The Department of Psychology of the Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences (FMG) has a Postdoctoral position on the stability and plasticity of emotional memory

The breakthrough discovery in animal research that fear memories may change upon retrieval has sparked a wave of interest into research on the malleability of emotional memory, also known as memory reconsolidation. Inspired by these insights, we have developed a novel approach to pharmacologically neutralize the affective component from fear memories in humans. Although these findings suggest a paradigm shift in clinical practice, there remain many fundamental questions to be resolved.

For this project, we seek a highly motivated and talented Postdoctoral researcher. This research project has two strands with the aim to: 1) uncovering the neural markers of fear memory reconsolidation using fear conditioning with state-of-the art neural imaging and novel sophisticated analytical techniques, and 2) understanding the role of sleep in memory reconsolidation using fear-conditioning and sleep-registration. Your task is to collect and analyse data to write experimental papers and present your work at international conferences.

You will conduct your research under the supervision of Prof. Merel Kindt, Dr Renée Visser and Prof. Eus van Someren at the University of Amsterdam. The project is funded by the ERC Advanced Grant awarded to Merel Kindt for the project ‘Understanding the Stability and Plasticity of Emotional Memory’. The project is also part of the emotional memory lab (Dr V. van Ast, Dr R. Visser), which focusses on the neurobiological and psychological mechanisms of emotional memory, and how these processes explain clinically relevant phenomena like emotional memory disorders.

You have:

• (or are about to obtain) a PhD degree in psychology or a related field such as cognitive neuroscience, psychobiology, or biomedical science;
• a strong interest in the neuroscience of memory, the psychology of fears and anxiety disorders;
• experience with fMRI research, experience with fear-conditioning research or sleep registration, strong programming skills (e.g., R, Matlab, Python);
• strong analytical and statistical skills, and experience with method development;
• the ambition to become a leading scientist;
• a good command of written and spoken English;
• good project management skills;
• excellent social skills and team spirit. You are expected to work in an interdisciplinary environment, sharing technical know-how and ideas. Full flexibility with regard to working hours is required in view of the type of research. You are willing and able to travel internationally.

The position starts in the summer of 2018 and is initially for two years. Extension of the contract to a total of three years depends on satisfactory performance. Based on a full-time appointment the gross monthly salary will be between €3,475 and €4,757 (scale 11) depending on your qualifications and experience. The Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities is applicable.

University of Amsterdam

With over 5,000 employees, 30,000 students and a budget of more than 600 million euros, the University of Amsterdam (UvA) is an intellectual hub within the Netherlands. Teaching and research at the UvA are conducted within seven faculties: Humanities, Social and Behavioural Sciences, Economics and Business, Law, Science, Medicine and Dentistry. Housed on four city campuses in or near the heart of Amsterdam, where disciplines come together and interact, the faculties have close links with thousands of researchers and hundreds of institutions at home and abroad.  

The UvA’s students and employees are independent thinkers, competent rebels who dare to question dogmas and aren’t satisfied with easy answers and standard solutions. To work at the UvA is to work in an independent, creative, innovative and international climate characterised by an open atmosphere and a genuine engagement with the city of Amsterdam and society.

http://www.uva.nl/en/home

Department of Psychology

The Department of Psychology is part of the Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences (FMG), the largest educational and research institution in the social sciences in the Netherlands. The Faculty serves 7500 students in numerous Bachelor and Master programs in Psychology, Political Science, Sociology, Anthropology, Communication Science, Social Geography, Planning and International Development Studies, and Educational Sciences. Psychology is situated centrally in Amsterdam, and hosts program groups focusing on social, organizational, developmental, clinical, statistical, and cognitive psychology. It offers excellent facilities for undertaking research in a broad range of areas, including a range of psychophysiological, behavioral, EEG and TMS laboratories, as well as a 3T and 7T MRI scanner.

http://www.uva.nl/en/disciplines/psychology