Postdoctoral Visitor in psychology of religion and social behavior

York University, Toronto, Canada

This Postdoctoral Visitor position is a two-year position that will support a research program, funded by the John Templeton Foundation, investigating the psychological consequences of spiritual yearning: the desire for meaning, moral grounding, transcendence, and connection to something greater than oneself. The project examines a central paradox, that spiritual yearning may encourage genuine intellectual openness and prosocial engagement with diverse people and ideas, but may also increase susceptibility to credulity, misinformation, and conspiracy beliefs. This project will examine how individual differences in epistemic orientation determine whether spiritual seeking leads toward constructive or potentially harmful outcomes. The research uses correlational, cross-cultural, behavioural, and experimental methods, focusing on how spiritual yearning is associated with outcomes including wellbeing, religious tolerance, prejudice, generosity, and engagement with conspiratorial content.

As a researcher associated with the Psychology Department, under the guidance of project leaders Dr. Cindel White and Dr. Adam Baimel, the postdoctoral fellow will play a central role in leading the execution of the research program. Responsibilities will include:
• Coordinating and implementing data collection across multiple large-scale studies
• Developing, programming, piloting, and refining surveys and behavioural experiments
• Conducting statistical analyses, including regression, mediation/moderation, and multilevel models
• Supporting preregistration, open-science workflows, data and code organization, and reproducible research practices
• Contributing to manuscript preparation, conference presentations, and knowledge mobilization
• Supervising and mentoring undergraduate and graduate research assistants
• Contributing to the development of new research questions and analyses within the broader research program.

Applicants must have completed all requirements for a PhD.

Applicants should have:
• A PhD in psychology, cognitive science, behavioural science, or a closely related discipline
• Strong training in social psychology, cognitive/decision sciences, behavioural economics, or related areas
• Demonstrated experience conducting quantitative behavioural research, preferably involving experimental and survey methods
• Strong statistical skills, including experience with multilevel modelling, regression, mediation/moderation, and/or other advanced statistical methods
• Proficiency in R for data management, statistical analysis, and reproducible research
• Experience working within open-science and reproducible research workflows, including preregistration, transparent reporting, and data/code management
• Excellent academic writing and communication skills, with a demonstrated ability to contribute to peer-reviewed publications and conference presentations
• Experience managing research projects and coordinating research assistants
• Strong organizational, collaborative, and mentoring skills.
Desirable experience would include research on religion/spirituality, epistemic cognition, misinformation/conspiracy beliefs, intergroup relations, moral psychology, or behavioural decision-making, as well as experience with online participant recruitment and behavioural experiments.

This postdoctoral position based in the Department of Psychology at York University will be up to 2 years in length, starting as early as October 1. Later start dates (up to January 1, 2027) can be negotiated. Salary: $75,000 CAD + benefits

To apply for this position, please submit the following documents:
• A cover letter containing biographic information, what they would bring to the research program, and career goals
• A detailed and up to date CV
• A research statement summarizing their current research program and key contributions to past projects, including experience with project management and supervision
• Contact details of three references
Please submit all documents by email to Cindel White at [email protected]. Email Dr. White with any questions or for further details about this project. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and will continue to be accepted until the position is filled. Qualified applicants will be invited for an interview to be conducted over Zoom.

https://www.yorku.ca/vpepc/faculty-affairs/wp-content/uploads/sites/698/2026/08/PDV_SocPsyc.pdf

21/08/2026

01/12/2026

9054836096

[email protected]