PhD opening — Cultural Evolution and Historical Psychology of Japan

  • Workplace: Institut Jean Nicod, UMR 8129 (CNRS / ENS-PSL / EHESS), Département d’études cognitives, École normale supérieure – PSL, 29 rue d’Ulm, 75005 Paris, France. Extended stays at the Institute of Social Science, The University of Tokyo, Japan will be required.
  • Scientific Supervisor: Dr. Nicolas Baumard, CNRS Research Director, Institut Jean Nicod (nbaumard@gmail.com)
  • Type of contract: Fixed-term doctoral contract (CDD doctoral)
  • Contract period: 36 months
  • Expected start date: October 2026 (flexible)
  • Proportion of work: Full-time (100 %)
  • Remuneration: According to the CNRS doctoral contract salary scale (gross salary approx. €2,300/month). Additional mobility support is foreseen for the periods of secondment in Tokyo.

Description of the thesis subject

The doctoral project aims to quantify the long-term evolution of cultural production and psychological values in Japan from 700 to 1900 CE, in order to reconstruct the country’s developmental trajectory using computational methods applied to historical cultural artifacts. The thesis will combine corpus construction, computational analysis, and statistical modeling.

Scientific field: Cognitive and behavioral sciences, computational cultural sciences, cultural evolution, economic history, digital humanities.

Scientific themes: cultural evolution, historical psychology, computational humanities, large language models applied to historical corpora, economic history of Japan, quantitative reconstruction of human development.

This thesis is part of a joint UTokyo–CNRS doctoral collaboration. Mobility costs (travel and accommodation for extended stays in Tokyo) will be covered by dedicated mobility funds (CNRS). 

Work context

The thesis will be hosted at the Institut Jean Nicod (IJN, UMR 8129), a joint research unit of CNRS, ENS-PSL, and EHESS, located at the Département d’études cognitives of the École normale supérieure (ENS-PSL) in central Paris. IJN is internationally recognized for its work at the intersection of cognitive science, philosophy, linguistics, and the social sciences.

The student will be enrolled at the doctoral school Cognitive Sciences of PSL University, which trains doctoral students at the frontier of cognitive science and its applications to the social sciences and humanities.

The student will join the Evolution and Social Cognition team, which brings together researchers, postdocs, engineers, and PhD students working on cultural evolution, historical psychology, and computational approaches to the humanities. Active projects include the cultural evolution of romantic love, the rise of trust, moral revolutions, and ongoing projects on China, Persia, and Europe. 

Supplementary information

Skills required

Training and scientific background
  • Master’s degree (M2 or equivalent) in one or more of the following fields: cognitive science, computational social science, digital humanities, economic history, linguistics, computer science, or related disciplines.
  • A strongly interdisciplinary profile is encouraged. 
Scientific and technical skills
  • Command of programming for data science (Python and/or R)
  • Familiarity with statistical modeling is required.
Language skills
  • Good command of English is required, as it is the working language of the team and the language of scientific publications.
  • French is not required but useful for everyday interactions in Paris.
  • Knowledge of Japanese (spoken or read, modern or classical) is a plus but is not required. 

Documents to be provided

Applications must include:

  • A detailed curriculum vitae;
  • A letter explaining the candidate’s motivation and fit with the project;
  • At least two references (names, positions, and contact details of academic referees who may be contacted);
  • Optionally: copies of publications, preprints, or code repositories illustrating relevant prior work.

Application

Applications should be sent by email to nbaumard@gmail.com.

Closing date for receipt of applications: 9 June 2026

Shortlisted candidates will be invited for an interview by video.