Postdoctoral research fellow 'Computational neurophysiology of human motivation'

Job description

We are looking for a postdoctoral researcher with expertise and interest in the computational neuroscience of human motivation and cognitive control. The goal of the project is to unravel the neurophysiological signatures of value-based decision making and controllability.

The project will involve experimental design, data acquisition, and advanced statistical and computational modeling of neurophysiological (iEEG, single-neuron activity and local field potentials from micro-electrode recordings) and behavioral data from human volunteers and clinical patients.

You will play a key role in the ERC Advanced CHEMCONTROL team, led by Roshan Cools, at Donders which comprises research master students, research assistants, 2 PhD students and a senior postdoc. The CHEMCONTROL team will integrate computational modeling, human neurophysiology, pharmacological fMRI, chemical PET imaging, and focused transcranial ultrasound stimulation to unravel the brain mechanisms by which we adapt flexibly to the threats and opportunities around us.

Place of work

You will be primarily embedded in the Motivational and Cognitive Control group of Roshan Cools, which is based at the Donders Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, part of the Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, in The Netherlands. In addition, you will be part of the Cognitive and Clinical Neurophysiology group of Florian Mormann at Bonn University, where iEEG data acquisition and analysis will take place. The appointment will be at the Department of Psychiatry of the Radboudumc in the Netherlands.

Donders Institute
The Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour is a world-class interfaculty research institute, comprising six Donders Centres, and houses more than 1000 researchers devoted to understanding the mechanistic underpinnings of the human brain. Excellent, state-of-the-art research facilities are available for the broad range of neuroscience research that is being conducted at the Donders Institute. The Donders Institute fosters a collaborative, multidisciplinary, supportive research environment with a diverse international staff. English is the lingua franca at the Institute.

Donders Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging
The Donders Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging (DCCN) is one of the six Centres and its mission is to conduct cutting-edge fundamental research in cognitive neuroimaging. Our internationally renowned Centre currently hosts more than 100 PhD candidates and postdoctoral researchers from more than 25 countries, offering a stimulating and multidisciplinary research environment. The Centre is equipped with three MRI scanners (7T, 2x 3T), SQUID and OPM MEG systems, a brain stimulation laboratory for transcranial ultrasound neuromodulation, several (MR-compatible) EEG systems, and high-performance computational facilities.

Motivational and Cognitive Control Lab
The lab is headed by Prof Roshan Cools. Our aim is to elucidate the mental processes, computations, and neural mechanisms that enable and motivate us to act in accordance with our goals. We approach this question by combining psychopharmacology, functional MRI, neurophysiology, neurochemical PET and computational cognitive modeling of behavior of human volunteers with and without neuropsychiatric problems.

Profile

You are expected to have the background knowledge, skills and motivation that will allow you to fully exploit and learn from the rich research environment that the Donders Institute provides (including its intellectual and technical infrastructure). You are an independent scholar and brain scientist with quantitative skills and expertise in the domain of human motivation, decision making, learning, and cognitive control. You are ready to acquire the skills required for conducting all phases of computational neuroimaging and neurophysiology, including conceptual and experimental design, computational modeling of behavior, data acquisition, data analysis, data interpretation and publication. You are also expected to be a team player, willing and able to work closely with multiple research group leaders, postdocs, fellows PhD students, research assistants and research master students.

You have a passion for mechanistic research at the interface of neurophysiology, computational cognitive science, and decision neuroscience. You are curious, ambitious, and can work independently. Your English is fluent in speaking and writing at an academic level. Speaking Dutch is not required for this position.

You also meet the following requirements:

• You hold or have finished and nearly obtained a PhD in the field of computational cognitive neuroscience, biomedical engineering, or a related field;
• You have experience and skills in neurophysiological data analyses;
• You have experience with, or are interested in, computational and statistical modelling of behavioral data;
• You have excellent programming skills and a strong quantitative background.

Good to know

• This position requires a Certificate of Conduct (VOG).

We are recruiting for this position ourselves. Unsolicited marketing is not appreciated, but do feel free to share the vacancy in your network!