SCIENTIST GÖTTINGEN

Complex Systems

Job Code: MPIDS-W061Job Offer from May 04, 2022

For the independent Max Planck Research Group of Dr. Viola Priesemann we seek to fill a Postdoctoral Position (m/f/d) on complex interactions of infectious disease and social dynamics.

The Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization at Göttingen, Germany, is an international research institute embedded into the vibrant Göttingen Campus. The institute focuses on complex systems, statistical physics and active matter, with both experimental and theoretical approaches, and employs about 300 people. 

The research

We are looking for PostDoctoral researchers to join our team to investigate the spread of COVID-19 in interaction with the so called ‘infodemic’. We aim to get a deeper understanding of the coupled dynamics of infectious disease spread with information, awareness, opinions, and behavior. These results may also play a role in informing health policies. We are a highly active team of physicists working in close collaboration with epidemiologists, social scientists and others. Our open positions are embedded within a growing research initiative together with the groups of Calero Valdez (University of Lübeck), Kretzschmar (University Medical Center Utrecht), Mäs (Karlsruhe Institute for Technology), and Nagel (Technical University Berlin). Please check our github page and our prior work [Contreras et al., Nature Communications (2021), Dehning et al., Science (2020), Doenges et al., Frontiers in Physics (2022),Keijzer and Mäs, Online Social Networks and Media (2021)].

Your profile

We are looking for excellent, enthusiastic and self-motivated researchers with strong analytical and/or programming skills to join our research team. You should hold a PhD with experience in quantitative sciences, e.g. physics, statistics, social science, mathematics, machine learning, or related fields. The position requires a solid background or a strong interest in dynamical systems and/or statistical data analysis, especially Bayesian inference. Fluency in both written and spoken English is required; German is an asset but not required. Given outstanding qualification, the position offers the opportunity to develop an independent research profile and shape future research directions. Please outline your programming and analytical skills, your past scientific achievements, as well as the research questions you are most interested in.

Our offer

We are offering excellent working conditions in a highly international and interdisciplinary research environment. The postdoctoral position is initially limited to two years, with the possibility for extension. Working hours are full-time. Salary is based on remuneration group 13 of the TVöD-Bund, if the objective and subjective classification requirements are fulfilled. Social benefits according to the regulations for the public service (Federal Service). Furthermore, we offer opportunities regarding work life balance as well as health promotion services. The starting date is flexible, but should start as soon as possible. 

The Max-Planck Society is committed to increasing the number of individuals with disabilities in its workforce and therefore encourages applications from such qualified individuals. Furthermore, the Max Planck Society seeks to increase the number of women in those areas where they are underrepresented and therefore explicitly encourages women to apply.

Your application

Please apply via our online portal with the reference no MPIDS-W061and submit a CV, a motivation letter (requirements below), a transcript of records (university and high school), a list of publications and contacts of up to three referees. 

Applications are accepted until May 10th 2022, or until the positions are filled.

Please consider these questions in your motivation letter: 

• What programming languages do you speak?
• How fluent are you in them?
• Link to your scientific web page or google. scholar profile, if available.
• Briefly describe your background in statistics and data science, in dynamical systems, in scientific modeling, in interdisciplinary research, in social science and in science communication (if any).

Written applications will not be sent back.

Please contact

Dr. Viola Priesemann Viola.Priesemann@ds.mpg.de

should you have further questions.

Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization
Dr. Viola Prisemann
Am Faßberg 17
37077 Göttingen
Germany