Friday, March 22, 2013

RTs: One-voxel neuroimaging?

Yes! says Brad Buchsbaum in an entertaining and thought provoking post on his flowbrain blog.  Check out the post here.

Monday, March 18, 2013

Postdoctoral position -- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, Cambridge, UK


Career Development Fellow (Postdoctoral position)

The MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit (CBSU) is an internationally renowned research institute with state-of-the-art cognitive neuroscience facilities, including a research dedicated 3T Siemens Trio MRI scanner and 306-channel Elekta Neuromag MEG system.

Applications are invited for a post-doctoral position to work within a research programme led by Dr Matthew Davis investigating neural systems for perceiving, understanding and learning spoken language. The research will use advanced functional imaging methods (fMRI, MEG/EEG) to explore speech processing in healthy, adult participants. Additional opportunities may arise to work with children or adults with language impairment.

You should have, or be in the final stages of obtaining, a PhD in cognitive neuroscience or related field, including experience of one or more neuroimaging methods. A strong computational or statistical background is desirable and experience of speech signal processing or psycholinguistics.

This is a three year training and development postdoctoral position. The starting salary will be in the range of £26,022 - £29,324 per annum, depending upon qualifications and experience.  We offer a flexible pay and reward policy, 30 days annual leave entitlement, and an optional MRC final salary Pension Scheme.  On site car and bicycle parking is available.

For informal enquiries, contact Matt Davis by email: matt.davis@mrc-cbu.cam.ac.uk.

Applications are handled by the RCUK Shared Services Centre; for further information and to apply please visit our job board, by following this link, including the IRC86470 reference. Closing date: 9th April 2013

Thursday, March 14, 2013

FIVE POST-BAC RESEARCH POSITIONS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND



The Dept of Linguistics at the U of Maryland, is looking to fill up to five full-time positions for post-baccalaureate researchers. Starting date for all positions is Summer/Fall 2013. Salary is competitive, with benefits included. The positions would be ideal for individuals with a BA degree who are interested in gaining significant research experience in a very active lab as preparation for a research career. Applicants must be US or Canadian citizens or permanent residents, and should have completed a BA or BS degree by the time of appointment. The ability to interact comfortably with a wide variety of people (and machines) is a distinct advantage. Applicants may request to be considered for all five positions. 

The positions are open until filled, but for best consideration, applications should be received by  April 5th. Details at http://ling.umd.edu/baggett/jobs/

Positions #1-#2: Baggett Research Fellowships 

Baggett Fellowships are full-time positions. Fellows can pursue research in linguistics, cognitive (neuro-)science of language, language acquisition, or computational modeling. 1-2 positions are available for 2013-2014. Positions are for one year and are not renewable. Contact person: Dr Andrea Zukowski (address below). For further details, including the faculty mentor list: 

Position #3: Research Assistant in Psycholinguistics/Cognitive Neuroscience 

This person will be involved in all aspects of studies of language comprehension using behavioral and neuroscientific techniques, including electrophysiological brain recordings (training provided). The person will also contribute to Maryland's IGERT training program in Language Science, (languagescience.umd.edu). Previous experience in (psycho-)linguistics preferred. 1 year initial appointment, possibility of extension. Contact Dr. Colin Phillips (address below). Application requirements same as for Baggett Fellowships. 

Position #4: Research Assistant in Psycholinguistics/Cognitive Neuroscience 

This person will have the opportunity to be involved in a variety of projects examining language comprehension with behavioral and neurophysiological recording methods including ERP, MEG, and fMRI (training provided). Previous experience in linguistics and/or language processing is preferred; reasonable comfort with basic programming and statistics is a significant plus. 1 year initial appointment with possibility of extension. Contact person: Dr. Ellen Lau (address below). Application requirements same as for Baggett Fellowships. 

Position #5: MEG Laboratory Manager

This person will play a leading role in the operation of a magnetoencephalography (MEG) facility that is managed jointly by the Dept. of Linguistics and the Maryland Neuroimaging Center, and serves researchers from many departments, for studies on language, vision, memory, reading, audition, and kinesiology. The person will be trained as an expert user of the facility, will help to guide and train other users, will coordinate and enhance resources for the experimental paradigms in use in the lab, and will manage the smooth daily operation of the lab. The person will also have opportunities to participate in and/or lead research projects, and participate in a range of other intellectual activities in language and cognitive neuroscience. Previous laboratory experience is preferred, and the ability to interact comfortably with a wide variety of people and technologies is strongly preferred. Prior experience with MEG or other electrophysiological techniques is NOT required. The position is for a one year initial appointment, with the possibility of extension beyond that time. For more information contact lab co-directors Dr. Ellen Lau (Linguistics; address below). Application requirements are the same as for the Baggett Fellowships.

Applicants may request to be considered for all five positions, or any subset. Applicants for any of these positions should submit a cover letter outlining relevant background and interests, including potential faculty mentors (multiple mentors are possible), a current CV, and names and contact information for 3 potential referees. Reference letters are not needed as part of the initial application. Applicants should also send a writing sample. All application materials should be submitted electronically to the following recipients:

Positions #1-#2 - Andrea Zukowski (zukowski at umd.edu). Put 'Baggett Fellowship' in the subject line. 
Position #3 - Colin Phillips (colin at umd.edu). Put 'Research Assistantship' in the subject line. 
Position #4 - Ellen Lau (ellenlau at umd.edu).  Put 'Research Assistantship' in the subject line. 
Position #5 - Ellen Lau (ellenlau at umd.edu).   Put 'MEG Lab Manager' in the subject line.

The Dept of Linguistics has shared facilities for testing of infants, children and adults, 2 eye-tracking labs, an ERP lab and a whole-head MEG facility. The department is part of a vibrant language science community that numbers 200 faculty, researchers, and graduate students across 10 departments, and is affiliated with the Neuroscience and Cognitive Science Program and the new Maryland Neuroimaging Center. 

Best Consideration for Applications: 5-Apr-2013