Category Archives: Vacatures

Vacatures voor psychonomen

Assistant Professor in Cognitive Neuroscience and Applied Cognitive Psychology (2 positions of 1.0 fte)

The section Cognitive Psychology of the institute Psychology of the Faculty Social and Behavioural Sciences and the Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition (LIBC) are looking for two highly talented staff members for the position of
Assistant Professor in Cognitive Neuroscience and Applied Cognitive Psychology (2 positions of 1.0 fte) Vacancy number 2362

Selection Criteria

We seek candidates who have demonstrated excellence in teaching abilities, and have experience with various types of teaching and supervision of students at different stages of their education;

  • Proficiency in the Dutch language is not essential but candidates are expected to acquire a good command of the Dutch language within the first year;
  • Candidates should have a strong research record, evident from (among others) a completed PhD thesis and peer-reviewed (international) publications on topics in cognitive psychology or related fields;
  • The expertise of suitable candidates falls into at least one or both of the unit’s two research themes: (1) Cognitive neuroscience; or (2) Applied cognitive psychology (cognitive enhancement or human factors psychology);
  • Valued research experience: Advanced modeling skills; Programming; Neuroimaging (fMRI and/or EEG); Valorization of research; Collaboration with industrial / non-academic parties.

Our faculty

The Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences comprises four institutes: Education and Child Studies, Political Science, Psychology and Cultural Anthropology & Development Sociology. The Faculty also includes the Centre for Science and Technology Studies. The Faculty is home to 5,000 students and 600 members of staff. Our teaching and research programmes cover diverse topics varying from adoption to political behaviour. For more information, see http://www.universiteitleiden.nl/en/social-behavioural-sciences.

For research at our institute LIBC we offer an exciting research environment including EEG, fMRI, eye tracking, virtual reality, and brain stimulation. For more information see https://www.universiteitleiden.nl/en/social-behavioural-sciences/psychology/cognitive-
psychology and http://www.libc-leiden.nl/

Terms and conditions

We offer a four-year term position. A longer term appointment is possible but cannot be guaranteed.
Salary range from € 3,427.- to € 5,330.- gross per month (pay scale 11 or 12 in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities).
Leiden University offers an attractive benefits package with additional holiday (8%) and end-of-year bonuses(8.3 %), training and career development and sabbatical leave. Our individual choices model gives you some freedom to assemble your own set of terms and conditions. Candidates from outside the Netherlands may be eligible for a substantial tax break. For more information about working at Leiden
University http://workingat.leiden.edu/.

Leiden University requires teaching staff to obtain the University Teaching Qualification (UTQ). If the successful applicant does not already possess this qualification or its equivalent, he/ she must be willing to obtain this Qualification within two years.

Diversity

Leiden University is strongly committed to diversity within its community and especially welcomes applications from members of underrepresented groups.

Information

For inquiries, please contact professor Bernhard Hommel, email hommel@fsw.leidenuniv.nl.

Applications

Please submit online your application no later than the 26th March 2017 via the blue button of our application system. A link to the application system will appear after 7 March on www.temporalattentionlab.com.
Applicants should submit online a letter of interest and a cv with a list of publications.

PI ‘Neural basis of Language’ in Dutch Consortium Language in Interaction (1,0 FTE)

Language in Interaction Consortium
Maximum salary: € 5.523,65 gross/month
Application deadline: April 17, 2017, 23:59 CET

Responsibilities

The NWO Gravitation consortium ‘Language in Interaction’ invites applications for a PI position. We are looking for a highly motivated, creative and talented researcher who is able to establish a PI group on ‘the neural basis of language’. You and your group will enrich a unique consortium of researchers that aims to unravel the neurocognitive mechanisms of language at multiple levels. The goal is to understand both the universality and the variability of the human language faculty from genes to behaviour. You will be given the opportunity to establish your own independent research group, and you will have free access to the scanning facilities at Donders Institute. You will be expected to conduct research in one or more research areas relevant to the position applied for. Supervision of BSc, MSc and PhD projects will be part of your responsibilities. Administrative duties will include local and/or national and international committee memberships. You will be provided with budgetary resources for a PhD candidate or technician, materials and travelling. You will be eligible to apply for further funding both internally and externally.

