Post doc position at ASU for examining cooperation among Turkana (Job #10886)

The Institute of Human Origins (IHO), a research center of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences in the School of Human Evolution and Social Change, invites applications for a Postdoctoral Research Associate position to support a multi-year, transdisciplinary research grant, “Evolutionary Foundation of Human Uniqueness: Recovering Patterns of Cognition, Cumulative Culture, and Cooperation,” from the John Templeton Foundation. Anticipated start date is November 2014, but a later start date up through January 2015 may be possible.

This is a full-time (1.0 FTE), benefits-eligible, year-to-year appointment. Renewal is possible on an annual basis contingent upon satisfactory performance, the continued availability of funding, and the needs of the program. For additional information and policies regarding postdoctoral scholars at ASU, please see http://provost.asu.edu/postdoc. Salary is $50,000 per year and the successful candidate is responsible for relocation and housing expenses.

The successful candidate will participate in a research project addressing questions regarding the evolution of human prosociality, through field studies of cooperation among Turkana pastoralists in Kenya. The candidate will be expected to assist the supervising faculty, Sarah Mathew, in fulfilling the goals of the project, designing and implementing the studies, data-collection, data-analysis and publication of the results. Candidate will be expected to reside for 4-6 months a year at the Turkana field station in Kenya. For further information about the position, contact Dr. Sarah Mathew (Sarah.Mathew@asu.edu).

Eligibility: Applicants must meet the minimum qualifications below and must be eligible to work in the United States by the time of appointment.

Minimum Qualifications: Candidates must have a PhD by the start of the position with a background in either evolutionary anthropology, evolutionary psychology, gene-culture co-evolution, mathematical modeling of cooperation, behavioral economics, or related disciplines.

Desired Qualifications: Desired qualifications include previous research exploring questions relevant to understanding the origins of human cooperation, experience conducting fieldwork with contemporary human populations, evolutionary game theoretic modeling, Python and R programming skills, and willingness to conduct fieldwork among the Turkana.

To Apply, please submit all application materials electronically as a single PDF file. Application materials must include:
1. Personal statement that outlines research interests and long-term professional goals, and details on how your expertise contributes to the interest of IHO (iho.asu.edu) and the project described above.
2. Three best or most relevant publications/scholarly works.
3. Contact information including name, email, phone number, and relationship to the candidate for three potential references.
4. Scanned copies of current academic transcript from all degree-awarding institutions. Official transcripts will be requested from those who received formal offers.

Application materials should be sent to ihojobs@asu.edu with “FirstName.LastName.JobID” in the subject line. Initial review of applications will begin on October 1, 2014; if the position is not filled, review will continue every week thereafter until the search is closed. A background check is required prior to employment.

Arizona State University is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer committed to excellence through diversity. Women and minorities are encouraged to apply. https://www.asu.edu/titleix/