at the BCBL- Basque Center on Cognition Brain and Language (San Sebastián, Basque Country, Spain) www.bcbl.eu
- INFORMATION ABOUT THE POSITION
- Position: Predoctoral Researcher
- Researcher Profile: First Stage Researcher (R1- up to the point of PhD)
- Number of vacancies: 1
- Location: Spain > Donostia-San Sebastián
- Founding source: Ministry of Science, Innovation, and Universities, (MICIU) - Plan Estatal de Investigación Científica, Técnica y de Innovación 2024–2027.
- Type of contract/Duration of Contract: Temporary, Minimum 1 year and up to 4 years (annual renewal subject to positive evaluation)
- Job Status: Full-time
- Hours per week: 35
- Starting date: No earlier than 1 October 2026. Exact date will be indicated in the final resolution.
- Application deadline: 10 December 2025
The Language and Memory Control group (https://www.bcbl.eu/en/research/research-groups/language-memory-control) at the Basque Center on Cognition, Brain and Language (San-Sebastián-Donostia, Spain) aims to sponsor a candidate for an FPU PREDOCTORAL GRANTS FOR TRAINING FUTURE UNIVERSITY PROFESSORS, a competitive call for predoctoral grants awarded by Science, Innovation and Universities Ministry– see last year’s call here).
The selected candidate will be invited to apply for the grant with the support of the PI and the BCBL admin team.
Project summary:
The position is not linked to a specific project. The PhD student will have the opportunity to join an on-ongoing research line of the Language and Memory Control research group and/or develop a research project within the broader scope of the group’s research. Potential projects include, but are not limited to, the following topics:
- Semantic and episodic memory interactions
- Thalamocortical contributions to language and cognition
- Visual pathways and reading
- Language switching and cognitive flexibility
- Neural basis of creativity
In any case, the PhD student is expected to develop original experiments under the supervision and guidance of the PI(s).
Job description
The succesful candidate will be involved in developing and running behavioural, functional and structural MRI studies, analyzing data, and disseminating the results in scientific conferences (oral presentations/posters) and peer-reviewed journals.
PI and research group:
The candidate will form part of the Language and Memory Control research group under the direct supervision of Kepa Paz-Alonso.
The Language and Memory Control group researches how cognitive functions result from interactions between different cognitive components, focusing mainly on language (reading, speech comprehension, and production) and memory (semantic, autobiographical, and episodic) systems across the life span in both cognitively normal and clinical populations. Our current research program includes studies on thalamocortical contributions to language systems, differential involvement of visual pathways in word processing, brain plasticity associated with language learning, cognitive control and executive attention, episodic memory, and creativity. Our interdisciplinary research group is composed of cognitive neuroscientists and engineers who work together to unravel the neural basis of cognitive functions using an array of behavioral, functional (task-related, resting-state), and structural (volumetric, diffusion MRI, quantitative MRI) MRI techniques, and a range of analytical approaches. The successful candidate will actively interact with members of the LMC group and other members of the BCBL community.
- CANDIDATE PROFILE AND SELECTION CRITERIA
Elegibility: Candidates must:
- Hold a valid NIF/NIE or EU Citizen Registration Certificate
- Hold an electronic certificate to prepare the application online
- Must meet one of the following academic situations at the deadline:
- Be enrolled in a doctoral program for the 2025–2026 academic year, or be enrolled in a Master’s degree qualifying for PhD admission in 2026–2027.
- Must have obtained the qualifying degree after 1 January 2021 or 2022, depending on the study type (see call details).
- Special extensions apply for candidates with disabilities, caretaking responsibilities, or health-related interruptions.
- Must meet the minimum academic average score defined by the call (according to ISCED classification).
Incompatibilities:
- Holding a previous PhD degree.
- Having received other public or private predoctoral grants for more than 24 months.
- Simultaneous participation in other predoctoral grants.
- Previous FPU grant beneficiaries are not eligible.
- Compatible with short research stays, conference attendance, and limited teaching activities (up to 100 hours total).
Required skills:
- Master’s (or equivalent) degree in Cognitive Neuroscience, Engineering, Mathematics, Psychology, Linguistics, and/or other relevant areas
- Previous experience in participating in research projects (e.g., data collection, analysis).
- Strong programming skills (Python, Matlab, …)
- Good background in statistical analysis
- Excellent written and oral communication skills in English
Desirable skills:
- Experience with MRI data analysis
- Experience with experimental designs
- Background in Cognitive Neuroscience
- WORKING CONDITIONS
Salary:
- 24.360€ gross annual salary approximately
- Additional research stay funding for a 1-3 months stay at a foreing (or exceptionally Spanish) research center, to be carried out during the PhD or POP phase.
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
Postdoctoral researchers at the BCBL can acquire mentoring skills by co-supervising Master’s and PhD students. Additionally, there is the opportunity to gain teaching experience on the BCBL’s Master’s program in the cognitive neuroscience of language.
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
- 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:
Interested candidates are invited to send their CV and a brief research statement describing their research interests and previous experience (if any), as well as contact data of 1-2 referees to Kepa Paz-Alonso (p.pazalonso@bcbl.eu) by December 10, 2025.
Timeline:
- Deadline for application: December 10, 2025
- Interview period: from December 15 to December 18, 2025
- Final decision: December 19, 2025
- The selected candidate will be invited to apply for a FPU Predoctoral Grant for training future university professors. The BCBL admin team will support the selected candidate within the application process.
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: p.pazalonso@bcbl.eu