Work environment

The Netherlands has an outstanding track record in the language sciences. The research consortium ‘Language in Interaction’, sponsored by a large grant from the Netherlands Organization for Scientific research (NWO) brings together many of the excellent research groups in the Netherlands with a research programme on the foundations of language. Excellence in the domain of language and related relevant fields of cognition is combined with state-of-the-art research facilities and a research team with ample experience in complex research methods and utilization. This consortium achieves both quality and critical mass for studying human language at a scale not easily found anywhere else in the world. The position will be embedded in the Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics and Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour at Radboud University. Both institutes conduct research in an international setting. English is the lingua franca. Your primary working environment is the Donders Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging.

What we expect from you

You should have in-depth expertise in the application of advanced MEG and/or MR techniques (network analysis, diffusion weighted imaging, cortical thickness imaging, resting state measurement, voxel based morphometry, etc.) to the study of the ‘language networks’ in the brain. You should also have a solid neuroanatomical knowledge.

  • The selection criteria include:
    – a PhD degree in any relevant field;
    – an interest in and focus on the language system;
    – relevant structural imaging expertise;
    – relevant neurophysiological expertise;
    – solid neuroanatomical knowledge;
    – leadership potential and experience with successfully applying for external funding;
    – an excellent scientific track record;
    – excellent organizational and communicative skills;
    – excellent skills in written and spoken English.

What we offer

We offer you:
– employment: 1,0 fte (39-hour working week);
– starting salary will be based on Tarifvertrag im Öffentlichen Dienst (TVöD Bund), Entgeltgruppe 13;
– the starting salary depends on qualifications and experience;
– in addition to the salary: an 8% holiday allowance;
– budget for a PhD position as a start-up for your research group;
– you will be appointed for a period of 48 months with a trial period of 12 months;
– after four years, there will be good prospects for continuation if your performance is evaluated positively
– the Max Planck Institute involved has a number of regulations that make it possible for employees to create a good work-life balance.

Other Information

The two institutes involved are equal opportunity employers, committed to building a culturally diverse intellectual community, and as such encourage applications from women and minorities.

Would you like to know more?

Further information on: Language in Interaction Consortium

Further information on: Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour

Further information on: Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics

Prof. dr. Peter Hagoort, programme director Language in Interaction and director of MPI Telephone: +31 24 3610648, +31 24 3521301 E-mail: peter.hagoort@mpi.nl

Prof. dr. David Norris, director of the Donders Institute, Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging Telephone: +31 24 3610649 E-mail: d.norris@donders.ru.nl

Applications

Are you interested?
You should send your application (attn. of Prof. dr. Peter Hagoort) to Julia Verhoef (j.verhoef@donders.ru.nl). Your application should include (and be limited to) the following attachments:
• a cover letter;
• your curriculum vitae, including a list of publications and the names of at least two people who can provide references;
• a research statement.

PhD-position It’s all in the numbers (1.0 FTE)

Job description

Competence in dealing accurately with numerical quantities is of great and ever increasing importance in our society. Infants already have some knowledge about non-symbolic quantities or magnitudes, which continues to increase throughout childhood. This non- symbolic numerosity has been suggested to be a precursor for future number knowledge and mathematical abilities. Recently our lab has shown evidence for a topographic representation of non-symbolic quantity in the Posterior Parietal Cortex, resembling the topographic organization apparent in, for instance, visual cortex. The current project will continue research into the cortical representation of numerosity and its manifestation in behaviour.

The PhD student will conduct supervised research on this topic, combining behavioural and imaging techniques. The student will have considerable freedom in pursuing his/her own interests and methods. Our lab has access to excellent imaging as well as TMS/DCS facilities. Collaborations leading to more applied questions (on for instance dyscalculia) are also possible, due to our involvement in the Dynamics of Youth programme.

Qualifications

We are looking for an excellent and enthusiastic student with a Master’s degree in Experimental Psychology, (Cognitive) Neuroscience or equivalent, and with proven interest in Psychophysics and Neuroimaging. Experience with programming and neuro-imaging techniques is an asset.

Offer

We offer a PhD position (1.0 fte) with an initial 1 year contract. After a positive evaluation this contract will be extended to a maximum of 4 years. Starting date is negotiable, but as soon as possible. The salary is €2,173 gross per month in the first year and €2,778 gross per month in the fourth year, for a full time contingent on satisfactory performance.
The salary is supplemented with an annual holiday pay of 8% and an end-of-year bonus of 8.3% per year. We offer flexible working conditions terms of employment to support a good work – life balance of our employees. Other secondary conditions include e.g. a pension scheme, partially paid parental leave and flexible employment conditions. For more information visit Working at Utrecht University.

