Postdoctoral Researcher in Computational Cognitive Science of Language (1.0 FTE)

• Employment: 1.0 FTE
• Gross monthly salary: € 3,807 - € 5,211
• Donders Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging
• Required background: PhD
• Application deadline: 15 September 2021

As a postdoctoral researcher you will be responsible for directing, planning and executing theoretical, computational modelling projects on language processing. The objective is to relate various computational models derived from a theoretical model to explain patterns in neuroimaging data, behaviour and linguistics using contemporary computational and data analysis techniques.

The focus will be on developing systems that can represent structured representations during both 'comprehension' and 'production' while holding fast to principles of neural computation and aspects of formal linguistics. You will perform a range of simulations and modelling experiments, as well as devise and implement models, perform data analysis, and write papers in collaboration with the group leader. This position also involves supervision and mentoring of junior researchers (e.g. PhD candidates, Master's students and interns). You will have the opportunity to publish first author papers, contribute to related projects as a co-author and present your work at international conferences and institutions. This is an outstanding opportunity to develop your research skills and ask exciting scientific questions to drive forward your own research project(s) in this new area of research using cutting edge approaches.

• PhD in a relevant field (e.g. cognitive science, experimental or mathematical psychology, computational neuroscience, computer science, or computational linguistics).
• You must have good computational skills and proven experience in this area (e.g. during PhD or other training). Expertise in and experience with cognitive modelling and neural networks is highly desirable. Experience with modelling neural oscillations would be useful, but is not essential.
• Enthusiasm for the work and the subject area (i.e. language, structured representations, neural oscillations, symbolic-connectionism, and neural network modelling).
• Self-motivated and able to work independently.
• Experience supervising students at various levels would be advantageous.

The Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour is a world-class interfaculty research centre that houses more than 700 researchers devoted to understanding the mechanistic underpinnings of the human mind. Research at the Donders Institute is focused around four themes: 1. Language and communication, 2. Perception, action and control, 3. Plasticity and memory, 4. Neural computation and neurotechnology. Excellent, state-of-the-art research facilities are available for the broad range of neuroscience research that is being conducted at the Donders Institute. The Donders Institute has been assessed by an international evaluation committee as 'excellent' and recognised as a 'very stimulating environment for top researchers, as well as for young talent'. The Donders Institute fosters a collaborative, multidisciplinary, supportive research environment with a diverse international staff. English is the lingua franca at the Institute. The mission of the Donders Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging (DCCN) is to conduct cutting-edge fundamental research in cognitive neuroscience. Much of the rapid progress in this field is being driven by the development of complex neuroimaging techniques for measuring activity in the human brain - an area in which the Centre plays a leading role. The research themes cover central cognitive functions, such as perception, action, control, emotion, decision-making, attention, memory, language, learning and plasticity. The Centre also aims to establish how the different brain areas coordinate their activity with very high temporal precision to enable human and animal cognition. Our internationally renowned centre currently hosts more than 100 PhD candidates and postdoctoral researchers from more than 25 countries, offering a stimulating and multidisciplinary research environment. The centre is equipped with four MRI scanners (7T, 3x 3T), a 275-channel MEG system, an EEG-TMS laboratory, several (MR-compatible) EEG systems, and high-performance computational facilities. 

You will be part of the Language and Computation in Neural Systems Group  run by Dr Andrea Martin . We are a dynamic lab  investigating the representation and processing of spoken language from a theory-driven perspective that is informed by advanced techniques in the cognitive, computational and neurosciences. We are based at the Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics and the Donders Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging.

• Employment: 1.0 FTE.
• The gross monthly salary amounts to a minimum of €3,807 and a maximum of €5,211 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.
• Duration of the contract: 3 years.
• You will be able to use our Dual Career and Family Care Services . Our Dual Career and Family Care Officer can assist you with family-related support, help your partner or spouse prepare for the local labour market, provide customized support in their search for employment  and help your family settle in Nijmegen.

Additional employment conditions
Work and science require good employment practices. This is reflected in Radboud University's primary and secondary employment conditions . You can make arrangements for the best possible work-life balance with flexible working hours, various leave arrangements and working from home. You are also able to compose part of your employment conditions yourself, for example, exchange income for extra leave days and receive a reimbursement for your sports subscription. And of course, we offer a good pension plan. You are given plenty of room and responsibility to develop your talents and realise your ambitions. Therefore, we provide various training and development schemes.

For more information about this vacancy, please contact:
Lianne Peters, secretary LaCNS group
Email: [email protected]  

Dr. Andrea Martin, PI/ Group Leader
Email: [email protected] / [email protected]

Please address your application to Lianne Peters and submit it, using the application button, no later than 15 September 2021, 23:59 Amsterdam Time Zone.   

Your application should include the following attachments:

• Letter of motivation.
• CV including the names and email addresses of at least two referees. 

Starting date is as soon as possible. We encourage early career stage researchers and recent graduates to apply.

The interviews will take place in the first two weeks of October.

We drafted this vacancy to find and hire our new colleague ourselves. Recruitment agencies are kindly requested to refrain from responding.