We are looking for a motivated postdoctoral researcher with interest and expertise in the neuroscience of body representations and their plasticity. 

You will be part of the ERC Starting Grant “The Body Position System: A GPS for somatosensory space”. The goal of the project is to uncover how the brain localizes touch on a body whose three-dimensional posture changes from moment-to-moment (The Body Positioning System). How does the brain transform sensory input on the skin to a full-fledged three-dimensional body representation? How plastic are these spatial representations? To make headway on this fundamental question, we will use a variety of neuroscientific approaches (behaviour and M/EEG), analytical tools (computational modelling and machine learning), as well as design novel virtual reality and robot-based paradigms. 

As a postdoctoral researcher, you will take a computational neuroimaging approach to characterise the plasticity of somatosensory and multisensory body representations in the human brain. You will design novel plasticity-focused behavioural and neuroimaging paradigms (M/EEG) to measure these body representations, before and after tool use. A major component of all experiments will be the use of computational modelling to analyse and interpret the data - this includes sensorimotor modelling approaches and machine learning. The goal of these models is to understand the transformations used by the Body Positioning System to construct body space. Close collaboration is foreseen with other members of the team, including colleagues throughout the Donders Institute. Project management and mentoring (MSc and BSc students) will also be part of your responsibilities.

• You should hold a PhD in Cognitive Neuroscience or a relevant discipline (e.g. Artificial Intelligence, Psychology, Cognitive Science, Engineering, etc.).
• You have previous experience researching neural plasticity.
• You have substantial experience collecting and analysing behavioural data.
• You have substantial neuroimaging experience (fMRI, M/EEG, etc.), including data collection and analysis.
• You have substantial experience with at least one common programming language (Matlab, Python, R, C++), including the use of neuroimaging toolboxes for analysis (e.g., FieldTrip, SPM).
• You have experience with computational modelling and/or machine learning, or a strong desire to learn.
• You have previous experience publishing peer-reviewed journal articles, including at least two published papers (preprints included).
• You are a team player and have good social, communication and organisational skills.
• You have a passion for science and the pursuit of knowledge.

Fixed-term contract: 3 years.

• It concerns an employment for 0.8 - 1.0 FTE.
• The gross monthly salary amounts to a minimum of €3,974 and a maximum of €5,439 based on a 38-hour working week, depending on previous education and number of years of relevant work experience (salary scale 11).
• You will receive 8% holiday allowance and 8.3% end-of-year bonus.
• It concerns a temporary employment for 3 years.
• You will be able to use our Dual Career and Family Care Services. Our Dual Career and Family Care Officer can assist you with family-related support, help your partner or spouse prepare for the local labour market, provide customized support in their search for employment and help your family settle in Nijmegen.
• Working for us means getting extra days off. In case of full-time employment, you can choose between 30 or 41 days of annual leave instead of the legally allotted 20.

Work and science require good employment practices. This is reflected in Radboud University's primary and secondary employment conditions. You can make arrangements for the best possible work-life balance with flexible working hours, various leave arrangements and working from home. You are also able to compose part of your employment conditions yourself, for example, exchange income for extra leave days and receive a reimbursement for your sports subscription. And of course, we offer a good pension plan. You are given plenty of room and responsibility to develop your talents and realise your ambitions. Therefore, we provide various training and development schemes.

The Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour is a world-class interfaculty research centre, that houses more than 700 researchers devoted to understanding the mechanistic underpinnings of the human mind. Research at the Donders Institute is focused around four themes: 1. Language and communication, 2. Perception, action and decision-making, 3. Development and lifelong plasticity, 4. Natural computing & neurotechnology. 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 has been assessed by an international evaluation committee as ‘excellent’ and recognised as a ‘very stimulating environment for top researchers, as well as for young talent’. The Donders Institute fosters a collaborative, multidisciplinary, supportive research environment with a diverse international staff. English is the lingua franca at the Institute.

Radboud University
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