About the organization

A better future for everyone. This ambition motivates our scientists in executing their leading research and inspiring teaching. At Utrecht University, the various disciplines collaborate intensively towards major societal themes. Our focus is on Dynamics of Youth, Institutions for Open Societies, Life Sciences and Sustainability.
The city of Utrecht is one of the oldest cities in the Netherlands, with a charming old center and an internationally oriented culture that is strongly influenced by its century-old university. Utrecht city has been consistently ranked as one of the most livable cities in the Netherlands.

The Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences is one of the leading faculties in Europe providing research and academic teaching in cultural anthropology, educational sciences, interdisciplinary social science, pedagogical sciences, psychology, and sociology. Research and teaching activities are concentrated in five areas:
1. Behaviour in Social Contexts;
2. Child and Adolescent Studies;
3. Cognitive and Clinical Psychology;
4. Education and Learning and
5. Methodology and Statistics.
More than 5,600 students are enrolled in a broad range of undergraduate and graduate programmes. The Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences has some 850 faculty and staff members, all providing their individual contribution to the training and education of young talent and to the research into and finding solutions for scientific and societal issues.

Additional information

The research project is a collaboration between the labs of Prof Dr Serge Dumoulin, Prof Dr Susan te Pas and Dr Maarten van der Smagt.
Additional information about the vacancy can be obtained from: Dr. Maarten van der Smagt: +31 30 253 3090, or m.j.vandersmagt@uu.nl.

Apply

Please send your application including a motivation, a curriculum vitae, a list of publications and contact details of at least two references.
You can apply online via PhD-position It’s all in the numbers (1.0 FTE) or www.academictransfer.com.

The application deadline is 15/09/2016.

Postdoc position in the Dutch Research Consortium ‘Language in Interaction’ (1,0 fte)

Maximum salary: € 4,654 gross/month
Vacancy number: 30.07.16
Application deadline: 24 July 2016, 23:59 CET

Responsibilities

The NWO Gravitation consortium ’Language in Interaction’ invites applications for a postdoc position: ’Developing a language test battery for young adults’.

In this position you will have the opportunity to conduct world-class research as a member of an interdisciplinary team. You will lead a project that will be part of a large-scale research programme aiming to characterize individual variation in language skills at behavioural, neurobiological and genetic levels. A crucial component of this ambitious venture is to develop a test battery for language skills that comprehensively, reliably, and efficiently assesses the core skills underlying speaking and listening. The battery should be suitable for assessing young adults (18 to 30 years) with a broad spectrum of abilities. You will play a central role in the development of this test battery.

Work environment

The Netherlands has an outstanding track record in the language sciences. The Language in Interaction consortium, sponsored by a Gravitation grant from the Netherlands Organization for Scientific research (NWO), brings together  excellent research groups in the Netherlands in a research programme on the foundations of language. The team consists of researchers from eight research institutions with complementary expertise in a highly interdisciplinary area of research (Radboud University, University of Amsterdam, University of Maastricht, Leiden University, Utrecht University, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Tilburg University, and the Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics). Excellence in the domain of language and related relevant fields of cognition is combined with state-of-the-art research facilities and a research team with ample experience in complex research methods and utilization.

You will be appointed at Radboud University. You will primarily be based at the Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics. These two institutions conduct research in an international setting  where English is the lingua franca.

What we expect from you

Your main task will be to take the lead in developing the individual components of the test battery (e.g. tests of listening ability, lexical knowledge, pragmatics), in designing and running pilot studies to assess each component and, at a later stage, in administering the battery to a large group (1000+) of young adults. You will analyse the results using advanced statistical approaches and generate research reports and publications. Furthermore, you will liaise with other postdoctoral fellows in companion projects on variability in language learning and the biological bases of language skills. Finally, you will give guidance to the research assistants testing participants.

In order to carry out these varied and complex tasks effectively, a strong background in experimental psychology, psycholinguistics, cognitive neuroscience, or psychological diagnostics is required. In addition, you should have ample experience in planning (large-scale) studies and an excellent knowledge of statistics. You should be able to work independently and to tight deadlines and to communicate effectively with other members of the team. Given that the key task is to develop a test instrument for Dutch, native or near-native knowledge of Dutch is desirable.

