Postdoctoral Fellow in Social Reinforcement Learning and...

The Center for Humans and Machines (CHM) at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development in Berlin conducts interdisciplinary science to understand, anticipate, and shape major disruptions from Artificial Intelligence (AI) to the way we think, learn, work, play, cooperate, and govern. Our goal is to understand how machines are shaping human society today and how they may continue to shape it in the future. The Center is comprised of an interdisciplinary, international, and diverse group of scholars and a science support team.

To complement this team, we are looking to hire a

Postdoctoral Fellow in

Social Reinforcement Learning and Human-AI Hybrid Systems
( E13 TVöD 100%; 39 hours/week)

The position is limited to 3 years and is starting no later than February 1, 2027. The position is part of the Max Planck Artificial Intelligence Network

Under the supervision of Prof. Iyad Rahwan, your research focus may include the following areas:

• Fine-tuning of large language models on rewards derived from social interactions or collective outcomes

• Evolutionary adaptations of AI agents in social simulations

• Behavioral experiments with human-AI hybrid groups

• Advancing the theoretical understanding of human-AI co-evolution

Your work will extend the portfolio of our research, including:

• Ongoing work on social reinforcement learning and evolutionary optimization of social strategies

Our aim is to advance the scientific knowledge of human-AI systems by understanding how they influence humanity today, predicting human-AI co-evolution and informing the policies that shape the future of AI-infused societies.

Your profile

• Applicants must hold, or expect to hold by the starting date, a PhD in a computational science field (e.g., Computer Science, Cognitive Science, Physics, Applied Mathematics, or related).

• Proven publication records in at least one of the areas above.

• Solid theoretical knowledge in cognitive science, machine learning, and social science.

• Strong technical skills in applying Artificial Intelligence, especially Agentic Architectures and Reinforcement Learning.

• Experience with the deep learning ecosystem and high-performance computing infrastructures.

• Experience designing and conducting experiments with human participants is a strong plus.

• Experience in web development and deployment is another strong plus.

We provide

• Dedicated access to the computational infrastructure of the MPCDF (B200, H200, A100).

• Access to open-weight models (with internal API endpoints), frontier commercial models, and other AI-based tools for research and development.

• Collaboration opportunities with interdisciplinary researchers (e.g., Behavioral Science, Psychology, Economics, Legal Studies).

• Resources and budget to conduct large-scale simulations or behavioral experiments.

• Engineering support by research engineers (Web experiments / ML / computational infrastructure) and research assistants.

• Opportunity to work at a world-class institution for behavioral and cognitive science with a cross-sectional focus on Artificial Intelligence.

• Opportunities to communicate your research to diverse audiences through high-profile publications, scientific outreach, public exhibitions, etc.

• A collaborative research environment enabling highly ambitious projects.

• Dedicated financial support to bring your own research ideas to life.

Our offer

This three-year postdoctoral position is available from October 1st, 2026, with the latest possible starting date being February 1st, 2027. The Max Planck Institute for Human Development offers an excellent working environment with flexible working hours and the option of mobile work (up to 40%, depending on work processes). We actively support families and children through kindergarten partnerships with dedicated places, as well as parent-child rooms at the institute. Our employees benefit from extensive support services, including an International Office to assist with relocation, a representative for disabled employees, an equal opportunities officer, and mental health support. In addition, we provide various offers related to health in the workplace, such as a fitness room, massage services, and yoga.

The Max Planck Society strives for gender equality and diversity. Diversity, equity, and inclusion enrich our society and foster scientific excellence. We are committed to increasing the number of women in areas in which they are underrepresented and employing more people with disabilities. We welcome applications from people who belong to groups that are often underrepresented in the workplace due to, among other factors, age, disability/chronic illness, ethnicity, gender identity, and religion. You can find out more about our commitment to diversity and the accommodations available to meet your individual needs by visiting our website:

Your application

To apply, please address a

• statement of research interests

• a CV without a photo

• a copy of relevant certificates

• if applicable, (p)reprints of max. three publications led by the applicant

• a list of four referees

to: Prof. Dr. Iyad Rahwan, MPI for Human Development, Lentzeallee 94, 14195 Berlin.

Please submit all documents in ONE FILE through this recruiting platform.

Applications will be evaluated on a first-come, first-served basis and will continue to be received until 10.09.2026 , or until the position is filled.

If you have any questions about the position advertised, please contact [email protected]

The data protection declaration for the processing of personal data within the scope of your application can be found here: