PhD Candidate on Machine Learning Algorithms for Neural Data Analysis and Closed-loop Neurotechnological Systems at the Donders Center for Cognition (1.0 FTE)

Updated: over 2 years ago
Deadline: The position may have been removed or expired!

  • Employment: 1.0 FTE
  • Gross monthly salary: € 2,434 - € 3,111
  • Faculty of Social Sciences
  • Required background: Research University Degree
  • Application deadline: 7 November 2021

Do you want to contribute to innovative research for the field of neural data analysis? As a PhD candidate on machine learning algorithms, you will span the bridge between the fundamental research on machine learning and artificial intelligence, and applications. This will help us gain a better understanding into the mechanistic underpinnings of the human mind.

We invite applications for a PhD position on representation learning of electrophysiological brain data, supervised by Michael Tangermann. As a PhD candidate, you will be expected to contribute proactively to the Tangermann lab's research goals by developing advanced neural data processing algorithms in the context of closed-loop neurotechnological systems such as brain-computer interfaces.

On the algorithmic side, we will expect you to perform analyses on new or existing datasets, to investigate novel machine learning models and benchmark them against existing models, to evaluate hyper-parameters and architectures of models on a compute cluster, as well as visualise and present results.

On the application side, you will be expected to participate in the design of novel experimental protocols, to implement behavioural paradigms and experimental protocols in software, to program interfaces for real-time data access from hardware devices, to integrate software and hardware modules into closed-loop systems, to participate in recruiting healthy subjects for our studies, and to prepare and run experimental sessions with healthy subjects and patients.

Furthermore you will be expected to disseminate scientific results through high-impact papers in scientific journals, and by presenting your research at conferences and workshops. We also expect you to be committed to the values of open and reproducible science, including the publishing of well-documented code and datasets.

We offer you a full-time (100%) position for an overall duration of 4 years, subject to a favourable interim performance review. You will be employed at the Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, where you will have the opportunity to collaborate and interact with renowned experts in the fields of artificial intelligence, psychology and cognitive neuroscience. You will also benefit from the extensive training programme offered by the Donders Graduate School. Additionally, you will have teaching duties and the opportunity to supervise MSc and BSc students during their thesis projects. 


Profile

The following are essential requirements for this position:

  • You hold an MSc degree in computer science, mathematics, computational neuroscience, neurotechnology or a related discipline.
  • You have a strong background in machine learning and AI, with practical hands-on experience with data analysis projects.
  • You have demonstrable experience with EEG or MEG analyses.
  • You have a strong background in mathematics, particularly linear algebra and probability theory.
  • You have a good command of programming languages, fluency in Python, Matlab and at least one other programming language.
  • You are highly proficient in spoken and written English, as evidenced by project reports or scientific publications.
  • You have strong communication, interpersonal and organisational skills.
  • You have a proactive and goal-directed attitude, good organisational skills, and the ability to get things done.

Any of the following would be a plus:

  • You have a strong interest in or experience with neurotechnological systems such as brain-computer interfaces, deep brain stimulation, etc.
  • You are willing to run practical experiments with healthy participants and patients.

We are

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 is recognised as a 'very stimulating environment for top researchers, as well as for young talent'. It fosters a collaborative, multidisciplinary, supportive research environment with a diverse international staff. English is the lingua franca at the Institute. 

Donders' research groups are organised around PIs with a focused research topic. This PhD position is available within PI Michael Tangermann's group, which is investigating machine learning methods for the decoding of high-dimensional and noisy brain and behavioural signals and algorithms for closed-loop neurotechnological systems. Unsolved challenges in this respect are to compensate non-stationarity over time, to deal with small labelled training data sets and to transfer trained machine learning models between sessions, users and experimental protocols. Algorithm developments are regularly implemented and evaluated in closed-loop systems with health users and in clinical applications with patients. Examples are brain-computer interfaces for communication and control, human-robot interaction scenarios, systems supporting rehabilitation of stroke patients and adaptive deep brain stimulation systems. The research group emphasises mutual appreciation and collaboration, as the challenging topics under investigation require an interdisciplinary team effort.

You will be part of the Donders Graduate School for Cognitive Neuroscience .

Radboud University
We want to get the best out of science, others and ourselves. Why? Because this is what the world around us desperately needs. Leading research and education make an indispensable contribution to a healthy, free world with equal opportunities for all. This is what unites the more than 24,000 students and 5,600 employees at Radboud University. And this requires even more talent, collaboration and lifelong learning. You have a part to play!


We offer
  • Employment for 1.0 FTE.
  • The gross starting salary amounts to €2,434 per month based on a 38-hour working week, and will increase to €3,111 in the fourth year (salary scale P ).
  • You will receive 8% holiday allowance and 8.3% end-of-year bonus.
  • You will be employed for an initial period of 18 months, after which your performance will be evaluated. If the evaluation is positive, the contract will be extended by 2.5 years (4 year contract).
  • 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.
  • Working for us means getting extra days off. In case of full-time employment, you can choose between 29 or 41 days of annual leave instead of the legally allotted 20.
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.
Would you like more information?

For questions about the position, please contact Prof. Michael Tangermann, Associate Professor at +31 6 31 13 23 01 or [email protected] .


Practical information and applications
You can apply until 7 November 2021, exclusively using the button below. Kindly address your application to Prof. Michael Tangermann. Please fill in the application form and attach the following documents:
  • Letter of motivation.
  • CV, including a detailed section describing existing research skills and experience, and the contact details of two referees.
  • Publication list. 
  • Course list and grades of MSc and BSc programmes.
  • Links to the code repositories of your software projects.
The first round of interviews will take place in week 45 or 46. You would preferably begin employment as soon as possible.
We can imagine you're curious about our application procedure . It offers a rough outline of what you can expect during the application process, how we handle your personal data and how we deal with internal and external candidates.

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



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