What we have to offer

  • employment: 1,0 fte;
  • a maximum gross monthly salary of € 4,654 based on a 38-hour working week (salary scale 11);
  • in addition to the salary: an 8% holiday allowance and an 8.3% end-of-year bonus;
  • the starting salary will depend on qualifications and experience;
  • duration of the contract: 4 years, with a trial period of 1 year;
  • starting date: preferably September 2016;
  • the Collective Labour Agreement (CAO) of Dutch Universities will be applicable;;
  • you will be classified as a Researcher, Level 3 (Onderzoeker 3) in the Dutch university job-ranking system (UFO).

Would you like to know more?

Further information on this position and on how to apply can be found on: https://www.languageininteraction.nl/jobs/postdoc-position.html

PhD position at Ghent University

We are seeking a highly motivated PhD student for a 4-year project on instruction following and its implementation in the human brain. An outline of the general project can be obtained upon request. The PhD research will be supervised by Tom Verguts (Ghent University, http://users.ugent.be/~tverguts/) and Durk Talsma (Ghent University, http://www.durktalsma.nl). The supervisors are specialized in cognitive control and instruction following, with methodological focus in resp. computational modeling and EEG.

Candidates should have a master’s degree in psychology, (cognitive) neuroscience, or a related discipline on the starting date. He or she will carry out behavioral and EEG experiments, potentially combined with computational modeling (depending on the candidate’s interests).

Experience with behavioral experimentation and EEG (programming, data collection, data analysis) is a strong benefit but not a must. In any case, the candidate must be highly motivated to learn such skills.

The starting date is October 2016 at the latest. Salary is according to standard Belgian regulations. Although the official language at Ghent University is Dutch, knowledge of Dutch is not required, and in general the research environment is strongly internationally oriented.

Interested candidates should send a CV, motivation letter, and two (email) addresses of potential referees to tom.verguts@ugent.be. Informal inquiries can also be sent via email. Candidates will be considered until the position is filled.

For more information about the Department of Experimental Psychology, see http://www.ugent.be/pp/experimentele-psychologie/en

Tenure Track Position “Neuropsychology of Language and Language Disorders” (Nijmegen)

Tenure Track Position “Neuropsychology of Language and Language Disorders”

Application deadline: 17 May 2015

Responsibilities

The research consortium Language in Interaction invites applications for a tenure track position, offered with a view to long-term embedding of neuropsychological research in a clinical setting, and enhancement of collaborative research in the field of language-related disorders.

The specific focus of the position is on the neuropsychology of language, bridging gaps at the clinical /non-clinical intersection (e.g. language-related disorders). This integration can be achieved using a varied set of methods, such as behavioural experimentation, functional neuroimaging (fMRI, EEG, MEG), transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), and formal computational modelling of language processes.

You will head an independent research group to be established to promote the interaction between clinical and pre-clinical researchers. You will be expected to conduct research in one or more research areas relevant to the position. Supervision of BSc, MSc and PhD projects will be part of your responsibilities. Administrative duties will include local and/or national committee memberships. With a view to continuation, the position may be expanded to include teaching and clinical work. You will be provided with budgetary resources, a PhD student or technician, materials and consumables.

Work environment

The Netherlands has an outstanding track record in the language sciences. The Language in Interaction consortium, sponsored by a Gravitation grant from the Netherlands Organization for Scientific research (NWO), brings together many of the excellent research groups in the Netherlands in a research programme on the foundations of language. Excellence in the domain of language and related relevant fields of cognition is combined with state-of-the-art research facilities and a research team with ample experience in complex research methods and utilization.

This position is equally shared by two research centres within Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University and RadboudUMC. The Donders Institute is a world-class research centre devoted to understanding the mechanistic underpinnings of human cognition and behaviour. The institute conducts research in an international setting with more than 600 researchers from 35 countries. English is the lingua franca. In 2013, the Donders Institute was assessed by an international evaluation committee as excellent and recognized as a ‘very stimulating environment for top researchers, as well as for young talent’.

What we expect from you

You should be a creative and talented researcher, a strong experimenter in the neuropsychology of language, and have a clinical background and experience with patient studies.

