29/10/2018
Wir gehen in ein neues akademisches Jahr mit neuen Mitarbeiterinnen, die wir euch in den kommenden Wochen vorstellen möchten. Heute stellt sich unser Doktorand Niels Kukken vor, der vor einem Jahr aus den Niederlanden zu uns gekommen ist.
--Former scientific career--
After receiving my high school degree in Oss, The Netherlands, I started studying Social Work (Nijmegen). After finishing the first year, I decided to switch to Psychology for the academic challenge. After receiving my Bachelor degree in Psychology (Radboud University, Nijmegen), I started the Research Master Behavioral Science (Radboud University, Nijmegen). During an internship at the University of Tübingen, Mandy Hütter informed me about Statistical Modeling in Psychology (SMiP), a graduate school that aims to bridge the gap between substantive research and state-of-the-art statistical methods and psychometrics. I am proud to say that I am member of its first cohort.
--Research interests and research--
During my studies, I focused on a variety of topics, including why people take risks, how people adapt to conflicting situations, and which interventions can help people to eat healthier. Currently, I am focused on how attitudes are influenced by different types of information. For example, physicians are often paired with disease, but only because they cure diseases. I investigate how attitudes towards (for example) physicians are influenced by, on the one hand, the negative pairing with disease, and on the other hand, the positive aspect that they cure diseases.
During my research, I always attempt to approach topics using newly developed statistical methods and computational models developed outside the field of social psychology. This integration between substantive research and applying statistical/computational models interests me the most.
--A typical day in research--
A typical day in research can be quite diverse. Of course, working on your dissertation project is central, but the actual work you do is highly dependent on the current phase of your project. You need to read recent literature, design and program experiments, analyze results, and publish your results in order to share your findings with your colleagues and the public.
Next to the usual day at the office, SMiP offers a variety of courses and workshops on statistical methods, psychometrics, and substantive topics in psychology. These (typically two-day) workshops take place at one of the five participating universities (Freiburg, Heidelberg, Landau, Mannheim, Tübingen), where an expert of the field gives a workshop for the PhDs of SMiP. These workshops additionally provide the opportunity to get in touch with other PhDs, discuss your work, and explore a city while doing it.
--What I appreciate in my work--
The most appealing aspect of an academic career to me is the opportunity to constantly learn about new theories, ideas, and statistical methods. Although your studies will prepare you for an academic career, research fields are in constant development. You simply have to keep learning about new strategies to deal with current problems and outstanding questions in order to meaningfully contribute to your field. This opportunity (and necessity) to keep learning is what I appreciate the most about my work.
--My tip for students and study--
During your studies, you will encounter many courses that interest you to a varying degree. Show this in the time you allocate to the courses. Study the required materials for the courses that least interest you, and allocate additional time and recourses to exploring the theories/topics you are most passionate about. Read publications about competing theories and search for information outside the field of psychology (e.g. Artificial Intelligence). Of course, this information might not directly translate to a better grade for the course, but it comes with many advantages. For example, you get familiar with other disciplines that might offer valuable insights not discussed in traditional Psychology courses. The insights I gained during these extracurricular activities currently help me the most in my dissertation project.
