Research Associate in Combating Misinformation
University of Western Australia School of Psychological Science
Australia

• Great opportunity for a post-doctoral researcher to undertake collaborative experimental research focused on developing psychological interventions to reduce the impact of misinformation
• Full time, fixed term 3 years appointment
• Salary: Level A, step 8, $95,464 p.a. plus superannuation

School of Psychological Science

The University of Western Australia (UWA) is ranked amongst the top 100 universities in the world and a member of the prestigious Australian Group of Eight research-intensive universities.  With an enviable research track record, vibrant campus and working environments, supported by the freedom to ‘innovate and inspire’ there is no better time to join Western Australia’s top University.

About the team

The School of Psychological Science comprises over 40 staff who deliver a world-class research and education experience to approximately 5000 undergraduate and postgraduate coursework students. The School is also responsible for the research training of over 130 PhD students, many of whom have been awarded PhD scholarships. The School is research intensive with internationally recognized expertise in Human Factors, Industrial and Organisational Psychology, Perception, Cognition, Developmental Psychology, Social and Personality Psychology, Clinical Psychology, and Clinical Neuropsychology.

About the opportunity

Reporting to Associate Professor Ullrich Ecker, you will have the opportunity to undertake collaborative experimental research on the project "Combating Misinformation – Designing a Toolkit to Address a Global Problem", which focuses on developing novel psychological interventions to reduce the impact of misinformation. You will collaborate internally and externally with stakeholders and conduct both online and lab-based experimental research.

To be considered for this role, you will demonstrate:

• PhD in cognitive psychology or related field
• Sound knowledge of cognitive psychology
• Support of ethical principles and open-science procedures
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including demonstrated ability to prepare reports for publication, and to communicate technical material to a broad audience
• Excellent research and publication profile relative to opportunity
• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively, and to build effective and positive working relationships with diverse stakeholders
• Competence in using experimental/survey software (incl. Qualtrics), statistical tools (incl. R), and online testing platforms (e.g., Amazon Mechanical Turk / Prolific)
• Track record of community engagement and participation in impact-oriented activities (desirable)
• Experience in adjacent areas, e.g. behavioural economics, science communication, data science, social psychology, journalism, behaviour change (desirable)

Full details of the position's responsibilities and the selection criteria are outlined in the position description.

Please see the position description prior to applying:  PD - Research Associate - Combating Misinformation.pdf

Closing date: Monday, 15 February 2021

This position is open to international applicants.

Application details: Please apply online via the Apply Now button.

Our commitment to inclusion and diversity 

UWA is committed to a diverse workforce. We celebrate inclusion and diversity and believe gender equity is fundamental to achieving our goal of being a top 50 university by 2050.

• We have child friendly areas on campus, including childcare facilities. Flexible work arrangements, part-time hours and job sharing will all be considered.
• UWA has been awarded Platinum Employer Status for being a Top Ten Employer for LGBTI Inclusion by the Australian Workplace Equity Index (AWEI -2019).
• UWA has also been awarded Athena Swan Bronze Accreditation in 2020.