Friday, April 16, 2021

PhD Student position at the BCBL- Basque Center on Cognition Brain and Language (San Sebastián, Basque Country, Spain)

 PhD Student position at the BCBL- Basque Center on Cognition Brain and Language (San Sebastián, Basque Country, Spain) www.bcbl.eu


  1. INFORMATION ABOUT THE POSITION 
  • Position: PhD student
  • Researcher Profile: First Stage Researcher (R1- up to the point of PhD)
  • Number of vacancies: 1
  • Project: Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness through the Plan Nacional RTI2018 093547 B I00 (LANGCONN)
  • Location:  Spain > Donostia-San Sebastian
  • Research Field: Neuroscience > Cognition and Language
  • Type of contract/Duration of Contract : Temporary >  4 years
  • Job Status: Full-time
  • Hours per week: 35
  • Starting date: 01/07/2021 (flexible)
  • Application deadline: 31/05/2021
  • Information about the project: The Basque Center on Cognition Brain and Language – BCBL- (Donostia-San Sebastián, Basque Country, Spain)

A predoctoral position to work on a translational research project is available in the Neurobiology of Language group, headed by Dr. Manuel Carreiras, at Basque Center on Cognition, Brain, and Language (BCBL).  The appointment is for four years. Starting date is flexible. The project is aimed at investigating to what extent the human brain connectome could be used to identify biomarkers of postsurgical cognitive recovery using presurgical neuro-anatomical and functional information in patients with diffuse low-grade glioma (DLGG).

Project summary: DLGG is a primary brain tumor affecting young individuals in full possession of his/her cognitive faculties. The slow growth of this type of lesion allows the brain to reorganize its structure and functions hampering the onset of the cognitive symptoms. However, DLGG unavoidably evolves to become a more invasive type of tumor, at the expense of both survival and cognitive functional prognosis. This translational project lies at the nexus of neurosergery, neuroscience, biomedical imaging, computer science and statistics. Its long-term goal is to build an accurate and reliable model capable of predicting patient’s postsurgical cognitive recovery. This is a primary need, for both clinicians and patients, promoting better outcomes for surgeries, longer life expectancy and better quality of life for patients. The tools we are planning to develop will allow surgical teams to tailor interventions on a patient-by-patient basis, both before and after the surgery. By applying machine learning algorithms using a compendium of clinical, behavioral, structural, and connectomic features from a large sample of individuals with DLGG and healthy controls we will be able to investigate how the appearance of a brain lesion impacts brain network dynamics, and whether this network malleability represents an adaptive advantage for post-surgery brain recovery processes.

Job description: The selected candidate will participate in several studies that combine clinical parameters, behavioral and neuroimaging data. His/her work will be focused (though not exclusively) on the acquisition, processing and analysis of functional and diffusion images (DTI) of pathological and healthy participants. The candidate will have the opportunity to be involved in a translational research project where clinical research groups, neuroimaging and basic research collaborate and will be able to develop the doctoral thesis project in the field of neuroimaging and neuroplasticity. In addition, the selected candidate will have access to cutting edge research facilities, including MEG, EEG, fMRI, eye-tracking and psychophysics laboratories.

PI and research group: Dr. Manuel Carreiras - Neurobiology of Language group.

  1. CANDIDATES’ PROFILE AND SELECTION CRITERIA

Required skills:

  • Possession of a Master degree in cognitive neuroscience, biomedical engineering, experimental psychology or any other related area.
  • A strong level of written and spoken English and Spanish.
  • Programming skills in Matlab, Python, or R environments.

 

Desirable skills: 

  • Research experience with MRI/fMRI
  • Knowledge of SPM and FSL.
  • A strong methodological and theoretical background in cognitive neuroscience, biomedical engineering, or related fields.
  • Previous experience of using machine learning.
  • Basic skills in statistics, sound processors and graphics.
  •  
  1. WORKING CONDITIONS

Salary: 17.000 Euros per year (gross salary)

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

 

  1. OTHER RELEVANT INFORMATION:

Language policy

  • The corporative language at the Center is English but the national language will be an asset for this particular position
  • The center provides initial level Spanish and Basque lessons to all the international staff members
  • The interview will be conducted entirely in English

 

  1. APPLICATION PROCESS: 

Submission of the application and documentation:

To submit your application, please follow this link:  applying for “PhD Manuel Carreiras (LANGCONN) 2021” and attach the following documentation:

  • A curriculum vitae
  • A statement outlining research interests and motivation to apply for the position
  • Two letters of recommendation

Application process timetable:

  1. Deadline for application: 31/05/2021
  2. Evaluation by committee: 01/06/2021-04/06/2021
  3. Interviews: 07/06/2021-11/06/2021
  4. Final decision: 14/06/2021
  5. Feedback to all applicants: 15/06/2021
  6. Work contract start date: 01/07/2021 (flexible)

Contact details for enquiries: hr@bcbl.eu

Saturday, April 3, 2021

Research assistant / Lab manager position available in the O-Lab at Duke University

 Research assistant / Lab manager position available in the O-Lab at Duke University

 

We are looking for a highly motivated recent or soon-to-be graduate to join the O-Lab, led by Prof. Tobias Overath, in the Department of Psychology & Neuroscience at Duke University. Work in our lab investigates how sounds, from simple sinusoids to complex speech signals, are analyzed in the human brain, using a combination of behavioral (psychoacoustics) and neuroimaging methods (fMRI, EEG, ECoG) to track the underlying neural processes. Current projects investigate the transformation from acoustic to linguistic analysis of temporal speech structure in subcortical and cortical structures of human auditory cortex, online measures of statistical learning, and optimization of cochlear implant coding strategies. 

 

Applicants should have received an undergraduate degree in psychology, neuroscience, biomedical engineering, or a related field by summer 2021. A strong interest in how the brain processes sound is a plus, as is excellent knowledge of at least one programing language (preferably Matlab). Familiarity with fMRI, EEG, and/or a related experimental technique is also very welcome. The main emphasis of the position will be on being involved with, and taking the lead on, research projects, thereby gaining valuable research experience for future applications to graduate school. Bureaucratic aspects of the position (such as scheduling and reimbursement of participants, lab equipment purchases, IRB protocols, etc.) are projected to be comparatively limited.

 

Duke University provides a vibrant, highly connected scientific environment, with many relevant departments and interdisciplinary initiatives (e.g. Departments of NeurobiologyBiomedical EngineeringElectrical and Computer EngineeringCenter for Cognitive NeuroscienceDuke Institute for Brain SciencesBrain Imaging and Analysis Center). In addition, the Research Triangle area (Durham, Chapel Hill, Raleigh) boasts a wealth of research initiatives.

 

Prospective start date is August or September, 2021. Applications will be reviewed until the position is filled. Candidates from diverse and underrepresented backgrounds are expressly encouraged to apply.

Applications should be officially submitted via Duke’s Careers website, requisition ID 108428. In addition, please feel free to also send a cover letter, CV, and a list of 3 potential references, directly to Tobias Overath via email: t.overath@duke.edu