Are you fascinated about the brain mechanisms of perceptual decision making, inference, sensory uncertainty and decision confidence? And how the brain explores and gathers information in an uncertain multisensory world? We are looking for several enthusiastic PhD candidates with interests in computational and/or cognitive neuroscience to address these questions!

Virtually every decision we make comes with a sense of confidence – a subjective estimate of decision accuracy. Confidence enables us to monitor and judge the quality of our own decisions and adapt our behaviour accordingly. For example, we reduce speed when driving in bad weather because we are less confident about our estimates of the distance to surrounding traffic. But what makes us feel less confident in these conditions and how do we use this to plan future actions? You will combine computational modelling with behavioural and neuroimaging methods to address these questions. Additional responsibilities involve helping to mentor and supervise student projects, participation in scientific conferences and international collaborations.

• You have an MSc degree in neuroscience, cognitive science, psychology, computer science, physics, engineering or a related field.
• You have excellent data analysis and statistics skills as well as programming skills (e.g. Matlab, Python).
• Prior experience with psychophysics, fMRI, MEG/EEG or computational modelling (e.g. Bayesian, neural network) would be a plus.
• Prior research in perception, attention, statistical learning or related fields would be advantageous.
• You should be able to work independently.
• You should have good communication skills and be able to work in a team and promote an open and collaborative lab culture.

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 €2,770 per month based on a 38-hour working week, and will increase to €3,539 in the fourth year (salary scale P).
• You will receive 8% holiday allowance and 8.3% end-of-year bonus.
• 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.
• Candidates must comply with the Marie Curie Actions rule for mobility, which holds that they have spent no more than 12 months of the past 3 years in the Netherlands. Moving expenses for relocating to a new country will be covered.
• We explicitly encourage women and other underrepresented groups to apply. Additional financial support for researchers with families is available.

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 PhD position is based in the Multisensory Perception,Learning and Attention lab, headed by Prof. Uta Noppeney, at the Donders Centres for Cognitive Neuroimaging and Neuroscience. The overall goal of the lab is to understand how the brain enables us to perceive, understand and interact effectively with the multisensory world around us. Research methods include computational modelling (Bayesian, neural network), psychophysics, and neuroimaging (fMRI, MEG, EEG, TMS).

The PhD position will be affiliated with an international network of nine research labs located throughout Europe. You will receive interdisciplinary training in theories and methods for the study of decision confidence. This includes many network-wide events and other international training opportunities. 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. 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 Cognitive Neuroimaging centre is equipped with four MRI scanners (7T, 3x 3T), a 275-channel MEG system, an EEG-TMS laboratory, several (MR-compatible) EEG systems, and high-performance computational facilities. The Donders Institute fosters a collaborative, multidisciplinary, supportive research environment with diverse international staff. English is the lingua franca at the Institute. The Donders Institute is an equal opportunity employer, committed to building a culturally diverse intellectual community, and as such encourages applications from women and minorities.


Radboud University
We are keen to meet critical thinkers who want to look closer at what really matters. People who, from their expertise, wish to contribute to a healthy, free world with equal opportunities for all. This ambition unites more than 24,000 students and 5,600 employees at Radboud University and requires even more talent, collaboration and lifelong learning. You have a part to play!