Research Assistant on Development of Human Communication at the Donders Centre for Cognition

Be part of a multidisciplinary team exploring how early-life social experiences shape human communication in a unique child-focused study combining behavioural and neuroimaging research.

Radboud University is looking for a Research Assistant to join the multidisciplinary team at the Donders Institute. The study involves organising acquisition of behavioural and neuroimaging (fMRI) data from six-year-old children during a visit to the Donders Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging. You will be responsible for planning and implementing the behavioural and neural measurements. There is the possibility of being involved in the analysis of those measurements.

This project builds on the notion that social experiences early in life are crucial for the development of human communication skills. The project uses natural variability in early-life social experiences as a tool to understand how different sociocultural environments guide the development of human communicative capacities. We plan to test the long-lasting effects of those experiences on the human ability to communicate. The specific goal of the project is to identify which features of children's sociocultural environment influence their ability to coordinate with other people later in development.

• We will give you a temporary employment contract of 1 year.
• Your salary within salary scale 7 depends on your previous education and number of years of (relevant) work experience. The amounts in the scale are based on a 38-hour working week.
• You will receive an 8% holiday allowance and an 8,3% end-of-year bonus.
• You will receive extra days off. With full-time employment, you can choose between 30 or 41 days of annual leave instead of the statutory 20.

Additional employment conditions
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.

Faculty of Social Sciences
At the Faculty of Social Sciences, humanity and society are our focus; we study how people behave, think and feel. Within this context, we look at themes such as human behaviour and the human psyche, education and upbringing, communication, society and culture. The faculty provides education to 6,000 students and employs 700 staff. Education is organised into six programme clusters: Psychology; Artificial Intelligence; Pedagogical Sciences and Educational Sciences; Communication Science; Sociology; and Cultural Anthropology and Developmental Sociology, and the Radboud Centre Social Sciences as an institute for post-master education have been merged into the Social Sciences Education Institute. Our research is carried out within three research institutes: the Donders Centre for Cognition, the Behavioural Science Institute, and Radboud Social Cultural Research.

Radboud University
At Radboud University, we aim to make an impact through our work. We achieve this by conducting groundbreaking research, providing high-quality education, offering excellent support, and fostering collaborations within and outside the university. In doing so, we contribute indispensably to a healthy, free world with equal opportunities for all. To accomplish this, we need even more colleagues who, based on their expertise, are willing to search for answers. We advocate for an inclusive community and welcome employees with diverse backgrounds, cultures, and perspectives. Will you also contribute to making the world a little better? You have a part to play.

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The project is embedded in the research groups of Prof. Ivan Toni, Prof. Sabine Hunnius and Dr Marlene Meyer at the Donders Institute, combining expertise in social neurocognition, experimental semiotics and developmental neurocognition.

You can apply only via the button below. Address your letter of application to Ivan Toni. In the application form, you will find which documents you need to include with your application. We look forward to receiving your application.

The first interviews will take place on Monday 30 March. You will preferably start your employment as soon as possible.

We can imagine you're curious about our application procedure. It describes what you can expect during the application procedure and how we handle your personal data and internal and external candidates. If you wish to apply for a non-scientific position with a non-EU nationality, please take notice of the following information.

Do you already work at Radboud University and have questions about making an internal move? Learn more about internal applications.