The Department of Psychology has a vacancy for a Postdoctoral researcher Meditation and the Predictive Brain. The project is part of a larger research program lead by Dr Heleen Slagter and funded by the European Research Council.

Overturning the classical notion of perception as a largely bottom-up process, the idea that our brain is a prediction machine, continually trying to predict what is ‘out there’ based on past experience, is quickly growing in stature and influence. Yet, to what extent expectation formation occurs automatically is currently unknown. Perceptual inference can certainly occur subconsciously, but does this mean that we have little control over our own experience? The goal of this postdoc project is to enhance our understanding of the automaticity of predictive processing machinery. To this end, it will examine the effects of different styles of meditation on expectation formation in the brain in meditation experts using different neuroimaging methods (EEG/fMRI) and analysis techniques (uni- and multivariate (e.g., ERPs, MVPA), Bayesian modeling).

You will develop and execute experimental studies in the context of the research project, write a review paper, and report results at conferences and in international journals. You may also provide teaching assistance and co-supervise PhD students. The position offers excellent training opportunities in (advanced) EEG data analysis and (7T) MRI.

We are looking for highly motivated candidates with a PhD in human Cognitive Neuroscience, and with demonstrable interest in the topic of project. To be considered, you must have knowledge about, and experience with meditation (research) and human brain imaging techniques (EEG and/or fMRI), as well as proven experience with designing cognitive (neuroscience) experiments. You should also possess strong writing skills, and have an excellent command of English and a proven track record of publishing in international peer-reviewed journals.

The postdoctoral position is for two and a half years (initial employment is 24 months with a possible extension of 6 months). The preferred start date is as soon as possible, although there is some flexibility. Based on a full-time appointment the gross monthly salary will be between €3,475 and € 4,757 (scale 11, Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities).

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 postdoc project will be conducted within the Department of Psychology at the University of Amsterdam. Our Department is one of the leading psychology departments in the world, currently ranked nr. 1 in mainland Europe and 17th in the world the QS World Universities Rankings (Subject Psychology). Our researchers have access to a wide array of state-of-the-art research facilities, including an onsite 3T MRI Scanner and an offsite 7T MRI scanner, EEG and sleep labs, TMS, and a knowledgeable and experienced technical staff to support psychological research (SPINOZA Centre for Neuroimaging). 

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