PhD Position: Cognitive Engagement in Visual Search and Healthy Aging at the Donders Centre for Cognition

Employment

1.0 FTE

Gross monthly salary

€ 2,541 - € 3,247

Required background

Research University Degree

Organizational unit

Faculty of Social Sciences

Application deadline

21 June 2023

Apply now
How can we challenge available cognitive resources to optimize performance in older age? During this four-year PhD project, we will examine brain-behaviour correlates of cognitive engagement in complex visual tasks and their relationship to cognitive reserve in middle-to-older aged adults. The central aim of the project is to better understand the mechanisms that benefit cognition in older age, short- and longterm. 
Engagement in cognitively stimulating experiences is proposed to counteract age-related decline and promote cognitive reserve. This PhD project aims at identifying brain-behavior correlates of performance in cognitively stimulating, complex visual search tasks in middle-to-older aged adults. As a PhD candidate in this project, you will conduct empirical studies and implement behavioral and EEG tequniques within a cognitive-neuroscience approach. You will further examine the effects of curiosity- and arousal-related cognitive stimulation and have the opportunity to contribute to a cognitive training study using virtual reality.
You will be supervised by a team of scientists with complementary expertise at the Donders Center for Cognition (DCC). Dr Iris Wiegand will be your primary supervisor on this project. You will be an active member of the Department of Neuropsychology and Rehabilitation Psychology and collaborate with other groups at the DCC. 
There will be the opportunity to gain experience in academic teaching (10% of the appointment).
Profile

• You should hold a Master's degree in Psychology, Cognitive Neuroscience, or a related field.
• You are passionate about conducting scientific research and have an affinity for experimental cognitive psychology, cognitive neuroscience, or neuropsychology.
• You are interested in the topic of cognitive aging, visual search, and/or curiosity and cognition.
• You have some hands-on research experience, for instance in the form of an empirical thesis project, a lab rotation, or an internship.
• You have programming skills for quantitative data analysis and experimental designs, or a strong desire to learn.
• You have a strong statistical background and are familiar with advanced analysis methods, or have a strong desire to learn.
• You have an excellent command of written and spoken English.
• You like to work in a team and have good social, communication and organisational skills.
• A good command of Dutch would be an advantage.
• Experience with aging research, visual cognition, or EEG would be an advantage.

We are

You will work in a team with expertise in aging research, cognitive psychology, clinical neuropsychology, and neuroscience at the Donders Institute. 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.

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 €2,541 per month based on a 38-hour working week, and will increase to €3,247 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 30 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.

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Would you like more information?
For questions about the position, please contact Iris Wiegand, Assistant Professor at [email protected] . Alternatively, you can contact Joukje Oosterman, Associate Professor at [email protected] .
Practical information and applying
You can apply until 21 June 2023, exclusively using the button below. Kindly address your application to Iris Wiegand. Please fill in the application form and attach the following documents:

• A motivation letter.
• Your CV.
• Your certificates.

The first round of interviews will take place on Tuesday 4 July. The second round of interviews will take place on Thursday 13 July. You would preferably begin employment on 1 September 2023.
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.
Apply now Application deadline 21 June 2023

We would like to recruit our new colleague ourselves. Acquisition in response to this vacancy will not be appreciated.

Contact information
Assistant Professor
[email protected]
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When are you an internal candidate?
You are an internal candidate if you:

• Work at Radboud University (i.e. have an employment contract with Radboud University).
• Are a former Radboud University employee receiving unemployment (WW/BWNU) benefits paid by Radboud University (which started less than two years ago or resulted from the discontinuation of your job/redundancy).
• Currently work as a student employee at Radboud University through the campus employment office.
• Work as a temporary employee at, or have been seconded to, Radboud University.

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Last modified: 08 June 2023
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