We seek a postdoctoral researcher to investigate links between gene expression in the human cerebral cortex and inter-individual variations in brain and behaviour. The position will be embedded within the Imaging Genomics group of the host department, and will be carried out in collaboration with leading researchers at the Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University, Nijmegen.

Job description

The successful candidate will join an innovative research program that is seeking to characterize the brain’s molecular infrastructure for language, and integrate this with data on individual differences in brain and behaviour. This is an initiative of the Language in Interaction (LiI) consortium, sponsored by a major grant from the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research. We recently generated a unique gene expression dataset using spatial transcriptomics from regions of the human cerebral cortex that are important for language. The postdoctoral scientist will take the lead on integrative analyses linking gene expression to genetic association, making use of large-scale resources such as the UK Biobank (currently data from over 30,000 individuals with brain image and genetic data – including common single nucleotide polymorphisms and rare genetic variants) and the international GenLang Consortium (data from up to 34,000 individuals on reading- and language-related abilities together with genetic data). One major goal is to apply a recently-optimized pipeline for measuring white matter tracts in biobank-scale diffusion tensor imaging data, and subsequently to apply genetic techniques such as genome-wide association analysis, partitioned heritability analysis, and polygenic score analysis. The project therefore offers the possibility to learn state-of-the-art techniques in both brain image analysis and genetic analysis.

You are a research scientist who holds, or shortly expects to obtain, a PhD in a field with direct relevance for studying genomics of human brain traits in large-scale datasets. Your previous training and experience could be in either neuroimage analysis, genetic analysis, or both. You are proficient in coding/scripting and statistics. If your background is genetics, you will be sufficiently experienced that you can readily apply bioinformatics and statistical genetics methods, such as genome-wide association screening, genetic correlations, polygenic score analysis, pathway enrichment, and interrogation of diverse ‘omics’ resources. If coming from a neuroimage analysis background, you will be experienced in applying image quality control and processing pipelines in different modalities. You have a critical and careful approach to science, and you strive for robustness and reproducibility of results. You are highly organized and adept in communicating project plans and outcomes to others, in both spoken and written form, and will write up your findings for publication and give presentations about the work at international conferences. You are interested in working together with researchers from a wide range of backgrounds.

Fixed-term contract: For 2 years.

This position should start by 1st July 2022 to meet the requirements of the relevant funding. The term of appointment is full-time (39 hours per week) for 2 years. The salary is according to the German TVöD (Tarifvertrag für den öffentlichen Dienst) and is classified in salary group E13, between EUR 54,269 and EUR 63,652 gross per year depending on the experience of the applicant (including 8% holiday bonus), based on full-time employment. Research staff have access to cutting-edge research and training facilities and technical infrastructure (including high-performance computing), and to funding for conferences/travel.

Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics

The Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics is a world-leading research institute devoted to interdisciplinary studies of the science of language and communication, including departments on genetics, psychology, development and neurobiology of these fundamental human abilities. The Institute is part of the Max Planck Society, an independent non-governmental association of German-funded research institutes dedicated to fundamental research in the natural sciences, life sciences, social sciences, and the humanities. Situated on the campus of the Radboud University in Nijmegen, we are the only Max Planck Institute to be located in the Netherlands. Scientists in the Netherlands report among the highest job satisfaction ratings of any in the world. Our Institute places a strong emphasis on supporting career development and achieving a manageable work-life balance for all employees.

The Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics recognizes the positive value of diversity, promotes equality and challenges discrimination. We are committed to redressing systemic problems with diversity in science, and therefore welcome applications from individuals from minority groups and from groups that are otherwise under-represented.

More information about the research of the Language & Genetics department can be found here: https://www.mpi.nl/department/language-genetics/2

The Language in Interaction consortium brings together leading research teams with complementary expertise from eight different research institutions in the Netherlands to carry out ground-breaking research on the foundations of human language, at a scale not easily found anywhere else in the world. Further background: https://www.languageininteraction.nl/