Wednesday, February 21, 2018

Post-doc at USC: University of South Carolina, Columbia


A post-doctoral position is available in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at the University of South Carolina (Columbia, SC, USA). Prospective hires will join a research team headed by Julius Fridriksson (www.sc.edu/comd/fridriks) as part of the Center for the Study of Aphasia Recovery (C-STAR), which is funded by a P50 grant from the NIH. The primary research focus of the lab is as follows: 1) neural basis of speech/language processing with special emphasis on brain plasticity; 2) neurophysiology of aphasia recovery; and 3) predicting aphasia recovery from neural, biographical and cognitive-linguistic variables. This research relies on a range of MR methodologies, including lesion-symptom mapping, task fMRI, resting state fMRI connectivity and structural connectivity. The University of South Carolina has a Siemens Prisma 3T MRI scanner that is primarily devoted to research and we also have access to a state-of-the-art transcranial magnetic stimulation and transcranial direct current stimulation setups. Columbia is centrally located in South Carolina, within a two-hour drive to the beach and the mountains. The weather in Columbia is marked by “Southern” Summers, and a mild Autumn, Winter, and Spring. The salary level for this position is very competitive but will be commensurate with experience and previous scholarship. The ideal applicant for the position will work as a part of a research team as well as have the chance to initiate and carry out independent projects. If interested, please contact Julius Fridriksson at fridriks@mailbox.sc.edu

Workshop on Predictive Processing (WoPP) San Sebastian (Spain) on June 20-22, 2018.

We are happy to announce the new discussion arena fully centred on predictive processing. The Workshop on Predictive Processing (WoPP) will take place in San Sebastian (Spain) on June 20-22, 2018.
 
The goal of the workshop is to address the role of predictive processing in cognition. Some of the crucial issues in this timely research topic are the extent to which prediction is a fundamental mechanism of brain function, the role of prediction in learning, and, how predictive processing is expressed across distinct cognitive domains. This workshop will gather experts from different fields in cognitive neuroscience including sensory processing, attention and memory, to work alongside the community of language processing, with the aim of furthering our understanding of the role of predictive processing in cognition.
The conference will include keynote speakers, regular talks, symposiums and poster sessions.
 
Keynote speakers will be the main sources of discussion:
 
Sophie Scott, University College London
Moshe Bar, Bar-Ilan University
Pascal Fries, Ernst Strüngmann Institute (ESI)
 
Each keynote will be followed by a symposium on a related topic. Each symposium will be co-organized by two experts in the field, and will last 2 hours.

Symposium organizers are Gina Kuperberg, Matt Davis, Craig Richter, Julien Vezoli, Lucia Amoruso and Ruth De Diego Balaguer.
 
For further information please visit:
 
http://www.bcbl.eu/events/prediction-2018/en/
 
 
We look forward to seeing you at the conference.
 
Yours sincerely,
 
The Organizing Committee

Manuel Carreiras, Clara Martin, Nicola Molinaro & David Soto
 

WoRLD: Workshop on Reading, Language and Deafness to be held in San Sebastián, Spain,

The Basque Center on Cognition, Brain and Language (www.bcbl.eu) is pleased to announce WoRLD: Workshop on Reading, Language and Deafness to be held in San Sebastián, Spain, from Thursday, October 18th to Saturday, October 20th 2018. Abstract submission is now open until 15th May, 2018. And registration will be availabe from 5th of March onwards.

This workshop aims to bring together experts and researchers on the neurocognition of language in deaf individuals and to facilitate the transfer of knowledge between scientists and stakeholders. The topics of the workshop include language processing and development in the context of deafness, and will cover sign language and spoken language in oral and written form.

The workshop program will include invited speakers, regular talks, panel discussions, and poster sessions. The workshop language is English; International Sign interpretation will be provided if required.

Keynote speakers
David Corina – University of California, Davis, USA.
Karen Emmorey – University of California, San Diego, USA.
Mairéad MacSweeney – University College London, United Kingdom.
Anu Sharma – University of Colorado Boulder, USA.
Bencie Woll – University College London, United Kingdom.
Christine Yoshinago-Itano – University of Colorado Boulder, USA.