Other requirements are:

− a PhD degree in a field relevant to the position concerned;
− an established international reputation;
− strong track record of peer-reviewed international publications;
− experience with successfully applying for external funding;
− experience with (co-)supervision of PhD students;
− management skills required for academic leadership.

 What we have to offer

– full time position
– a maximum gross monthly salary of € 5,171 based on a 38-hour working week; starting salary depends on qualifications and experience;
– you will be appointed for a period of 48 months;  after 4 years, a permanent position will be offered if your performance is evaluated positively.

 Are you interested?

Check this link for more information on this job offer and how to apply:

http://www.ru.nl/newstaff/vacaturebeschrijving?recid=554020

Two PhD positions: “Computational and Neurobiological Foundations of Interval Timing” (Groningen)

Two PhD positions: “Computational and Neurobiological Foundations of Interval Timing” (Groningen)

Applications are invited from highly motivated candidates for two fully funded/salaried PhD positions to participate in a newly funded multi-partner European project. TIMESTORM promotes time perception as a fundamental capacity of autonomous biological and computational systems. The project aims to explore time as a fundamental and integral dimension of the mind, and to design and develop artificial computational systems that implement the fundamental temporal nature of cognition and behavior. The available positions, in the group of dr. Van Rijn at the Department of Experimental Psychology at the University of Groningen, will involve cognitive neuroscience research and computational modeling on the neurobiological basis of time perception.

The ideal candidates for these positions will have a strong interest in the neuroscience of temporal cognition, and have the ambition to unravel how the sense of time is instantiated in the brain and to explain how time influences behavior by means of computational models. The successful applicants will have acquired the skills to independently run studies in human cognitive neuroscience, and have experience in the analysis (preferably in MATLAB and/or R) and presentation of experimental research. Applicants must have (or obtain in the near future) a Master degree in a relevant neuroscience- or artificial-intelligence related discipline. Excellent proficiency in English, especially in writing, is required. The project team at the University of Groningen that supports the PhD candidate consists of scientists from different departments (dr. Van Rijn, Experimental Psychology; prof. dr. Niels Taatgen, Artificial Intelligence; prof. dr. Ritske de Jong, Experimental Psychology), with additional support provided by the international TIMESTORM partners (Karlsruhe Institute of Technology; Imperial College London; Sackler Centre for Consciousness Science at the University of Sussex; Université Blaise Pascal Clermont-Ferrand; FORTH, Crete). English is the working language within the research group.

For more information, see https://www.academictransfer.com/employer/RUG/vacancy/26747/lang/en/ or contact dr. Hedderik van Rijn: d.h.van.rijn@rug.nl

 

PhD position “Staying Mobile with Reduced Capabilities” (University of Groningen)

Background
 This PhD project focuses on a topic of high societal relevance; staying mobile in the aged population. With increasing age, the integrity of cognitive functions is not self-evident because of biological and functional alterations in the ageing brain. Also pathologies affecting the brain and/or brain functions occur more frequently in the elderly population. These changes can have major consequences for maintaining mobility in the older individuals. The PhD position is concerned with different facets of psychology, both at theoretical and applied level, as this project is part of a research collaboration between the department of Experimental Psychology and the department of Clinical Neuropsychology and Traffic Psychology. These departments have a tradition of investigating the nature of cognitive processes, and this research is applied to assess and enhance task performance in normal and special populations. Moreover, the core aspects of this PhD project are connected to Healthy Ageing and Sustainable Society, two research spearheads of the University of Groningen.
Requirements
We are looking for a highly motivated, creative and enthusiastic researcher, holding a diploma equivalent to the (Dutch) master diploma in neuropsychology, neurobiology, experimental psychology, cognitive neuroscience or a related discipline. The candidate designs experiments, analyses data and prepares results for publication. He/she stays abreast of developments in his/her scientific discipline by keeping up with the scientific literature in the field and visiting scientific meetings. Prior experience in scientific research is therefore a requirement, as is a strong affinity with healthy ageing and sustainability of society. Excellent knowledge of research design and statistical skills is essential. The candidate writes in English at a standard required for scientific publication and has a fluency in spoken Dutch. The candidate has the ability to work in a diverse research team and has a willingness to take initiative.
For more information, see AcademicTransfer or contact dr. Dick de Waard (d.de.waard@rug.nl) or prof. dr. Monicque Lorist (m.m.lorist@rug.nl)