Postdoctoral Fellow, Visual Cognition Laboratory, Office of the Faculty of Social Sciences

Lingnan University, a distinctive liberal arts institution in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, is committed to the provision of quality whole-person education by combining the best of Chinese and Western liberal arts traditions. It strives to pursue excellence in teaching, learning, scholarship and community engagement. With three academic Faculties and the School of Interdisciplinary Studies, it offers a wide range of undergraduate degree programmes in the areas of Arts, Business and Social Sciences, and the broad curriculum covers an array of general education, interdisciplinary and science courses. The School of Graduate Studies offers research and taught postgraduate programmes up to doctoral level in various disciplines, and provides professional education for the wider society. Lingnan’s liberal arts education is characterised by a broad-based interdisciplinary curriculum with specialised disciplinary studies; close student-staff relationship; a vibrant residential campus; ample global learning opportunities; active community engagement and multifarious workplace experience. Applications are now invited for the following post:

Postdoctoral Fellow (two posts)
Visual Cognition Laboratory
Office of the Faculty of Social Sciences
(Post Ref.: 23/346)

The Visual Cognition Laboratory at Lingnan University (Principal Investigator: Professor Will Hayward) seeks to understand the nature of visual understanding of the world. Using a variety of methods, we have particular interest in face and object perception, as well as visual attention. Further, we collaborate with colleagues in the social sciences and public health to use psychological research methods to help address issues of major social concern. We are committed to research integrity and Open Science, and to actively supporting diversity and inclusion in science and education. The Department of Psychology is an emerging centre of research excellence, with equipment for eye-tracking and electroencephalography (EEG). Lingnan University is in the process of establishing superior IT infrastructure with which to pursue excellence in social data science.

We will shortly be starting two new funded projects, and therefore welcome applications for two Postdoctoral Fellow (PDF) positions.

Position 1. Behavioural and neural markers of face familiarity
This PDF will work on a funded project to examine changes in behavioural responses, including eye-tracking, and electroencephalography (EEG), as previously novel faces become familiar through indirect (e.g., photograph) and direct (e.g., in-person meeting) exposure. The PDF will design experimental studies, oversee data collection and analysis, and provide leadership within the research team.

Position 2. Evaluation of public health and social measures used during COVID-19 pandemic
This PDF will work on a project with multiple PIs from Lingnan University and The University of Hong Kong, examining the costs and benefits of social and behavioural measures used by governments during the COVID-19 pandemic. One particular focus will be to seek evidence regarding interventions employed by NGOs and government agencies to maintain social connectedness during the pandemic. Research work for this project will involve the collation of existing data sets along with the creation of new instruments, with analysis of data using state-of-the-art methods.

General Requirements
The applicants should have a PhD degree in Psychology or a related field (e.g., Statistics, Public Health, Cognitive Neuroscience) with evidence of excellent research outputs. For position 1, experience with eye-tracking, EEG, and/or advanced quantitative methods/machine learning would be an advantage. For position 2, experience at working with large-scale data sets/computational social science would be an advantage. The appointee’s primary duties will be to conduct scholarly research, but they may also be asked to assist in the supervision of student research projects, and perform other duties as assigned. For more information, please contact Professor Will Hayward (willhayward@ln.edu.hk).

Appointment
A highly competitive salary commensurate with qualifications and experience will be offered, in addition to fringe benefits which include annual leave, medical and dental benefits, mandatory provident fund, gratuity and incoming passage and baggage allowance. Appointment will normally be made on contract basis for up to two years.

Application Procedure (online application only)
Please click “Apply Now” to submit your application. Specify clearly which position you are applying for. Applicants shall provide names and contact information of at least three referees to whom applicants’ consent has been given for their providing references. Personal data collected will be used for recruitment purposes only.

We are an equal opportunities employer. Review of applications will commence immediately and continue until the post is filled. Qualified candidates are advised to submit their applications early for consideration.

The University reserves the right not to make an appointment for the posts advertised, or to fill the post by invitation or by search. We regret that only shortlisted candidates will be notified.