PhD student on development of neural multimodal speech processing

Are you interested in the development of electrophysiological signals in the brain and would you like to study how this relates to (multimodal) speech processing and language development? Then come join the Department of Cognitive Neuropsychology at Tilburg University as a PhD student. You will be part of the NWO-funded Vidi project “Tracking visual speech in the maturing brain”, in which we will study how infants’ and children’s brains process speech in the noisy multimodal world (using both auditory and visual speech cues), while their brain is still rapidly developing. There is a specific focus on individual differences, assessing both neurotypical and neurodivergent children.

Your responsibilities 
This is what you will be doing:

• Perform and analyse several sub-studies on infants and/or children using electro-encephalography (EEG). 
• You will set up experiments, recruit participants, and collect EEG and behavioral data. 
• You will perform advanced data analysis on neural oscillations and neural speech processing. 
• You will prepare scientific articles to be published in international journals, present key findings at national and international scientific conferences, and write a dissertation. 
• You will contribute to Open Science and Team Science. 
• Additionally, you will contribute to education and supervision (e.g. supervising bachelor’s theses and research skills groups; not more than 20% of your time will be devoted

What you contribute 
Tilburg University seeks a scientist with knowledge, skills, and character. We are curious about your contribution. We think you should have the following qualities for this position: 

• A Master’s degree in a relevant field, e.g. cognitive neuroscience, neurolinguistics, experimental psychology, developmental psychology
• Strong enthusiasm for the topics of study: brain and language development, electrophysiology, multimodality, individual differences
• Experience with (quantitative) experimental design and statistical analyses
• Interest to learn advanced quantitative analysis of EEG
• Experience and/or affinity with various age groups from early childhood to young adulthood
• Excellent communication and writing skills (ENG), team player
• Excellent project management and organization skills, problem-solver

Furthermore it is a recommendation if you are:

• Proficient in Dutch
• Experienced with EEG measures
• Comfortable with programming (e.g. E-Prime, Praat, Matlab, R) 

Increasing your value
With us, you will find everything you need to maximize your potential and development. We offer excellent facilities and support for research, education, and making societal impact. In all three of these areas, we “recognize and reward” you in line with national university aspirations. With great opportunities such as collaborating in an academic collaborative center, or participating in our Connected Leading program. We attach great importance to team spirit and have a clear, shared vision of (personal) leadership (Connected Leading). Read more about careers at Tilburg University and personal development here.  

Your valuable contribution will be rewarded with attractive benefits and sufficient attention to work-life balance. Our offer includes:

• A position based on 1.0 FTE (40 hours per week)
• This is a vacancy for a temporary position in accordance with Article 2.3, paragraph 5 of the CLA for Dutch Universities. You will be given a temporary employment contract for the duration of 12 months. After this period, in case of proven suitability and continuation in the same position, you will receive a subsequent employment contract that can be extended to a maximum duration of 48 months. 
• A salary ranging from a minimum of € 2.770 to a maximum of € 3.539 gross per month for full time employment, based on UFO profile PhD and salary scale PR of the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities. 

In addition to your monthly salary, you will receive 41 vacation days (for a 40-hour work week), a holiday allowance (8%), and a year-end bonus (8.3%). We reimburse the full cost of sustainable commuting: walking, cycling, or public transportation. We have a moving expenses scheme that makes it attractive to live close to the university. You will be enrolled in the ABP pension fund through us. Our Options Model allows you to choose from a variety of facilities at a tax advantage. You can work in a hybrid manner: on campus and, for a reimbursement, from home. Researchers from outside the Netherlands may qualify for a tax-free allowance of 30% of their taxable salary if they meet the relevant conditions. The university applies for this allowance on their behalf.

Your work environment
You will work in a pleasant working environment; a green campus with plenty of facilities. At a leading, entrepreneurial, and innovative university in the humanities and social sciences. The university employs 2,400 staff members and hosts 20,000 students of some 100 different nationalities. For nearly a century, this organization has worked together with a tradition aimed at contributing to society. We strive to be a community where differences in age, gender, orientation, and cultural and religious backgrounds are valued, with equal opportunities for colleagues and students and where, moreover, all decisions take into account the importance of preserving the Earth for future generations. 

Read more about the university here.

About Tilburg School of Social and Behavioral sciences
Tilburg School of Social and Behavioral Sciences (TSB) is one of the five faculties of Tilburg University. The teaching and research of the Tilburg School of Social and Behavioral Sciences are organized around the themes of “Adaptive societies, organizations, and workers”, “Healthy life span”, and “Personalized prevention and care”. The School’s inspiring working environment challenges its workers to realize their ambitions, involvement and cooperation are essential to achieve this.   
Tilburg School of Social and Behavioral Sciences | Tilburg University.

For more information about the department of Cognitive Neuropsychology, see: https://www.tilburguniversity.edu/about/schools/socialsciences/organization/departments/cognitive-neuropsychology.