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 PhD Researcher to join its team.
- INFORMATION ABOUT THE POSITION
- Position: PhD researcher
- Researcher profile: First Stage Researcher (R1- up to the point of PhD)
- Number of vacancies: 1
- Project: Deco-B, Decoding Bilingual Speech Perception
- Founding source: Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and university
- Location: Spain > Donostia-San Sebastián
- Research field: Neuroscience > Cognition and Language
- Type of contract/Duration of Contract: Temporary, 4 years.
- Job Status: Full-time/Part-time
- Hours per week: 35h per week for full-time / 17,5h per week for part-time
- Starting date: Autumn 2026
- Application deadline: May 2026
Information about the project
Decoding Bilingual Speech Perception (Deco-B) explores how the bilingual brain represents meaning across two structurally different languages: Spanish and Basque. The central question is whether bilinguals use separate language-specific semantic systems or a shared, unified semantic representation. To investigate this, the project combines advanced neuroimaging techniques (MEG and fMRI) with transformer-based multilingual AI models. Twenty young adult Spanish–Basque bilinguals will listen to natural speech in both languages while their brain activity is recorded across multiple sessions. A specially designed bilingual speech corpus will support high-resolution neural decoding. The decoding models will be trained on brain activity from one language (e.g., Spanish) using semantic features extracted from pre-trained language models (such as GPT-2, XLM-R, mT5, and LaBSE). The models will then be tested on the other language (Basque) to assess cross-language generalization. The reverse direction (training on Basque, testing on Spanish) will also be examined to evaluate symmetry in bilingual semantic mapping. To integrate the spatial precision of fMRI and the temporal resolution of MEG, the project will use advanced multimodal fusion techniques, including cross-modal transformers, shared latent space models (e.g., Deep CCA, multimodal VAEs), and contrastive learning approaches inspired by CLIP. Through this interdisciplinary approach, Deco-B aims to uncover whether meaning in the bilingual brain is language-specific or shared, offering new insights into the neural architecture of bilingual semantic representation.
Job description
One full-time predoctoral researcher with a background in computational neuroscience will be hired for a four-year period. The researcher will work under the direct supervision of the Principal Investigator and will play a key role in implementing and adapting machine learning models for the decoding of bilingual speech and neural data.
Primary responsibilities will include developing and optimizing multimodal analysis pipelines integrating MEG and fMRI data, extracting and aligning linguistic features from transformer-based language models, and contributing to cross-language decoding and model evaluation. The researcher will also support data preprocessing, quality control, and documentation, and collaborate with other members of the project to integrate shared decoding frameworks and explainability tools.
The position offers training in advanced neuroimaging analysis, multilingual AI modeling, and interdisciplinary research at the intersection of cognitive neuroscience and machine learning. The researcher will be encouraged to contribute to scientific publications, conference presentations, and open science practices associated with the project.
The contract is full time and includes an end-of-contract payout in accordance with institutional and funding regulations.
PI and research group:
Nicola Molinaro is Group Leader of the Brain Rhythms and Cognition at the Basque Center on Cognition, Brain and Language (BCBL). During his career he has spearheaded cutting-edge research that bridges neurobiology and language, leveraging advanced EEG and MEG neuroimaging techniques to unravel the temporal dynamics of speech and cognition. The Brain Rhythms and Cognition group explores how the brain encodes visual, auditory and linguistic rhythms by focusing on neural oscillatory activity. Based on this approach we investigate predictive processing in language comprehension, music processing and visual and attentional processes. These research lines merge into the more general goal of detecting oscillatory neural components that lead to the development of language disorders across the lifespan.
- CANDIDATE PROFILE AND SELECTION CRITERIA
Required skills:
- Carry out research under supervisión
- Have the ambition to develop knowledge of research methodologies and discipline
- Have demonstrated a good understanding of a field of study
- Have demonstrated the ability to produce data under supervision
- Be capable of critical analysis, evaluation and synthesis of new and complex ideas
- Be able to explain the outcome of research and value thereof to research colleagues
- To be eligible for a PhD program at UPV/EHU university, candidates must have completed a minimum of 300 ECTS credits across their bachelor's and master's studies (240 ECTS from the bachelor's degree and 60 ECTS from the master's)
Desirable skills:
-
Develops integrated language, communication and environment skills, especially in an international context.
- WORKING CONDITIONS
Salary: 21.000€ 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:
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, 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.
- 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
- APPLICATION PROCESS
Submission of the application and documentation:
To submit your application, please follow this link: applying for “PhD-BILINGUAL LENS" and attach the following documentation: by April 20, 2026:
- A curriculum vitae
- A statement outlining research interests and motivation to apply for the position
- Transcript of records for the master and bachelor degrees
- Two letters of recommendation (submtted by the referees no later than the application deadline)
Learn more about the BCBL’s OTM-R policy
Application process timetable:
- Deadline for application: May 10th 2026
- Evaluation by committee: May 20th 2026
- Interviews: June 5th -15th 2026
- Final decision: June 20th 2026
- Feedback to all applicants: June 25th 2026
- Work contract start date: Early Autumn 2026
Contact details for enquiries:
For technical problems please contact: hr@bcbl.eu
For inquiries or questions related to the content of the position and/or information about the research group please contact: n.molinaro@bcbl.eu
