Postdoctoral position in Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience

Updated: over 2 years ago
Deadline: 27 Aug 2021

The Centre for Early Childhood Cognition, directed by Professor Victoria Southgate, is hiring a postdoctoral researcher. The expected starting date is 1 November 2021, or as soon as possible thereafter. The position is available for two years.  

The postdoctoral position will be situated at the Centre for Early Childhood Cognition within the Department of Psychology, University of Copenhagen. Our goal is to understand the mechanisms involved in early social cognitive development, and the ways in which caregiver behaviour shapes this development. We place great emphasis on theoretically-grounded and hypothesis-driven investigation. The lab has space for behavioural studies, as well as equipment for EEG, fNIRS and eye tracking, and we have excellent access to infant and child participants. More information about our lab and group can be found here .

Job description
The successful candidate will work as part of a DFF-funded project entitled “The role of oxytocin in the development of self- and other-representation across infancy”. The project will involve working in close collaboration with other members of the lab who are already investigating the emergence and interrelation between self- and other- representation in infancy, and this project will be closely aligned. The successful candidate will take responsibility for designing, implementing and leading investigations involving relating oxytocin measurements to measures of self- and other-representation. There will be scope for the candidate to influence the direction of the project, depending on their own interests.

It is expected that the successful candidate will work collaboratively with other members of the lab, and to support one another. The successful candidate will be expected to disseminate the output of the project by attending international conferences, and contribute to daily lab-life, including taking part in reading groups and theoretical discussion. It is also expected that the successful candidate be willing to mentor younger members of the lab, including PhD students, interns, and student volunteers.

Qualifications
The candidate must have obtained a PhD degree in Psychology, Neuroscience or a related discipline. Due to funding regulations, the applicant’s PhD cannot be more than 4 years old as of 1/10/20. The preferred candidate will have excellent theoretical knowledge of the field of early social cognition, in particular the current state of research in perspective-taking and Theory of Mind. You should have a strong interest in a domain relevant to the question of perspective-taking and/or self-awareness, self-representation and self-comparison. The candidate should have experience with conducting experiments with infants, using both behavioural and neuroimaging methods. This may include eye tracking, EEG or fNIRS. Knowledge of programming in Matlab and R would be an advantage.

The candidate must have excellent interpersonal skills, and, in particular, be comfortable interacting with young children and their parents. We expect the candidate to have good collaborative skills, as well as skills in the realm of verbal and written communication, as evidenced by a promising publication record. The candidate must have an international outlook, be able to work independently and proactively, and be committed to open and reproducible science. Spoken Danish is not a requirement.

Terms of Employment

The recruitment process
Further information on the recruitment process at University of Copenhagen can be found here:  https://employment.ku.dk/faculty/recruitment-process/

An Equal Opportunity Workplace
The University of Copenhagen is committed in its pursuit of academic excellence to equality of opportunity and to creating an inclusive working environment and therefore encourages all qualified candidates to apply, regardless of personal background, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability, ethnicity etc. For more on the diverse working place environment at the University and the University’s participation in the HRS4R HR Excellence in Researrch, see https://employment.ku.dk/working-at-ucph/eu-charter-for-researchers/

International applicant?
The University of Copenhagen offers a broad variety of services for international researchers and accompanying families, including support before and during your relocation and career counselling to expat partners. Please find more information about these services as well as information on entering and working in Denmark here: https://ism.ku.dk/

Contact information
Information about the recruitment process is available from HR Mette Christensen, e-mail: [email protected], please refer to ID number: 211-0840/21-2I.

For further information about the position and informal enquiries, please contact Professor Victoria Southgate, email: [email protected] .

How to apply
Submit a complete application at our online portal. Click on the “Apply now” icon at the bottom of the page to apply. The documents must be in Adobe PDF or Word.  

Your application must be written in English and include the following documents:

  • Motivation letter, including details of how the lab’s research focus fits with the candidate’s interests and background, and future plans (maximum 2 pages)
  • Curriculum vitae
  • Diploma (master and bachelor)

The closing date for applications is 27 August 2021, 23:59 (CEST)

Applications or enclosures received thereafter will not be considered.

*(Centraleuropæisk summertime=CEST / CET = normaltid)


Part of the International Alliance of Research Universities (IARU), and among Europe’s top-ranking universities, the University of Copenhagen promotes research and teaching of the highest international standard. Rich in tradition and modern in outlook, the University gives students and staff the opportunity to cultivate their talent in an ambitious and informal environment. An effective organisation – with good working conditions and a collaborative work culture – creates the ideal framework for a successful academic career.



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