Postdoc in Computational Social Science

Institute of Sociology, University of Bern

Start of employment: 01.04.2026 or by agreement. Employment is fixed term and limited to four years.

The Institute of Sociology (IFS) at the University of Bern has a vacancy for a postdoc position with an employment rate of 80% starting April 1 or by arrangement. The position is part of the Digital Society Lab initiative at the IFS. The postdoc's main responsibilities will be to support the organizational, research, and teaching activities of the lab as well as to pursue their own research agenda.

The IFS was founded in 1960, making it the first institute of sociology in German-speaking Switzerland. The IFS is part of the Department of Social Sciences (consisting of Sociology, Political Science and Communication Science) at the Faculty of Business, Economics and Social Sciences. The IFS is collectively managed and unites a dynamic team of researchers with expertise in, among others, social stratification research, sociological theory, environmental, organizational and economic sociology, methods of empirical social research, and computational social science.

• Collaboration on research projects of the Digital Society Lab
• Collaboration on BA and MA courses in the department
• Development of the lab's organizational structure
• Further development of own research agenda
• Participation in academic activities of the IFS and the department

• Relevant qualifications in computational social science
• Experience in programming online applications (e.g., experiments, surveys)
• Interest in answering social scientific questions
• PhD in sociology or related discipline
• Proficiency in spoken and written English; sound knowledge of German is a plus
• Experience with writing third-party funding applications is a plus

The University of Bern is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes all individuals who will contribute to the diversity and excellence of the institution. For further information on the position, please contact Prof. Dr. Wojtek Przepiorka from the IFS.

Applications should be submitted via the apply now button as a single PDF file and include a short letter of motivation (maximum one page), a CV in tabular form, a list of publications highlighting the three most relevant publications for the advertised position, the contact details of two references whom we may contact if necessary (no reference letters), and copies of the most important certificates (university degree certificate and PhD diploma).

The Final date to receive applications is 31 January 2026
, and the first round of interviews with selected candidates is expected to take place by the end of February 2026.