at the BCBL- Basque Center on Cognition Brain and Language (San Sebastián, Basque Country, Spain) www.bcbl.eu
1. INFORMATION ABOUT THE POSITION
- Position: PhD student
- Researcher Profile: First Stage Researcher (R1- up to the point of PhD)
- Number of vacancies: 1
- Project: Boosting interhemispheric connectivity to improve reading skills: Design and Validation of a Neurofeedback protocol for school-aged children.
- Location: Spain > San Sebastian
- Research Field: Neuroscience > Cognition and Language
- Type of contract/Duration of Contract: Temporary > 4 years
- Job Status: Full-time
- Hours per week: 35
- Starting date: As soon as possible
Information about the project:
The Basque Center on Cognition Brain and Language – BCBL (San Sebastián, Basque Country, Spain) is offering one 4-year funded doctoral opportunity to integrate the Educational Neuroscience and Developmental Disorders group led by Dr. Marie Lallier (m.lallier@bcbl.eu). The candidate will work on the BILREADY project funded by the Agencia Estatal de Investigación, Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (PID2022-136989OB-I00). In that project, we aim to determine whether highly efficient interhemispheric connectivity during speech processing could enhance the phonological and reading skills of children with and without dyslexia. The present doctoral project will focus on the design and validation of a novel and cutting-edge intervention focused on boosting interhemispheric connectivity during speech processing through neurofeedback using electroencephalography (EEG). The expected results of this project should have a significant impact on all the levels of translational research in contributing to identifying mechanisms that can be trained to foster cognitive strategies subtending learning how to read, and learning, more broadly. The appointed candidate will work in close collaboration with the group of Dr. M. Lizarazu and Dr. M. Ruzzoli from the BCBL, as well as with Dr. M. Bourguignon (Brussels University) to develop the neurofeedback protocol at stake.
Job description:
The appointed candidate will work on designing the neurofeedback protocol and validating it in children with and without reading difficulties. The neurofeedback pipeline will be based on the real time analysis of the responses evoked by speech stimuli in the left and right hemispheres through EEG. The main task of the candidate will require analyzing and processing EEG signals in response to speech and develop the neurofeedback pipeline.
PI and research group:
Our group’s main research objectives aim at elucidating the neurocognitive mechanisms subtending typical and atypical language and reading development while transferring this knowledge to clinical and educational practice. Our research projects are driven by the desire to reach a better understanding as to why some individuals struggle to acquire language, in its oral or written forms, and of the neurocognitive and environmental factors that play a significant role in the manifestations of these developmental language disorders (e.g., bilingualism, language characteristics, musical practice, etc). Our group uses various techniques (e.g., behavioral testing, EEG, MEG) and designs (cross-linguistic, cross-sectional, longitudinal, and training studies) in bilingual and monolingual populations including infants, children, and adults, with and without language and reading disorders. We are strongly committed to transferring our fundamental research into practice, and are actively collaborating with clinicians and educators to improve the early detection, diagnosis and remediation of children with developmental language and reading difficulties
2. CANDIDATES’ PROFILE AND SELECTION CRITERIA
Required:
- Excellent programming skills
- Experience with EEG signal processing
- Good command of English
Desirable:
- Good command of Spanish and basque
- Willingness to work with children populations
- Experience in psycholinguistic research
- Familiarity with statistical analysis
3. WORKING CONDITIONS
Salary: 17.222€ gross/year (year 1); 18.452€ gross/year (year 2); 23.065€ gross/year (years 3 and 4)
Entitlements and other benefits: https://www.bcbl.eu/en/join-us/what-is-like-to-work-bcbl
Training opportunities and Career development plan: Researchers at any stage of their career, regardless of their contractual situation, are given an opportunity for professional development and for improving their employability through access to a Personal Career Development Plan which includes
(1) Training through individually personalized research projects under senior supervision
(2) Exchanging knowledge with the scientific community and the general public
(3) Network-wide training in theory and methods
(4) Complementary training courses
(5) Involvement in proposal writing, task coordination
(6) Development of skills for the organization of training and scientific events
BCBL seeks to foster an environment where all talents can flourish, regardless of gender, age, cultural background, nationality or impairments. If you have any questions relating to accessibility or support contact us.
4. OTHER RELEVANT INFORMATION:
Language policy
- The corporative language at the Center is English but the national language will be an asset for this particular position
- The center provides initial level Spanish and Basque lessons to all the international staff members
- The interview will be conducted entirely in English
5. APPLICATION PROCESS:
Please send your CV to Marie Lallier (m.lallier@bcbl.eu).
