Research Fellow

We are recruiting a full-time Postdoctoral Research Fellow (36-month fixed-term) to join an ambitious, international research programme exploring the developmental roots of belief polarization-and how it might be mitigated. The post is based at the Kids in Context Research Centre at Queen's University Belfast and is part of the Developing Belief Network (DBN)-a globally coordinated team science initiative across 19 countries, 14 languages, and 15 faith traditions, committed to understanding children's belief development in context. You will contribute to a new longitudinal study that investigates how young children across diverse cultural contexts form, revise, and reason about beliefs in domains such as religion, science, morality, and social justice. We examine how these beliefs become entrenched or remain flexible, and how they relate to intuitive thinking and intergroup attitudes. You will also have access to prior waves of DBN data, enabling you to begin analyses and scholarly outputs immediately. This is an exciting opportunity for a developmental psychologist with interests in social identity, epistemic trust, essentialism, polarization and/or belief revision. You will lead experimental, survey, and mixed-method data collection and analysis, collaborating closely with Jocelyn Dautel (QUB), Kathleen Corriveau (Boston University) and Rebekah Richert (UC Riverside), and join a vibrant international network committed to impactful, culturally grounded developmental science. The role is ideally suited to someone seeking academic leadership in understanding the development and diversity of belief formation and social cognition from a global perspective. [More info: developingbelief.com | https://www.qub.ac.uk/research-centres/kidsincontext/ | TWCF Project #33721]

About the person: We are looking for an outstanding researcher with a background in developmental psychology or cognitive science to lead innovative work on children's belief formation and (de)polarization. The ideal candidate will have a strong commitment to theoretically driven, methodologically rigorous, culturally sensitive, and developmentally appropriate research with children and families. You will be responsible for designing and carrying out experimental tasks, surveys, and mixed-method studies within a cross-cultural, longitudinal framework. The successful candidate will take a leading role in data collection, analysis, dissemination, and collaborate with international researchers across the Developing Belief Network. Essential criteria: A PhD in Psychology or closely related field Experience designing developmentally appropriate tasks for young children Demonstrable expertise in quantitative research relevant to the project, including one or more of the following: Proven expertise in conducting reliable cross-cultural studies, Demonstrable expertise in longitudinal design and analysis, Experience with mixed-method studies with families, including coding naturalistic conversations. Proven experience of using statistical packages to analyse, interpret and present on quantitative data. We welcome candidates who are collaborative, committed to open science, and motivated to contribute to high impact developmental science. This role provides a platform for academic leadership and the opportunity to shape a global research agenda on belief development, (de)polarization, and intergroup relations in childhood. International applicants are warmly encouraged to apply-Belfast is a vibrant, welcoming, and affordable city, and Queen's University offers a dynamic research environment with global reach, strategic international partnerships, and a strong commitment to societal impact locally and globally. To be successful at shortlisting stage, please ensure you clearly evidence in your application how you meet the essential and, where applicable, desirable criteria listed in the Candidate Information on our website. Fixed term contract posts are available for the stated period in the first instance but in particular circumstances may be renewed or made permanent subject to availability of funding.

What we offer: Beyond a competitive salary, the University offers an attractive benefits package including a holiday entitlement of up to 8.4 weeks a year, pension schemes and development opportunities. We support staff wellbeing with flexible working options, work-life balance initiatives and support for physical and mental health. You can find more detail on all of this and more at https://www.qub.ac.uk/directorates/HumanResources/pay-reward-and-benefits/