Funded PHD candidate position at the BCBL- Basque Center on Cognition Brain and Language (San Sebastián, Basque Country, Spain) www.bcbl.eu (Center of excellence Severo Ochoa)

Funded PHD candidate 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 BCBL invites applications for four 4-year full-time Ph.D positions in Cognitive Neuroscience funded by the Spanish Ministry of Innovation and Universities, within the call “Ayudas Predoctorales Severo Ochoa 2019” (to be opened in the fall 2019). The thesis projects/positions will be included in the following research lines:

•  One PhD position: Neurobiological indices of language development in infancy (under the supervision of Dr. Marina Kalashnikova). This research line investigates the neurobiological indices of language ability in young infants from 0 to 2 years of age, and their interaction with a variety of endogenous and environmental factors. This program aims to identify the earliest reliable predictors of individual children’s language outcomes in early and later childhood. The successful candidate will have the opportunity to develop an individual project within this research program and will have access to a large database of monolingual and bilingual infants acquiring Spanish and Basque and a state-of-the-art BabyLab equipped with behavioral (visual preference, eye-tracking), neurophysiological (EEG), and functional neuroimaging (fNIRS) techniques specialized for infancy research. 

Application requirements: Applicants should have a Master’s (or equivalent Honours) degree in Psychology, Cognitive Neuroscience, Linguistics, and/or neighboring areas. The applicants must demonstrate excellent written and oral communication skills in English (knowledge of Spanish and/or Basque is not a requirement). Previous experimental experience in developmental research is an asset (but not required). For further information about this position, contact Dr. Marina Kalashnikova (m.kalashnikova@bcbl.eu).

•  One Ph.D position: Language processing in brain damage and aphasia (under the supervision of Dr. Simona Mancini). This research line focuses on the study of language comprehension and production in brain-damaged patients and on the development of computerized diagnostic and training tools for aphasic patients. The successful candidate will have the opportunity to work on an individual project within this research line. She/he will have access to clinical populations and to a state-of-the-art lab with behavioral, eye-tracking, EEG and MRI equipment.

Application requirements: Applicants should have a Master’s (or equivalent Honours) degree in Psychology, Cognitive Neuroscience, Linguistics, and/or neighboring areas. Excellent written and oral communication skills in English are required, as well as a good level of written and oral Spanish. Previous experience in experimental research is an asset (but not required). For further information about this position, contact Dr. Simona Mancini (s.mancini@bcbl.eu).

•  Two Ph.D positions: Neuroimaging methods for cognitive and clinical neuroscience (under the supervision of Dr. César Caballero-Gaudes). This research line investigates the development of novel advanced neuroimaging methods and algorithms, mainly using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), that enable to address new questions in the study of human brain physiology, function and structure and its relationship with cognition in healthy subjects and patients (Parkinson’s Disease, aphasia, stroke or with brain tumors). The successful candidate will have the opportunity to develop an individual Ph.D project within this research program. She/he will have access to state-of-the-art neuroimaging facilities (MRI, fNIRS, MEG and EEG) and physiological and behavioral monitoring equipment, and will acquire a profound knowledge of their use throughout the research project.

Application requirements: Applicants should have a Master’s (or equivalent Honours) degree in Engineering (biomedical, electrical, signal processing are preferred), Computer Science, Physics, Mathematics, Psychology, Cognitive Neuroscience, and/or neighboring areas. A good knowledge and previous experience in scientific programming with R, Python or Matlab, and shell scripting are essential. Previous experience in experimental research with neuroimaging techniques (MRI, EEG, MEG or fNIRS) is an asset (but not required). Excellent written and oral communication skills in English are required, and knowledge of Spanish is beneficial in the daily life (but not in BCBL, where Spanish lessons are given weekly). For further information about these positions, contact Dr. César Caballero-Gaudes (c.caballero@bcbl.eu).

To submit your application, please follow this link: http://www.bcbl.eu/calls, applying for “SO_PhD2019” and upload before September 15^th, 2019:

•  A curriculum vitae 
•  A statement outlining research interests and motivation to apply for the position (1 page maximum)
•  Two letters of recommendation

Shortlisted candidates will be invited to an online interview. Official submission of proposals will have to be done through the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities website once the call is open (fall 2019). Contact point at the BCBL for all this process: Ana Fernández (a.fernandez@bcbl.eu)