Work type: Full-time
Department: Faculty of Social Sciences (30000)
Categories: Academic-related Staff

The Faculty of Social Sciences at HKU consists of six Departments: Geography, Politics and Public Administration, Psychology, Social Work and Social Administration, Sociology, and the Journalism and Media Studies Centre. We are building three interdisciplinary research clusters that cut across these Departments in the following areas: Mental Wellness, Contemporary China, and Cities 2050. As part of this initiative, we are seeking outstanding young scholars to join projects being undertaken by these teams.

Applications are invited for appointments as Post-doctoral Fellow in the Faculty of Social Sciences (Ref.: 495604) in the following 6 areas, to commence as soon as possible for a period of two years, with the possibility of renewal subject to satisfactory performance.   

Mental Wellness

Mental Wellness aims to promote healthy and fulfilling lives for people in our communities and improve the mental wellness of our communities by building a world-class research programme from a diverse group of researchers.

Sleep and circadian disturbances

Applicants should possess a Ph.D. degree in Psychology or other related disciplines.  They should have sleep related research experience; excellent communication skills in written and spoken English and Chinese; a strong record of presenting research results through publications and presentations; and able to work independently as well as in a multidisciplinary team.   Those with a background of sleep medicine/behavioural sleep medicine training, experience in conducting clinical research studies (e.g. randomized controlled trials) and/or using one or more of the following methods are preferred: circadian measures, polysomnography, EEG and actigraphy.  The appointee will be responsible for facilitating a multidisciplinary project that aims to investigate sleep and circadian disturbance as a transdiagnostic mechanism underlying common neuropsychiatric disorders (e.g. mood disorders, psychosis, dementia); and assisting in administrative and other re-search-related duties as assigned.  For more information, please contact Dr. Shirley Li, Department of Psychology (e-mail: shirleyx@hku.hk)

Activity engagement and cognition in the Ageing Brain

Applicants should possess a Ph.D. degree in Social Sciences, Social Work, Psychology, Neuroscience, Statistics, Computer Science or other related disciplines.  They should have experience in social sciences research; excellent communication skills in written and spoken English and Chinese, and able to work independently as well as in a multidisciplinary team.   Those with experience in dementia and neurocognitive disorders, non-pharmacological interventions, telemedicine, big data in mental health, neuroscience, interdisciplinary research, and a track record of publication in mental health or related areas are preferred.  The appointee will be responsible for planning study design; developing cognitive neuroscience activity engagement; assisting in computer-assisted cognitive intervention; analyzing big data; presenting research findings, publication; and performing administrative and other research-related duties as assigned. For more information, please contact Dr. Gloria Wong, Department of Social Work and Social Administration (e-mail: ghywong@hku.hk)

Contemporary China

Contemporary China aims to explore and extend current knowledge of the social and political structure of China as well as to understand its relationships with the rest of the world.

Informal Property Rights in China

Applicants should possess a Ph.D. degree in Political Science, Sociology, Law or other related disciplines.  They should have demonstrated expertise in conducting qualitative and quantitative research in China; excellent communication skills in written and spoken English, and able to work independently as well as in a multidisciplinary team.  Preference will be given to those with potential of publishing high quality articles; experience in conducting empirical research in mainland China, and strong research interests in political economy (e.g. formal and informal institutions and property rights).   The appointee will assist in research and other research-related administrative duties as assigned. For more information, please contact  Dr. Zhu Jiangnan, Department of Politic and Public Administration (e-mail: zhujn@hku.hk)

Hukou reforms in China on migrants and communities

Applicants should possess a Ph.D. degree in Public Policy, Sociology, Social Work, Geography, Economics or other related disciplines.  They should have demonstrated expertise in quantitative data analysis in social sciences; excellent communication skills in written and spoken English, and able to work independently as well as in a multidisciplinary team.   Preference will be given to those with experience in research on migration issues in China, public policy, econometrics, Stata, geographic information system (GIS), or spatial analysis.  The appointee will be responsible for planning and managing research projects; managing and analyzing data; drafting manuscripts; and assisting in administrative and other research-related duties as assigned. For more information, please contact Dr. Julia Wang, Department of Social Work and Social Administration (e-mail: jshwang@hku.hk)

C.  Cities 2050

‘Cities 2050’ aims to address issues of sustainability and environmental justice from the vantage of Hong Kong, a place of extremes that is ideal for exploring the environmental contradictions inherent in the modern city.

(v)  Urban Sustainability and Environmental Justice

Applicants should possess a Ph.D. degree in in Urban Studies, Geography, Environmental Studies, Economics, Politics, Sociology, or other related disciplines.   They should have demonstrated expertise and research interests in the areas of sustainability, urban ecology, environmental sociology, urban infrastructure, and environmental justice; excellent quantitative skills; knowledge of quantitative and qualitative research methods; excellent communication skills in written and spoken English, and able to work independently as well as in a multidisciplinary team.  The appointee will be responsible for developing a novel and policy-relevant assessment of Hong Kong’s sustainability within an environmental justice framework; assisting in administrative and other research-related duties as assigned. For more information, please contact Dr. Paul Joosse, Department of Sociology (e-mail: pjoosse@hku.hk)

(v)  Nature Exposure and Mental Wellness 

Applicants should possess a Ph.D. degree in Psychology, Public Health, Social Work, Human Geography, or other related disciplines.  They should have demonstrated experience in intervention design, clinical trials, geographic information system (GIS) and spatial analysis; excellent communication skills in written and spoken English, and able to work independently.  The appointee will be responsible for a series of transdisciplinary studies on understanding and examining the use of outdoor space; developing and testing interventions that increase outdoor activities among contemporary urbanites, especially in Hong Kong; and assisting in general administrative and other research-related duties as assigned. For more information, please contact Dr. Christian Chan, Department of Psychology (e-mail: shaunlyn@hku.hk)

A highly competitive salary commensurate with qualifications and experience will be offered, in addition to annual leave and medical benefits.

The University only accepts online application for the above posts.  Applicants should apply online and upload and an up-to-date C.V.   They should indicate which post(s) they wish to apply under “Research interest/field” in the application form.  Review of applications will commence as soon as possible and continue until June 16, 2019, or until the posts are filled, whichever are earlier.