One PhD position of four years for 1.0 fte is available at the Department of Experimental and Applied Psychology, VU Amsterdam, under the supervision of Prof. Heleen Slagter and Prof. Chris Olivers (cognitive psychology & neuroscience). The PhD position concerns a project on the relationship between cognition and action within the visual domain. The anticipated starting date for the position is 1 October, 2019 (with some flexibility). The project will be part of the Institute for Brain and Behavior Amsterdam. There will be a teaching requirement associated with this position (10%).

Most cognitive neuroscience research has so far focused on identifying the brain networks and mechanisms that underlie different cognitive functions, such as attention and working memory. This approach has yielded tremendous insights into the basic science of how the brain works. In daily life, however, what we pay attention to or remember is often determined by the affordances of the environment: how we can act in the world around us. Yet, as cognition is typically studied as separate from action, little is still known about how action may sculpt cognitive processes, such as memory, attention, and even consciousness. This research project aims to elucidate the relationship between action and cognition within the visual domain, using experimental tasks, eye tracking, and electrophysiology (EEG).

• Research Master in Cognitive Neuroscience, Experimental Psychology, or a related field;
• Demonstrable interest in perception, memory, consciousness and/or related topics;
• Demonstrable interest in and familiarity with experimental and/or cognitive neuroscience methods;
• Good knowledge of methodology and statistics;
• Good command of written and spoken English;
• Experience with programming or scripting languages (e.g., Python, MatLab).

Fixed-term contract: 1 year.

A challenging position in a socially involved organization. The salary will be in accordance with university regulations for academic personnel and amounts €2,325 (PhD) per month during the first year and increases to €2,972 (PhD) per month during the fourth year, based on a full-time employment. The job profile: is based on the university job ranking system and is vacant for at least 0.8 FTE.

The appointment will initially be for 1 year. After a satisfactory evaluation of the initial appointment, the contract will be extended for a duration of 4 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,
• contribution to commuting expenses,
• optional model for designing a personalized benefits package,
• discounts on collective insurances (healthcare- and car insurance);

The ambition of Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam is clear: to contribute to a better world through outstanding education and ground-breaking research. And to be a university where personal education and societal involvement play a leading role. Where people from different disciplines and backgrounds work together on innovations and on generating new knowledge. Our teaching and research embrace the whole spectrum of science – from the humanities, the social sciences and the pure sciences through to the life sciences and the medical sciences.

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam is home to more than 23,000 students. We employ more than 4,500 individuals. The VU campus is easily accessible, located in the heart of Amsterdam’s Zuidas district, a truly inspiring environment for teaching and research.

Diversity
Diversity is one of our university’s core values. We are an inclusive community, and we believe that diversity and international activities enhance the quality of education and research. We are always looking for people who can enhance diversity on our campus thanks to their background and experience.

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.