Max Planck Institute: position for Ph.D. candidate in the Neuroscience Department

The Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics in Frankfurt am Main is offering a position for a Ph.D. candidate in the Neuroscience Department.

The Ph.D. student will be working with Dr. Ed Vessel (Poeppel Department).

The Ph.D student will work on projects seeking to understand the neural basis of aesthetic experiences, with a primary focus on understanding visual aesthetic experiences (artwork, architecture, landscapes, etc.) using fMRI. Non-visual domains (e.g. music, literature, or dance) and other methods (EEG, MEG, TMS) may also be explored. The ideal applicant for this position holds an MA, has an excellent record in his/her respective discipline, and possesses some of the following skills:

• Excellent scientific communication skills (including writing),

• quantitative and programming ability (linear algebra, signal processing, classification, neural networks, dynamical systems, or model fitting etc.),

• ability to work with Matlab, shell scripts, and other programming languages (Python, C, Java) to implement processing streams and perform complex analyses,

• familiarity with fMRI analyses (e.g. general linear models, multi-voxel classification, functional connectivity and surface-based methods),

• good understanding of statistics,

• image and/or sound processing skills using Matlab and other programs (Photoshop, Illustrator, Audacity, etc.),

• ability to work collaboratively with a newly established research team,

• excellent command of English.

The position is awarded for a period of three years with a possible extension of up to one year. The anticipated starting date is spring 2016. Salaries are determined following the salary scale TVOD 13 (Bund). Ph.D. positions are 50% positions.

The Max Planck Society is committed to hiring more disabled persons. We encourage applications from disabled persons. The Max Planck Society would like to increase the proportion of women in those fields in which they are underrepresented. Women are therefore expressly encouraged to apply.

Applications (including CV, a letter of intent and two reading samples) and two letters of recommendation should be sent in pdf-format by December 31, 2015, to: job@aesthetics.mpg.de.

Max-Planck-Institut für empirische Ästhetik -Personalstelle- Grüneburgweg 14 D-60322 Frankfurt

www.aesthetics.mpg.de