POSTDOC POSITION IN COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE OF WORKING MEMORY, ATTENTION, & DECISION MAKING

Do you hold a PhD in cognitive neuroscience (or directly related fields) and would you like to pursue a post-doc investigating the links between visual working memory, attention, decision-making, and behaviour? Please apply for the 3-year post-doc position in the Proactive Brain Lab (www.proactivebrainlab.com) headed by Dr. Freek van Ede at the Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam.

Location: AMSTERDAM
Duration: 3 years
FTE: 1 

Job description

General Description
A Postdoc position for three years for 1.0 fte is available at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam in the Proactive Brain Lab (www.proactivebrainlab.com) headed by Dr. Freek van Ede. The position is part of the ERC Starting Grant MEMTICIPATION: “Preparing memories for action: how visual working memories are sculpted by their anticipated use”.

The Research Project
The MEMTICIPATION project aims to study the anticipatory dynamics that facilitate the translation of working-memory contents into purposeful behaviour. It starts from the perspective that (visual) working memory does not serve to ‘represent the past’ but to ‘prepare for the future’. Adopting this future-focused perspective on working memory opens many interesting research questions that tie in nicely with our broader lab mission.

In the Proactive Brain Lab, we adopt the perspective of the brain as a fundamentally dynamic, anticipating, and action-oriented organ in which core cognitive functions of working memory, attention, and decision making take center stage. We take an integrative focus, aiming to bring together research on visual working memory and attention with that on planning, decision making, timing, and action. We use multiple methodologies, with a current focus on EEG, eye-tracking (microsaccades), and virtual reality.

Depending on experience, the post-doc may uniquely contribute to and drive, for example, our ambition to integrate dynamic decision-making perspectives with our ongoing research on visual working memory and attention, and/or to study visual attention and working memory operations while engaging in ongoing behaviour. 

Requirements

  • A PhD degree in cognitive neuroscience (or related field, such as cognitive/experimental psychology or human neuroscience)
  • A background in the study of visual working memory, attention, decision making, and/or related topic
  • Experience with M/EEG, eye-tracking, psychophysics, VR, and/or related approaches
  • Excellent programming and data-analysis skills
  • Experience in designing and interpreting cognitive-neuroscience experiments
  • Demonstrated ability to engage in effective scientific writing (publications)
  • Demonstrated ability to think and work outside-the-box (creativity)
  • Excellent command of English
  • Be able to start before September 2022

What are we offering?

A challenging position in a socially involved organization. On full-time basis the remuneration amounts to a minimum gross monthly salary of €2,836 (scale 10) and a maximum €5,211 (scale 11), depending on your education and experience. The job profile is based on the university job ranking system and is vacant for 1 FTE.

The appointment will be initially for 1 year. After satisfactory evaluation of the initial appointment, it can be extended for an additional 2 years.

Additionally, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam offers excellent fringe benefits and various schemes and regulations to promote a good work/life balance, such as:

  • a maximum of 41 days of annual leave based on full-time employment
  • 8% holiday allowance and 8.3% end-of-year bonus
  • solid pension scheme (ABP)
  • a wide range of sports facilities which staff may use at a modest charge
  • discounts on collective insurances (healthcare- and car insurance)

About Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

The ambition of Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam is clear: to contribute to a better world through outstanding education and ground-breaking research. We strive to be a university where personal development and commitment to society play a leading role. A university where people from different disciplines and backgrounds collaborate to achieve innovations and to generate new knowledge. Our teaching and research encompass the entire spectrum of academic endeavor – from the humanities, the social sciences and the natural sciences through to the life sciences and the medical sciences.

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam is home to more than 30,000 students. We employ over 5,500 individuals. The VU campus is easily accessible and located in the heart of Amsterdam’s Zuidas district, a truly inspiring environment for teaching and research.

Diversity
We are an inclusive university community. Diversity is one of our most important values. We believe that engaging in international activities and welcoming students and staff from a wide variety of backgrounds enhances the quality of our education and research. We are always looking for people who can enrich our world with their own unique perspectives and experiences.

Faculty of Behavioural and Movement Sciences
The Faculty of Behavioural and Movement Sciences focuses on the broad domain of behaviour and health. Our teaching and research programmes are devoted to current developments in society, from healthy aging to e-health, from juvenile crime to dealing with depression, from training for top athletes to social media as a teaching tool. We are unique in that we combine three academic disciplines: psychology, movement sciences and education.

Working at Behavioural and Movement Sciences means working in an ambitious organization that is characterized by an informal atmosphere and short lines of communication. Our faculty offers tremendous scope for personal development. We employ more than 600 staff members, and we are home to around 3,400 students.

Application

Are you interested in this position? Please apply via the application button below and upload your curriculum vitae and cover letter until May 28, 2022. In your cover letter, please devote (at least) one paragraph stating what you have investigated so far, and another paragraph outlining what you would hope to investigate if you would be hired for the advertised position.

Applications received by e-mail will not be processed.

Vacancy questions
If you have any questions regarding this vacancy, you may contact:

Name: Freek van Ede
E-mail: freek.van.ede@vu.nl