PhD Contract in Natural Environments and Biopsychosocial Resilience (Quantitative Methods)

Explore and teach at the University of Vienna, where more than 7,500 academics thrive on curiosity in continuous exploration and help us better understand our world. Does this sound like you? Then join our accomplished team!

Your personal sphere of influence:

We are looking for a PhD student to join the Environmental Psychology Group who is interested in research addressing one or more of the current ecological crises (e.g., climate, pollution, biodiversity) from a broadly social cognition angle. Desirable research frameworks to explore these topics include cognition and emotion in judgement and decision-making (e.g., in the context of risk, uncertainty, future thinking), social processes (e.g., interpersonal dynamics, social norms, and influence), and behavioral outcomes (e.g., behavior change, social action). The PhD candidate will primarily conduct quantitative research, including the design and analysis of survey and experimental studies. The PhD will be based in the Environmental Psychology Group (Wächtergasse, 1; 1010 Vienna) and will work closely with Sabine Pahl, Mathew White and Nina Vaupotič. As a PhD student, you will become a core member of the Environmental Psychology Group at the University of Vienna. This currently includes one full professor, one tenure-track professor, four postdoctoral researchers, four PhD students, an organisational assistant, and student assistants and interns (see

Your future tasks:

This is part of your existing profile:

• Completion of an undergraduate degree in the field of psychology
• Completion, or near completion, of a related master's level degree, e.g., in psychology, research methods etc.
• Demonstrable interest in environmental psychology research, e.g. thesis topic and/or other activites
• Preferably demonstrable evidence in the teaching and / or communication context, e.g., student assistant post; public engagement or outreach
• Preferably demonstrable experience in academic writing for publication, e.g. peer reviewed paper(s) and/or report(s)
• Advanced statistical software skills are desirable, e.g., regression analyses, repeated-measures analysis, structural equation modelling, visualisation, preferably in R
• Competences in quantitative research methods – ideally knowledge of several of the following aspects of quantitative data analysis: experimental research designs, survey design, large/longitudinal datasets – and strong motivation and curiosity to enlarge these skills further
• Very good command of written and spoken English (C1 Level desirable)
• Preferably good working knowledge of German
• Full endorsement of, and preferably experience in, current open science practice
• Communication and teamwork skills, initiative, autonomous working style, attention to detail, flexibility, and commitment to meeting deadlines

What we offer:

• Inspiring working atmosphere: You will be part of one of the leading environmental psychology groups in Europe who currently research topics such as pro-environmental norms and behaviours, social processes of change, public understanding of, and concern about, potential environmental threats such as microplastics, forever chemicals, underwater noise, and 5G RF-EMFs, pro-environmental communication, and nature and mental health
• Internal further training & coaching: Opportunity to deepen your skills, including statistical methods skills, on an ongoing basis. There are over 600 courses to choose from at the University of Vienna – free of charge. We also offer informal mentoring and peer support in the group
• Fair salary: The basic salary of EUR 3,714,80 (on a full-time basis) increases if we can credit professional experience.
• Equal opportunities for all: We welcome diverse life experiences and personalities in the team!
• Work-Life-Balance: Our employees enjoy flexible working hours with opportunities for remote/hybrid work, but, as part of a close research team, we have currently agreed three core days where the team is in the office; additional in-person meetings may be required on other days
• Good public transport connections: Your workplace will be right in the centre of beautiful Vienna (1st district, 5 minutes’ walk from Schottentor) and is easily accessible by public transport

It is that easy to apply:

• Cover letter in English (1-2 pages), outlining how your research experience and interests are relevant to the position and research group
• A research statement in English (1-2 pages) describing the research you would like to pursue during the PhD.
• Scientific Curriculum Vitae
• An example of your scientific writing in English (e.g. paper, report, thesis)
• Copy of Bachelor’s degree and overview of grades (e.g. ‘Transcript of Records’)
• Copy of Master’s degree and overview of grades
• Contact details of 2-3 referees who are familiar with your scientific work
• Via our job portal / "Apply now" – button

The cover letter, resume, and additional documents should be submitted via the job portal by the specified application deadline (August 24, 2025) at the latest. Applicants selected for an interview will be notified by August 27, 2025. We intend to schedule interviews (in person or via Zoom) in the first week of September. The ideal start date would be November 1, 2025.

If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact Prof. Sabine Pahl ([email protected]), Dr. Mathew White ([email protected] or Dr. Nina Vaupotič ([email protected]).
We very much welcome new personalities in our team!
The University of Vienna has an anti-discriminatory employment policy and attaches great importance to equal opportunities, the advancement of women and diversity. We lay special emphasis on increasing the number of women in senior and in academic positions among the academic and general university staff and therefore expressly encourage qualified women to apply. Given equal qualifications, preference will be given to female candidates.