Are you interested in how our brain is able to so precisely control the body, and adapt to new situations? Would you like to dive deep into current theories for how this works, and develop new ones? Are you either highly interested in modelling the brain, and/or in applying the resulting theories to practical problems? Then this is a PhD position you should apply for. 

To successfully control the body our brain needs to generate stable states (i.e. keep a hand somewhere), but also full dynamic behaviours (i.e. a full arm swing). The brain does this highly efficiently through networks of spiking neurons – the efficiency and success of which is yet to be reproduced in AI. Crucially, neural activity during dynamic tasks is often observed to lie on lower-dimensional manifolds. Why this is useful, and how networks generate and adapt such activity manifolds, is the subject of many theoretical models but still very much an open question. In this NWO-funded 4-year PhD project, using tools from both AI and neuroscience, you will develop neural networks which produce such low-dimensional manifolds and then use these to learn efficient and effective control. This project is expected to yield more capable AI systems and further our understanding of brain computations.

Dependent on your background and interests, the project can either go deep into applying the resulting models to AI control problems, or reproduce and predict neuroscience experiments. You will be supervised by Dr Sander Keemink and Prof. Marcel van Gerven, and you will be advised by Dr Nasir Ahmad. The project is hosted at the AI department of the Donders institute, where there are additional opportunities to collaborate with experts in neuroscience, robotics, AI, and other related disciplines. 

During the project, there will be ample opportunity to learn new skills by attending university courses. You will also be expected to contribute to our academic programme (supervising students, teaching courses, etc.), and your teaching load may be up to 10 percent (0.1 FTE) of your working time.

• You have obtained a Master's degree in Computational Neuroscience, Artificial Intelligence, Applied Physics, Computer Science, Computer/Electrical Engineering, or a related discipline.
• You have a strong understanding of dynamical systems theory, and computational neuroscience and/or AI (knowledge of spiking neural networks is a big plus).
• Desirable but not essential: experience with neuroscience data, control systems, and/or neural differential equations.
• You have an excellent background in mathematics and Python programming skills, and you are familiar with advanced machine learning libraries.
• You have a passion for research.
• You possess excellent written and spoken English language skills.
• You have enthusiasm and the ability to work in a team.

Fixed-term contract: You will be employed for an initial period of 18 months, after which your performance will be evaluated. If the evaluation is positive, the contract will be extended by 2.5 years (4 year contract).

• It concerns an employment for 1.0 FTE.
• The gross starting salary amounts to €2,541 per month based on a 38-hour working week, and will increase to €3,247 in the fourth year (salary scale P).
• You will receive 8% holiday allowance and 8.3% end-of-year bonus.
• It concerns a temporary employment for You will be employed for an initial period of 18 months, after which your performance will be evaluated. If the evaluation is positive, the contract will be extended by 2.5 years (4 year contract).
• 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 control, 3. Plasticity and memory, 4. Neural computation and 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.

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