing his/her skills in the other
  • experience in analysing video footage with programmes like ELAN, Boris or related
  • the willingness and ability to conduct study designs with infants and care takers
  • strong social skills, affinity to collaborative work and the ability to work in an intercultural environment
  • good skills understanding spoken French

Osnabrück University is a family-friendly University and is committed to helping working/studying parents balance their family and working lives. Osnabrück University seeks to guarantee equality of opportunity for women and men and strives to correct any gender imbalance in its schools and departments.

If two candidates are equally qualified, preference will be given to the candidate with disability status.

Applications with the usual documentation (proof of diploma, CV and cover letter) should be submitted by e-mail in a single PDF file to Prof. Dr. Simone Pika (spika@uos.de) with a cc to  office@ikw.uni-osnabrueck.de no later than December 10, 2025. Further information can be obtained from Prof. Dr. Simone Pika (spika@uos.de).