Ph.D. Student or a Postdoctoral researcher under the conditions of international mobility

**Diploma**

Master’s degree in psychology, biology, neuroscience, or a related discipline / Ph.D. in cognitive, social or cognitive neuroscience, cognitive psychology, medical engineering or related disciplines.

**Job description**

A PhD position (1+3 years) or Postdoctoral position (1+1 years) in social and behavioural neurosciences is available at Ghent University. The position is funded by Ghent University and a Francqui Start-up grant. The research will be led by Prof. Emilie Caspar (Department of Experimental Psychology).

The successful applicant will join the Moral & Social Brain Lab (https://moralsocialbrain.com/ ) to work on a project that aims to uncover the neuro-cognitive processes that prevent an individual from being coerced into causing pain to others. The applicant will use a novel experimental approach, which is an actualized and ethical version of the famous Stanley Milgram’s studies, to answer these questions. The applicant will use behavioral, electrophysiology, neuromodulation and neuroimaging measurements. The general goal will be to understand why some individuals are more likely to stand up against immoral orders than others.

In this project, we will explore what neuro-cognitive processes prevent an individual from causing pain to another individual in coercive contexts. We will primarily focus on the sense of agency, which is the feeling of being the author of one’s own action and thus responsible for its consequences, and on empathy for pain.

The research will happen in Ghent University, which is a city located close by the main city Brussels. The applicant will have access to all state-of-the-art facilities, such as a 64-electrode EEG system, a 3T-MRI, TMS/tdcs, and experimental rooms.

In our lab, we try to avoid testing only WEIRD (Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, Democratic) individuals. At the moment, our projects involve inmates in prisons, military, genocide survivors and former perpetrators in Rwanda and Cambodia – see https://emiliecaspar.home.blog/ for some examples of field research. We consider that there are no restrictions regarding the populations to include in the research project and we wish the successful applicant to be open-minded regarding the possibilities to answer the research questions.

The successful applicant will be responsible for the development of experiments, collection and analysis of data, publication and dissemination of the results, and will be involved in the supervision of research assistants and MSc students.

** We offer **

- A PhD position or a Postdoc position in social neuroscience with a competitive salary. Your remuneration will be determined by salary scale WM1 to WM4 (if you hold a Master’s degree) or salary scale PD1 to PD4 (if you hold a doctorate). Click here for more information about our salary scales .

- The applicant will have access to state-of-the-art UGent research facilities.

- The applicant will have the opportunity to collaborate with other lab members and with international teams.

- The research group is situated in Ghent, a lively city in the heart of Europe (https://visit.gent.be/en/HOME ).

- All Ghent University staff members enjoy a number of benefits, such as a wide range of training and education opportunities, 35 days of holiday leave (on an annual basis for a full-time job) supplemented by annual fixed bridge days, a bicycle allowance and eco vouchers. Click here for a complete overview of all the staff benefits (in Dutch).

**Job profile**

Preferred start date: as soon as possible. November or December 2021. The position will be open until we find the ideal applicant for this position (possibly a second closing date will be announced later).

We are looking for a highly-motivated candidate with:

• An appropriate degree (preferably a research master) in psychology, biology, neuroscience, or a related discipline. The degree requirements must be fulfilled at the start of the job appointment
• An excellent post-doctoral researcher with a specialization in social, cognitive or behavioral neuroscience could also be considered for this position.
• Evidence of excellent research, communication, and cooperative skills
• Good English writing and communication skills are mandatory. Knowledge of Dutch or French is not required.
• Prior research experience (e.g., involvement in data collection)
• Good data analysis skills (R, SPSS, MATLAB, Python).

**How to apply**

To apply, please send a motivation letter, CV, transcripts of BSc and MSc courses and grades (for applicants for a Ph.D. position), copies of educational certificates (if applicable), and letters and contact information of minimum two academic referees as a single pdf to Emilie Caspar ([email protected] ). It is possible that the applicants will also be asked to provide a commentary on a scientific publication.

For further information on the project or details about the position, please also contact Emilie Caspar ([email protected] ).

Closing date: November 5th , 2021. Interviews are expected to take place in the second week of November 2021.