PhD in Health Hack Cognition & Persuasion

Vrije Universiteit; Amsterdam; On-site; EUR 36,000 - 45,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Holiday leave 232 hours/year

8% holiday allowance

8.3% end-of-year bonus

Commuting contribution

Personalized benefits package

Sports facilities access

Job summary

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam invites applications for Track B of the Hooked by the Health Hack project. The position targets candidates with a completed research Master’s in Communication Science, Psychology, or a related social science, and strong quantitative skills.

You will design surveys and experiments, apply dual-process theories of reasoning, and contribute to a joint mixed-methods synthesis with Track A.

Qualifications

• Completed research Master's degree by start of the position.
• Strong quantitative skills including survey and experimental design.
• Proficient in statistical analysis (R) with advanced techniques.
• Interest in health communication, misinformation, and persuasion psychology.
• Excellent English writing and communication skills.
• Collaborative mindset and ability to work with another PhD track.
• Ability to work independently on a multi-year project.

Responsibilities

• Conduct multimodal content analysis of health hacks.
• Design and field a large-scale panel survey.
• Conduct online and laboratory experiments on processing of health hacks.
• Evaluate intervention strategies with Track A.
• Synthesize quantitative findings with Track A’s participatory research.
• Publish and present at conferences; contribute to knowledge exchange.

Skills

Quantitative research

Survey design

Experimental design

Statistical analysis (R)

Multilevel modelling

Mediation/moderation analysis

Structural equation modelling

Dual-process theories

Academic writing

English communication

Collaborative mindset

Independent work

Education

Master's degree in Communication Science / Psychology

Tools

R

Job description

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam invites applications for Track B of the Hooked by the Health Hack project. The position targets candidates with a completed research Master’s in Communication Science, Psychology, or a related social science, and strong quantitative skills.

You will design surveys and experiments, apply dual-process theories of reasoning, and contribute to a joint mixed-methods synthesis with Track A.