For further information please visit http://www.bcbl.eu/events/world2018

The scientific part of the workshop (18th-19th October) will be followed by a one-day event on Saturday 20thOctober to provide a meeting space for researchers and stakeholders, including deaf individuals, educators, practitioners, and parents. For more information about this event please visit http://www.bcbl.eu/events/worldpractice2018

We look forward to seeing you at the conference.

Yours sincerely,

The Organizing Committee

Manuel Carreiras, Brendan Costello & Marcel Giezen

Wednesday, February 7, 2018

PhD and postdoctoral positions - Investigating sensory aspects of human communication


Several researcher positions (Postdocs and PhD students) are available at the Human Communication Research Group, led by Katharina von Kriegstein. The group is currently based at the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences in Leipzig, Germany (MPI CBS; http://www.cbs.mpg.de/independent-research-groups/human-communication ) and will transfer to the Psychology Faculty of the TU Dresden, Germany, in 2018.

The positions are funded by the ERC consolidator grant SENSOCOM. The aim of the SENSOCOM project is to investigate the role of auditory and visual subcortical sensory structures in analysing human communication signals and to specify how their dysfunction contributes to human communication disorders such as developmental dyslexia and autism spectrum disorders. For examples of our work on these topics see von Kriegstein et al., 2008 Current Biology, Diaz et al., 2012 PNAS; Müller-Axt et al., 2017 Current Biology. The projects include experiments using cognitive neuroscience methods to understand the basic mechanisms of cortico-subcortical interactions as well as development of training programmes that are aimed at creating behavioural intervention programmes for communication deficits (for a brief description see http://cordis.europa.eu/project/rcn/199655_en.html ).

The positions will be based at the TU Dresden. Research will be performed at the Neuroimaging Centre at the TU Dresden ( http://www.nic-tud.de) and MPI CBS in Leipzig. The centres offer cutting-edge infrastructure with 3-Tesla MRI, 7-Tesla MRI, a Connectom scanner, MRI compatible eye-tracking, several EEG systems, 306-channel MEG, neurostimulation units including neuronavigaton, TMS and tDCS devices. Besides an excellent infrastructure, the centres offer an international and friendly environment with researchers from diverse backgrounds. All experimental facilities are supported by experienced physics and IT staff. For analyses with high computational demands, there is access to high-performance computing clusters.

Candidates should have a strong interest in perceptual aspects of human communication and experience with experimental methods of cognitive neuroscience, such as psychophysics, functional or structural MRI, TMS, diffusion-weighted imaging, brainstem recordings or EEG/MEG. Experience with clinical populations (e.g. developmental dyslexia) would be an asset but is not essential. PhD student candidates must have a Master’s degree (or equivalent) in neuroscience, clinical linguistics, psychology, cognitive science, biology, or a related field. Postdoc candidates must have a PhD in similar fields and should be able to demonstrate a consistently outstanding academic record, including publications.

The position starting date is flexible. Initially for two (postdocs) or three (PhD) years, the positions offer the possibility of an extension. Remuneration depends on experience and is based on regulations of the Max Planck Society payscale. MPI CBS is an equal opportunities employer, committed to the advancement of individuals without regard to ethnicity, religion, gender, or disability. PhD students will have the opportunity to participate in the TU Dresden graduate academy (https://tu-dresden.de/ga?set_language=en). TU Dresden is one of eleven German Universities of Excellence and offers an interdisciplinary scientific environment.

To apply, please submit a CV, contact information of two references, a brief personal statement describing your qualifications and future research interests, copies of up to two of your publications. Please submit your application via our online system at https://tinyurl.com/yck4em3s (using subject heading “ERC 01/18”). The deadline for application submission is 15th February 2018. Contact for informal enquiries regarding the post: Prof. Dr. Katharina von Kriegstein (katharina.von_kriegstein@tu-dresden.de).

