Postdoctoral Position: Youth, Digital Media, and Democracy in Education (1.0 FTE, 2 years)

About this position

Postdoctoral Position: Youth, Digital Media, and Democracy in Education

How do social media and digital technologies shape how adolescents understand societal issues and form democratic attitudes? How can education help them to build resillience to online influences? We are looking for a highly motivated and enthusiastic postdoctoral researcher to investigate these questions with us.

Join our team at the Cognition in Development (CoDe) Lab led by Dr. Ili Ma at Leiden University.

What you will do

This postdoctoral project focusses on investigating educational interventions that aim to strengthen youths’ democratic values and resilience in the digital context. The postdoc will be embedded in a team which investigates how the digital information environments of adolescents relate to their beliefs and attitudes about societal issues, their democratic values and civic participation. We are looking for a candidate who is enthusiastic about the opportunity to do fundamental, impact-driven research together with adolescents, schools, and societal partners on this topic of high societal relevance.

A background in developmental science, educational science, political psychology, social psychology, cognitive science, or a related field is desirable. Experience with the Dutch educational context, social media data, longitudinal data, or participatory youth research is an advantage though not a prerequisite.

• Your responsibilities will include:
• Designing and conducting longitudinal studies on educational interventions for adolescents and young adults
• Collaborating with youth, schools and other societal partners
• Publishing research findings in international scientific journals and impact reports for societal partners
• Presenting research at national and international conferences
• Co-supervising PhD student projects

This is a fulltime (1.0 fte) 2-year position with a flexible starting date ranging from November 2026 to February 2027. This postdoctoral position is funded by the European Research Council, ERC starting grant DISINFORMED TEENS awarded to Dr. Ili Ma. The project offers the opportunity to conduct innovative and societally relevant research at the intersection of adolescent development, digital technology and democracy.

You will become part of a supportive research community committed to working with youth and translating scientific insights into knowledge that can benefit schools, policy and society.

Where you will work

The Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences consists of five institutes: the Centre for Science and Technology Studies, Cultural Anthropology and Development Sociology, Education and Child Studies, Political Science, and Psychology. The faculty is home to approximately 7,000 students and 1,000 staff members. Our institutes are dedicated not only to education but also to groundbreaking research that expands our understanding of human behavior and societal structures.

What makes our faculty unique is the diversity of research topics, the variety of teaching approaches, and the structure of professional support. This provides you with the opportunity to explore and develop your interests and expertise. For an introduction to our faculty, visit our website: Welcome to the Leiden Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences – Leiden University .

The Institute of Psychology trains new generations of students to address the challenges of our society, both now and in the future, through leading behavioral science research and education. This is achieved through collaboration, both within and outside the institute, in the field of psychology and related research areas, covering both fundamental and applied aspects. The broad bachelor’s program and a wide range of master’s specializations further contribute to this mission.

Within the institute and the academic community, a dedicated and passionate atmosphere prevails. The themes of Health and Wellbeing, Social-Cognitive-Affective Decision Making, Development and Learning, and Advanced Behavioral Science Methods guide both research and education. The institute places great importance on fostering a safe and inclusive environment, with room for new developments such as open science, recognition and valorization, and interdisciplinarity, which are firmly embedded in the institute’s strategy.

The institute, with approximately 5,000 students and 600 staff members, comprises the Institute Office, the Bachelor’s Education Department, and six research and teaching units: Health, Medical and Neuropsychology, Clinical Psychology, Cognitive Psychology, Developmental and Educational Psychology, Social and Organizational Psychology, and Methods and Statistics.

What you bring

We are looking for a postdoctoral researcher with:

A PhD in developmental psychology, political psychology, computational social science, cognitive science or a related field, completed or expected to be completed before the position begins

Experience in designing and conducting behavioural experiments

Strong quantitative research skills, including experience with R and/or Python and preferably behavioural or computational modelling

Experience with, or an interest in developing expertise in, donated social media data and other forms of digital trace data

Strong analytical and organisational skills, including the ability to plan and conduct research independently

Excellent written and spoken English, with the ability to communicate research to both academic and non-academic audiences

Proficiency in Dutch is highly preferred, as the position involves regular interaction with adolescents, schools and societal partners

Enthusiasm for working with adolescents, together with a careful and ethically sensitive approach to research involving youth and personal digital data

A collaborative and inclusive mindset, openness to learning new methods and a willingness to share knowledge within and beyond academia

Enthusiasm for translating scientific findings int