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: Neural encoding of temporal expectations in the auditory pathway
- Location: Spain > San Sebastian
- Research Field: Neuroscience > Cognitive Computational Neuroscience and Neuroimaging
- Type of contract/Duration of Contract: Temporary > 4 years
- Job Status: Full-time
- Hours per week: 35
- Starting date: September 2024 (flexible)
- Application deadline: 31st May 2024
Information about the project:
The freshly established Perceptual Inference Group at the BCBL studies how the subcortical and early cortical stages of the brain work together to make sense of the sensory world. This project will investigate how the brain learns to predict the onset of incoming sounds with high temporal precision, conforming the sensations of rhythm in speech and music. The project will make use a combination of modelling and high-resolution fMRI to explore the encoding of time in the human brain. This is a fantastic opportunity for cognitive neuroscientists who wish to learn modelling techniques, or for computational neuroscientists who want to learn human neuroimaging. Part of this project will be developed in collaboration with the Department of Psychology of the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences in Leipzig, Germany, and there will be opportunities for placements in Leipzig.
Job description:
- Designing and conducting behavioural and fMRI experimental research
- Designing and implementing computational models of cognition
- Writing research papers under the supervision of the PI, aiming to publish at top-tier journals
- Dissemination of results at international scientific conferences
PI and research group:
Perceptual Inference Group is a freshly established interdisciplinary research group at the BCBL in San Sebastian, Spain. The group combines tools from Machine Learning, Computational Neuroscience, and state-of-the-art Human Neuroimaging to explain how our expectations and subjective priors shape our experience of reality. The group has a large network of international collaborations with experimental and computational labs in Leipzig, Dresden, Basel, Pennsylvania, and Cambridge. The PI, Alejandro Tabas, is currently holding an ERC Starting Grant, and the lab has plenty of funding for conference trips and research visits to our collaborators abroad.
2. CANDIDATES’ PROFILE AND SELECTION CRITERIA
Required skills:
- A master degree in a quantitative discipline (cognitive sciences, experimental psychology, computer science, physics, machine learning, etc).
- Programming experience in python or MATLAB
- Fluent knowledge of English
- Good communication skills and ability to collaborate in interdisciplinary environments
- Keen interest in Neuroscience research
Desirable skills:
- Experience with neuroimaging data analysis in Nipype and/or fMRI prep
- Experience designing and implementing experimental paradigms in psychopy or psychtoolbox
- Notions of Bayesian-based statistical analysis
3. WORKING CONDITIONS
Salary: 21,000€/year gross on average across the four years of the contract
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
- 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:
Submission of the application and documentation:
To submit your application, please follow this link applying for “PhD Neural encoding of temporal expectations” and attach the following documentation:
- A curriculum vitae
- A statement outlining research interests and motivation to apply for the position (max 2 pages)
- Transcript of records for the master and bachelor degrees
- Two letters of recommendation
Application process timetable:
- Deadline for application: 31/05/2024
- Evaluation by committee: 03/06/2024-14/06/2024
- Interviews: 18/06/2024-27/06/2024
- Final decision: 30/06/2024
- Feedback to all applicants: 01/07/2024
- Work contract start date: 01/09/2024
Contact details for enquiries: hr@bcbl.eu
Alejandro is also very happy to hold informal chats on the project and the position with prospective candidates: a.tabas@bcbl.eu
