Postdoctoral Fellow in Computational Communication Research

The Social & Cognitive Informatics Lab, HSE University, St. Petersburg, Russia, invites applications for postdoctoral research positions in the interdisciplinary field of social & cognitive informatics.

Requirements

The general requirements for the postdoctoral fellowship positions are the following:

• Candidates must hold a recent PhD in one of the following fields: cognitive science, psychology, sociology, communication, linguistics or related fields with strong computational focus. The PhD must be received no later than 5 years ago but prior to starting employment at HSE by an internationally recognized university and have been assessed by external reviewers as having the potential to pursue research that is publishable in leading peer-reviewed journals;
  
• Candidates should have a strong background in research design and its application in the sphere of computational social science / computational & experimental linguistics / experimental cognitive science & psychology, as well as ability to work in a team;
• Fluent English is an obligatory condition as research and other activities are conducted in English. Knowledge of Russian is not required;
  
• Relevant experience will be an asset although not required.

The position involves:

• working under the direct supervision of Dr. Elena (Olessia) Koltsova;
• pursuing research in one of the Laboratory’s research projects in the broad area studying interaction of individual humans and groups with information, knowledge, respective technologies (including AI-agents and LLM) and with other humans using these technologies.

The full list of projects can be found on the lab’s website. The research is expected to use some of the following approaches:

o  cognitive and sociological experiments and surveys that may include those based on online, eye-tracking and EEG technologies;

o  analysis of digital traces, including textual and networking data;

o  statistical modeling and the elements of big data analysis.

• writing research papers for international peer-reviewed journals in co-authorship with the members of the Lab;
• participation in the events of the Lab and other contribution to the Lab’s development;
• public presentations of the candidate’s research to the academic community;
• some teaching is encouraged, although not required.

Conditions

Appointments are made for one year. Postdoctoral fellows have high opportunity of renewal of the contract (no more than two times) in case of outstanding performance.

HSE University offers postdoctoral fellows a competitive salary, the standard medical insurance plan; a working space equipped with a computer and free Internet access at the University.

The Lab offers access to its databases, its analytical software, equipment and interdisciplinary expertise.

Application Process

Applications must be submitted online. Please provide a CV, a statement of research interest and a recent research paper submitted via the online application form. At least two letters of recommendation should be sent directly to the International Faculty Recruitment Office at fellowship@hse.ru before the application deadline. Please note that direct applications to the hiring laboratory may not be reviewed.

Read more about the application process here.

The deadline for the applications is January 31, 2026

Apply now

For more information:

• about Postdoctoral Fellowship -Frequently Asked Questions
  
• about HSE university –official web-site
  
• about the Laboratory – visit official web-site of the Laboratory or contact Dr. Olessia Koltsova directly (or the Lab’s manager)
  
• about international specialists' life in Russia -International Faculty Support page

If you have any additional questions, feel free to contact the International Faculty Recruitment Office at fellowship@hse.ru