Postdoc position for the neurocognition of pictures and visual narratives

The Visual Language Lab within the Department of Communication and Cognition of the Tilburg School of Humanities and Digital Sciences at Tilburg University, invites applications for a postdoc position in the field of psycholinguistics and cognitive neuroscience. The successful candidate will join a research team with Dr. Neil Cohn on the PICTREE Project funded by the European Research Council (ERC). A postdoc on this project will study how the brain processes individual and/or sequences of images (like in comics) in relation to the structure of languages. Additional information about this research project can be found at www.visuallanguagelab.com/pictree.

Your position

The PICTREE Project aims to study how the brain processes pictures and sequences of pictures, like in comics. These PhD positions will study how sequences of images combine images together into hierarchic relationships, which allow for storytelling like comics to have complex sequential relationships. This work will require students to blend linguistic theories and psychological research on visual narrative sequencing and sentence structure, particularly syntax. Postdocs will design and carry out cognitive neuroscience (EEG/ERP) experiments examining these issues and will be encouraged to additionally contribute to theory-building. They will also participate in weekly lab meetings and seminars, and will assist in teaching courses and advising thesis projects related to their research.

The Visual Language Lab is the research group of Neil Cohn and colleagues within the Department of Communication and Cognition at Tilburg University. We focus on linguistic and cognitive research on language, graphics, and multimodality, especially in comics or emoji, and we use multiple methods of research including theoretical, experimental, and corpus analyses. We try to cultivate a positive atmosphere where all lab members feel part of a diverse and inclusive team environment that includes professors, postdocs, PhDs, and masters and bachelor’s students. We also have a worldwide network of international collaborators and often have visiting scholars spend extended time in our lab at Tilburg. PhD students will be expected to become active members of our local and international scholarly community and aim to become leaders in this emerging field of research. Additional information can be found at https://www.visuallanguagelab.com.

• PhD degree in psychology, linguistics, cognitive neuroscience, cognitive science, and/or a related field.
• Motivated to carry out cutting-edge research
• An accessible attitude, can function well in a team, and can establish and maintain interpersonal relations, with excellent communication skills in English.
• Ability to take initiative, be organized, be flexible, and work independently
• An interest in comics, drawing, language, linguistics (particularly syntax/grammar and semantics), and (neuro)cognition.
• Previous experience running experiments with language, pictures, and/or comics examining behavioral cognitive processing and/or event-related potentials (EEG/ERP) is a plus.

Tilburg University offers excellent benefits in a pleasant working environment:

• A position based on 0,8 – 1,0 fte (40 hours per week).
• Salary between €3,546  and €5,538 gross per month for full-time employment (UFO-profile Researcher 4, salary scale 10). Tilburg University uses a neutral remuneration system based on relevant work experience.
• This is a vacancy for a temporary position in accordance with Article 2.3 paragraph 5 CLA DU. You will be given a temporary contract for the duration of 12 months with a possible extension of 36 months.
• Vacation pay of 8% and a year-end bonus of 8.3%.
• Over 8 weeks of vacation leave.
• The opportunity to work partly on campus and partly from home with a home office allowance of €2 per day.
• Reimbursement for sustainable commuting: walking, cycling, and public transport.
• A monthly internet allowance of €25.
• An options model in which you exchange benefits for things such as additional leave, more pension, a bicycle or personal training at our Sports Center.
• A moving allowance (subject to conditions).
• Employees from abroad may be eligible for a tax-free allowance for extraterritorial expenses equal to 30% of taxable salary.
• A pension with ABP; the largest Dutch pension fund.
• Training in personal development, career development, leadership, education, and research. Or a language course at our Language Center.
• A work culture in which we embrace differences, everyone is welcome and given equal opportunities.
• A vibrant campus in green surroundings that is easily accessible by public transport.

For more information, see our website and the CLA Dutch Universities.

Tilburg University is an academic, inclusive, and engaged community. Together with nearly 3,000 employees, we are committed to broad prosperity, sustainably, and inclusion. For current and future generations. We develop and share knowledge for the requirements of people and our society. This is how we contribute to solving complex social issues and help society move forward.

We educate our 19,500 students of 110 nationalities to become responsible leaders with knowledge, skills, and character. With our education and research for broad prosperity, we exceedingly focus on themes such as mental and preventive care, an inclusive labor market, the energy transition, and digitalization.

Tilburg School of Humanities and Digital Sciences

Research and education at the Tilburg School of Humanities and Digital Sciences (TSHD) has a unique focus on humans in the context of the globalizing digital society, on the development of artificial intelligence and interactive technologies, on their impact on communication, culture and society, and on moral and existential challenges that arise. The School of Humanities and Digital Sciences consists of four departments: Communication and Cognition, Cognitive Science and Artificial Intelligence, Culture Studies and Philosophy; several research institutes and a faculty office. Also the University College Tilburg is part of the School. Each year around 275 students commence a Bachelor or (Pre) Master Program. The School has approximately 2000 students and 250 employees.

Tilburg School of Humanities and Digital Sciences

About the Department of Communication and Cognition

The Department of Communication and Cognition (DCC) studies cognitive and social aspects of human communication through a multidisciplinary approach combining careful experimentation with survey methods, corpus analyses and computational modeling. We consist of about 70 researchers covering a broad range of topics relevant for cognition and communication, and this includes approximately 25 PhD students. Core research domains include communication and technology, cross-cultural communication, information visualisation, marketing and business communication, language production, and non-verbal communication