at the BCBL- Basque Center on Cognition Brain and Language (San Sebastián, Basque Country, Spain) www.bcbl.eu
The Basque Center on Cognition Brain and Language (BCBL) in San Sebastian (Basque Country, Spain) is looking for a Research Assistant to join its team.
1. INFORMATION ABOUT THE POSITION
- Position: Research Assistant (RA)
- Number of vacancies: 1
- Department / Research group: Infant Language and Cognition / Babylab
- Location: Donostia-San Sebastián
- Funding source: BCBL
- Type of contract / Duration of the contract: Temporary. A two-year employment contract linked to a research project
- Job status: Full time
- Hours per week: 35
- Work schedule: The distribution of the 35 weekly working hours will be agreed with the project’s principal investigator, based on mutual convenience. The only requirement is that work must be carried out until 19:00 on at least three days per week.
- Starting date: 16 November 2026
- Application deadline: 16 October 2026
Job description:
The BCBL BabyLab is a laboratory dedicated to the study of early language development in monolingual and bilingual infants and children from 0 months of age until school age. It is directed by Dr. Marina Kalashnikova and primarily used for the research of the Infant Language and Cognition group at the BCBL. Our team is seeking to recruit a Research Assistant (RA) to support and contribute to the ongoing research projects.
Specifically, the Research Assistant will contribute to the Bilingual LENS project funded by the European Research Council. In this project, we will combine advanced neuroimaging, behavioral and observational methods to follow the language development of children learning Spanish and Basque from birth until 2 years of age. The Research Assistant will join a vibrant team of researchers, research students, and research assistants.
The main responsibilities of the Research Assistant will include:
- Conducting laboratory sessions with young infants
- Administering interviews and questionnaires to infants’ families
- Scheduling laboratory sessions and organizing the lab’s calendar
- Organizing and archiving collected data
- Processing collected audio and video data
- Assisting the lead researchers with overseeing the progress of the research project
The research group: The selected candidate will become part of Infant Language and Cognition group at the BCBL under direct supervision of Dr. Marina Kalashnikova.
Marina Kalashnikova is an Ikerbasque Research Professor and the leader of the Infant Language and Cognition group The group investigates the process of early language acquisition in monolingual and bilingual infants, as well as the interactions between early language abilities and the development of general perceptual and cognitive capacities. The group’s primary objective is to define the earliest determinants of later individual language ability, including but not limited to endogenous factors, such as family risk for developmental language disorders or hearing loss, and environmental factors, such as the quantity and quality of infants’ early language input. The team is highly multidisciplinary; our expertise combines the fields of linguistics, psychology, and neuroscience. The group members have unrestricted access to the BCBL’s BabyLab, a state-of-the-art facility that hosts specialized methods for investigating the first steps of human language development, including fNIRS, EEG, eye-tracking, and LENA, among others.
2. CANDIDATE’S PROFILE AND SELECTION CRITERIA
Required skills and academic background:
- Excellent written and oral communication skills in both Basque and Spanish
- Previous experience working with children and communicating with their families
- Strong organizational and interpersonal skills
- Proficiency in organizing and visualizing data (e.g., using Excel)
- Availability to work until 19:00 on at least three days of the week
Desirable skills:
- Master’s degree in Psychology, Neuroscience, Cognitive Science, or a related field
- Previous involvement in research projects (e.g., data collection, analysis)
- Good written and oral communication skills in English
3. WORKING CONDITIONS
Salary: 19.200€ gross annual salary
Entitlements and other benefits:
https://www.bcbl.eu/en/join-us/what-is-like-to-work-bcbl
Training opportunities and Career development plan:
Opportunity to develop professionally in a multicultural, young and dynamic environment.
The necessary technical training for this position will be offered by the centre.
BCBL seeks to foster an environment where all talents can flourish, regardless of gender, sex, sexual orientation, age, sociocultural background, nationality or impairments. We are proud to have in place both an LGTBIQ+ Plan and a Gender Equality Plan to actively promote inclusion and equal opportunities. If you have any questions relating to accessibility or support, please contact us.
4. OTHER RELEVANT INFORMATION
Language policy
- The working language at the center is English; however, within the Babylab department, Basque and Spanish are used for internal communication and when interacting with participants (infants and their families).
- The interview may be conducted in Spanish or Basque, although proficiency in Spanish, Basque, and English will be assessed during the interview.
5. APPLICATION PROCESS
To submit your application, please follow this link: applying for “BilingualLENS_RA” and attach the following documentation:
- A curriculum vitae
- A statement outlining research interests and motivation to apply for the position
- Two letters of recommendation (submitted by the referees no later than the application deadline)
Learn more about the BCBL’s OTM-R policy
Application process timetable:
- Deadline for application: 16 October 2026
- Evaluation by committee: 23 October 2026
- Interviews: 26-30 October 2026
- Final decision: 2 November 2026
- Feedback to all applicants: 2-6 November 2026
- Work contract start date: 16 November 2026
Contact details for enquiries:
For technical problems with the calls platform please contact: hr@bcbl.eu
For inquiries or questions related to the content of the position and/or information about the project and the research group please contact: m.kalashnikova@bcbl.eu
