Three PhD positions -- ERC Project
posted on June 10, 2025

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We are currently seeking highly motivated individuals to fill three PhD positions (75% TV-E14; upgradable to 100% after 3 months). The positions will be part of a ERC-funded project, “C4: Compositional Compression in Cognition and Culture,” which investigates how principles of information compression and compositionality shape human learning and knowledge transmission at three interconnected scales: individual cognition, group collaboration, and cultural evolution.

Each of the three PhD positions will focus on one distinct scale of human learning:

• Individual Learning: Investigate how compositional compression influences individual learning processes, including how people structure knowledge across diverse domains such as spatial navigation, music, dance, and cooking. Explore how curriculum effects arise from domain-general principles.
• Group Collaboration: Develop formal theories of complementarity in collaborative problem-solving. This position focuses on how individuals with different cognitive representations coordinate and exchange information efficiently, using tools from compositional information theory.
• Cultural Evolution: Examine how compositional cognitive structures drive cultural innovation over multi-generational timescales, with a focus on the evolution and transmission of causal theories and structured knowledge.

Please specify in your cover letter which of the three research areas (individual learning, group collaboration, or cultural evolution) best matches your interests and background. Further details about the specific focus of each position will be discussed during the interview process.

You should have a Masters degree (or about to complete one) in a related discipline. Prior experience with computational methods is highly desirable. The start date is open to negotiation. Applications are due by July 8th, 2025 or until filled

Please see the official call for applications below or download the PDF for more details.

Submit your application here: https://www.career.tu-darmstadt.de/HPv3.ApplicationForm/ShortApply/Index/48023