Job Description
The Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics (MPIEA) investigates why and how people create art and how they perform, experience, and evaluate it. The institute's focus is on music, but we also engage with other performing arts such as dance and film.
The Behavior Genetics Unit at the Department of Cognitive Neuropsychology invites applications for a
PhD Position in Behavior Genetics
fixed term (36 months), salary scale 13 TVöD (65%)
to work with A/Prof. Dr. Miriam Mosing and Prof. Dr. Fredrik Ullén to complete a project to elucidate the relationship between creativity, substance use, and mental health in a population-based sample. Despite much speculation about drug use in the arts and creative domains (e.g., professional musical engagement), little is known about exact numbers and associations between substance use and creativity, including direction of effects and the role of genetic confounding. Further, while a relationship between creativity and mental health problems has been established (including the importance of underlying shared genetic liability), the role of substance use in this relationship remains unclear. The present project will utilize a longitudinal population-based and genetically informative twin cohort to investigate those relationships, considering the role of genetic confounding.
Headed by Prof. Dr. Fredrik Ullén, the Department of Cognitive Neuropsychology at the MPIEA uses music as a model to analyze the brain mechanisms underpinning human expertise, skill learning, and creativity. For more information about the department, please visit our website.
Requirements for this position are a Master's degree in behavior genetics, psychology, public health, biostatistics, or a related field, as well as a high proficiency in oral and written English. A solid methods background in statistics, including structural equation modelling, twin and family designs, and/or molecular genetics as well as experience with handling of registry or big data is highly desirable.
The research will be conducted at the MPIEA in Frankfurt am Main (main site of this PhD position) in tight collaboration with the Swedish Twin Registry and Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm and the Amsterdam University Medical Center (UMC). The MPIEA is a highly interdisciplinary and international scientific environment, with English being spoken in the laboratory. It is located in an attractive location with excellent infrastructure in Frankfurt's Westend. You can expect a modern workplace with flexible working hours and a pleasant working atmosphere. Regular travel to the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm will be required and a longer research stay at the Amsterdam UMC is planned.
The position will start as soon as possible after December 1, 2024, for a fixed term of three years. The agreed working time is currently 39 hours per week. Payment is based on the Collective Agreement for the Public Service (TVöD Bund, E 13 [65%]) and is supplemented by an annual bonus. Please refer to mpg.de/doctoral_students for further information. The Max Planck Society strives for gender equality and diversity. We are also committed to increasing the number of individuals with disabilities in our workforce. Therefore, applicants of all backgrounds are welcome.
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