Post-Doctoral Associate in the Division of Social Science - Drs. Minsu Park, Mario Molina and Blaine Robbins

We are inviting applications for a Postdoctoral Associate in the Division of Social Science at NYU Abu Dhabi from individuals who have or will soon receive a PhD in sociology, social psychology, computational social science, computer science, information science, data science, or a closely related field. The appointment will begin September 1, 2026, subject to final budget approval and is available for up to three years.

The post-doctoral associate will spend half their time on independent research, and half their time on collaborative research with Professors Mario D. Molina, Minsu Park, and Blaine Robbins. The collaborative research will be large-scale analyses of digital traces (e.g., Yelp, Airbnb, Stack Exchange) and virtual lab experiments to study how ingroup favoritism and group boundaries coevolve in multiplex communities; how attribute- and opinion-based cues shape insider/outsider categorization, intergroup relations, and social cohesion; and how to design interventions that promote inclusivity, fairness, and productive discourse online.

We seek a candidate with expertise in the following four areas: (1) working with large-scale digital trace data; (2) building and running natural language processing and machine learning workflows; (3) experimental design and causal inference (including virtual lab experiments); and/or (4) network or computational modeling. The ideal candidate will have a strong interest in applying these tools to questions of group formation, intergroup relations, and the distribution of resources on online platforms. This is an excellent position for a computational social scientist or a computer/data scientist eager to transition into the social sciences.

The position does not require teaching, but it may be possible to get teaching experience for compensation. You would join a group of over 20 post-doctoral fellows and 70 faculty in the Division of Social Science.

For consideration, applicants must submit a cover letter, a curriculum vitae with a complete list of publications, a statement of research interests, two letters of reference, transcript and one writing sample, all in PDF format. If you have any questions, please email the Principal Investigators: Professors Mario D. Molina (mdmolina@nyu.edu), Minsu Park (mp5500@nyu.edu), and Blaine Robbins (bgr3@nyu.edu). Applications will be accepted until November 1, 2025.

About NYU Abu Dhabi

NYU Abu Dhabi is a degree-granting research university with a fully integrated liberal arts and science undergraduate program in the Arts, Sciences, Social Sciences, Humanities, and Engineering. NYU Abu Dhabi, NYU New York, and NYU Shanghai, form the backbone of NYU’s global network university, an interconnected network of portal campuses and academic centers across six continents that enable seamless international mobility of students and faculty in their pursuit of academic and scholarly activity. This global university represents a transformative shift in higher education, one in which the intellectual and creative endeavors of academia are shaped and examined through an international and multicultural perspective. As a major intellectual hub at the crossroads of the Arab world, NYUAD serves as a center for scholarly thought, advanced research, knowledge creation, and sharing, through its academic, research, and creative activities.

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