We ask you for your nominations for the Young Scientist Award in Socio- and Econophycis (5,000 EUR), which will be awarded during the annual Spring Meeting of the German Physical Society in Berlin in the week from March 25-30, 2012. Nomination deadline: December 1, 2011.

Palermo University has opened a call for three one-year Post-Doc positions funded by research grants on research projects carried out by the Observatory of Complex Systems.

IMT Institute for Advanced Studies Lucca invites applications for an Assistant Professor position in the areas of theory, applied mathematics, analysis and modeling of complex systems and applications of statistical physics and economics to social systems, graph theory and random structures and analysis and modeling of complex networks in social economic systems. Candidates with a Ph.D. in Physics, Mathematics or Information Sciences are preferred, and they should have an excellent record of high-impact international publications. The Assistant Professor will be a part of the Research Unit "Laboratory for the Analysis of compleX Economic Systems" (AXES, http://www.imtlucca.it/research/research_units.php) in the Economics and Institutional Change area of the Institute, and will perform research activities, tutorship and mentoring of Ph.D. students, limited teaching of graduate courses and participation in the development of the research activities of the Institute. Appointment compensation packages will depend on the candidates and their records of accomplishment, but are competitive on an international level. Applicants must be able to teach graduate courses in English; knowledge of Italian is not required. Interested candidates must apply before October 31st, 2011 12:00 pm CET by filling in the online application form at http://www.imtlucca.it/faculty/positions under "Junior Faculty Recruitment Program". They will also be asked to submit a CV, research paper (published or working) and the name and contact details of three referees. For further information about the position, applicants can refer to the website, or can contact Sara Olson, e-mail: researchers.opening@imtlucca.it.

The collective behaviour research group at Uppsala University uses a combination of mathematical models and experiments to understand the dynamics of animal and human groups. Some current projects on humans involve the study of socially contagious activities, such as audience clapping, and of how individuals integrate social and personal information when trying to answer trivia questions. We currently have an opening for a postdoctoral researcher to work on similar projects, from a perspective that combines mathematical modelling with experimental work. You are welcome to submit your application no later than 18th November, 2011.

Why do firms invest large sums in advertisement? Why do students spend great effort on highly selective educational courses? Why do people follow certain dress codes although norm compliance is time-consuming and costly? Why do banks invest in marble entrance halls? Why did the path of evolution lead to the magnificent tail feathers of a peacock although this luxury inhibits the movement of the bird? Signaling theory put forward by economist Michael Spence and biologist Amotz Zahavi provides an answer. Signaling theory yields an explanation for the paradox of the ubiquity and stability of costly and wasteful activities to be observed in human social life as well as in animal behavior. Contributions (title, abstract, manuscript if available) should be submitted no later than January 31st, 2012 to one of the organizers or to Stefan Wehrli (wehrlist@ethz.ch).