Postdoc in Developmental Social Cognition – DTU Compute

Are you interested in the interpersonal mechanisms that contribute to the development of the social brain? In studying caregiver-infant interactions in real world settings, using wearables? We invite applications for an appointment as a postdoc in developmental social cognition. The position is funded by the DFF grant titled “Caregiver-infant synchrony and the development of the social brain ”. 

The position is available for a period of 2 years, from 1August 2023, or according to mutual agreement. 

You will primarily be involved in working within the social interaction and neuroscience group (SINe Lab) at DTU, and the Centre for Early Childhood Cognition at the University of Copenhagen. 

At DTU, you will be based within the Section for Cognitive Systems, which is a lively and research-oriented group of scientists and support staff with a broad interest in information processing in humans and computers, and a particular focus on the signals they exchange, and the opportunities these signals offer for modelling and engineering of cognitive systems. 

The research project is physically based at Centre for Early Childhood Cognition in the Department of Psychology at the University of Copenhagen, and the successful applicant will spend a considerable proportion of their time there. 

Responsibilities and qualifications
In collaboration with Assoc. Prof. Ivana Konvalinka and Prof. Victoria Southgate, you will be responsible for collecting real-world data from caregiver-infant pairs, developing novel computational methods for measuring caregiver-infant synchrony ‘in the wild’, designing neuroimaging lab experiments, and disseminating the results at international conferences and by publishing in peer-reviewed journals.

As a formal qualification, you must hold a PhD degree (or equivalent), in e.g. cognitive/computational science/neuroscience, psychology, engineering, or computer science/mathematics.

The successful candidate should possess: 

• excellent interpersonal and collaboration skills, which are required to work with others, in an interdisciplinary environment
• a passion and dedication to solve hard problems in developmental social cognition research
• experience with collecting, processing and analyzing neuroimaging data from infants (e.g. fNIRS, EEG, pupillometry)
• demonstrated evidence of development of analysis tools for complex data sets
• experience with computational modelling/analysis of time-series data, preferably applied to human behaviour
• programming skills (i.e., MATLAB, Python, R)
• previous experience with the design and analysis of experiments in cognitive science 

We offer
DTU is a leading technical university globally recognized for the excellence of its research, education, innovation and scientific advice. We offer a rewarding and challenging job in an international environment. We strive for academic excellence in an environment characterized by collegial respect and academic freedom tempered by responsibility. 

Salary and terms of employment 
The appointment will be based on the collective agreement with the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations. The allowance will be agreed upon with the relevant union. The period of employment is 2 years (part time at 4 days/week). 

You can read more about career paths at DTU here .

Further information 
Further information may be obtained from Associate Professor Ivana Konvalinka ([email protected] ). 

You can read more about SINe Lab at https://sinelab.org , and about the Centre for Early Childhood Cognition (ECC) at https://psychology.ku.dk/ecc-en/ . 

If you are applying from abroad, you may find useful information on working in Denmark and at DTU at DTU – Moving to Denmark .

Application procedure 
Your complete online application must be submitted no later than 22 May 2023 (Danish time). Applications must be submitted as one PDF file containing all materials to be given consideration. To apply, please open the link "Apply online", fill out the online application form, and attach all your materials in English in one PDF file. The file must include: 

• Application (cover letter)
• CV
• Academic Diplomas (MSc/PhD – in English)
• List of publications 

Applications received after the deadline will not be considered.

All interested candidates irrespective of age, gender, disability, race, religion or ethnic background are encouraged to apply.

DTU Compute
DTU Compute is a unique and internationally recognized academic department with 385 employees and 11 research sections spanning the science disciplines mathematics, statistics, computer science, cognitive science, and engineering. We conduct research, teaching and innovation of high international standard – producing new knowledge and technology-based solutions to societal challenges. We have a long-term involvement in applied and interdisciplinary research, big data and data science, artificial intelligence (AI), internet of things (IoT), smart and secure societies, smart manufacturing, and life science. At DTU Compute we believe in a diverse workplace with a flexible work-life balance.

Technology for people
DTU develops technology for people. With our international elite research and study programmes, we are helping to create a better world and to solve the global challenges formulated in the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals. Hans Christian Ørsted founded DTU in 1829 with a clear misision to develop and create value using science and engineering to benefit society. That mission lives on today. DTU has 13,400 students and 5,800 employees. We work in an international atmosphere and have an inclusive, evolving, and informal working environment. DTU has campuses in all parts of Denmark and in Greenland, and we collaborate with the best universities around the world.