Tuesday, February 6, 2018

RESEARCH FELLOW POSITION at the BCBL- Basque Center on Cognition Brain and Language

RESEARCH FELLOW POSITION at the BCBL- Basque Center on Cognition Brain and Language (San Sebastián, Basque Country, Spain) www.bcbl.eu (Center of excellence Severo Ochoa)

The Basque Center on Cognition Brain and Language (San Sebastián, Basque Country, Spain) offers research fellow positions in three main broad areas or research: 
(1)-Language, reading and developmental disorders: How language acquisition, comprehension, production, and reading take place in the human brain. Special attention will be paid to language disorders and the development of computerized tools for their early diagnosis and treatment.
(2)-Multilingualism and second language learning: The cognitive and brain mechanisms of language acquisition and processing in a second language, taking into consideration the age of acquisition, proficiency and usage. Special attention will be paid to multilingualism within the school system and to the development of new educational technologies for second language learning.
(3)- Neurodegeneration, brain damage and healthy aging: Language and Cognition: Early cognitive and brain markers related to language for neurodegenerative diseases (Alzheimer, Parkinson); neural plasticity and language functions through brain stimulation in the awake patient during surgical brain operations; developing of computerized diagnostic and training tools for aphasic patients and neurodegenerative diseases.

The Center promotes a rich research environment without substantial teaching obligations. It provides access to the most advanced behavioral and neuroimaging techniques, including 3 Tesla MRI, a whole-head MEG system, four ERP labs, a NIRS lab, a baby lab including an eyetracker, two eyetracking labs, and several well-equipped behavioral labs.  There are excellent technical support staff and research personnel (PhD and postdoctoral students). 

We are looking for cognitive neuroscientists or experimental psychologists with a background in psycholinguistics and/or neighboring cognitive neuroscience areas, computational modelers, and physicists and/or engineers with fMRI/MEG expertise. 
These five year Fellowships are directed to promising young researchers; they are intended to offer a track towards a PI role and independent research. The selected Fellows should be able to acquire the necessary skills for a research leader role. Ikerbasque is committed to offer a long-term career to the research community: Fellows in their 5th year can be assessed for a permanent position. 

The applicants must have their PhD completed between 1/1/2007 and 31/12/2015. 

Applications from women are especially welcomed. The eligibility period will be extended under special circumstances such as maternity. 

To submit your application please follow this link: https://calls.ikerbasque.net/

Deadline: March 15th, 2018.

For further information about the fellowships, please contact the Director of BCBL, Manuel Carreiras (info@bcbl.eu)

Monday, February 5, 2018

Lab Coordinator position Temple University

The RISC Lab is seeking a new Lab Coordinator!

Lab Coordinator: Research in Spatial Cognition
The Research in Spatial Cognition Laboratory at Temple University is hiring a laboratory coordinator, a position presenting diverse opportunities to participate in cutting-edge cognitive research. The Research in Spatial Cognition Lab, directed by Professors Thomas Shipley and Nora Newcombe, conducts research on spatial learning and cognition.The position has a 1-year minimum, with the possibility of extending to 2 years.
Lab Coordinator duties may include:
  • Management of day-to-day lab operations
  • Recruitment of study participants
  • Stimuli design and creation
  • Data collection, coding, and analysis
  • Management of IRB protocols
  • Research grants administration and accounting
  • Hiring, training and supervising of research assistants
Lab Coordinators also have the opportunity to collaborate in research that will be presented at conferences and published in journals.
Required qualifications:
  • B.A. or B.S. in Psychology  or related field
  • At least 6 months experience working in a research setting
Preferred qualifications:
  • Computer skills and proficiency with MS Office
  • Excellent interpersonal, leadership, writing, and organizational skills
  • Ability to interact with a diverse population of participants
  • Proficiency with SPSS
If interested, please send a resume/CV and cover letter to Julia Erlanger, Program Coordinator (mskite@temple.edu). Please visit our website (sites.temple.edu/risc) for more information about the lab.
For a PDF version of this advertisement, please click here.