We have a vacancy for an excellent post-doctoral research associate to work on a project focusing on the development and application of advanced methods for the analysis of the human visual system based on clinical neuroimaging data. The project is hosted by the Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior at the Radboud University Medical Center (Cognitive Neuroscience department) under the supervision of Dr. Koen Haak and integrated into the wider academic research environment at the Donders Institute.

The focus of this project is to develop normative models of various functional and structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) measures of the human visual system based on existing large-scale neuroimaging datasets, and apply these (in collaboration with the department of ophthalmology) to better understand an individual's neural response to vision loss (e.g. neural plasticity, neural degeneration) and how this response might explain individual differences in functional vision in daily life activities. You will employ a range of MRI data-analysis techniques (structural and functional connectivity modeling, brain morphometry) including established and advanced approaches (e.g. connectivity gradient modeling, connective field modeling) and implement a software platform to enable other researchers and clinicians to take advantage of the innovations produced in this project.

Tasks and responsibilities

• Discuss, plan and perform research in a stimulating environment.
• Develop normative models of the human visual system using large-scale MRI datasets.
• Apply these normative models to understand neural responses to vision loss.
• Publish findings in peer-reviewed journals and present at international scientific conferences.
• Produce software tools to enable for the use of the wider scientific community.
• Assist with the supervision of students and more junior staff.
• Work in an interdisciplinary team of international scientists.

We are looking for highly self-motivated candidates who are curious and enthusiastic about scientific research and who will work with others in our lab and in the institute to solve problems and contribute to high-quality neuroscience investigations. As our ideal candidate you have a doctoral degree in a numerate discipline such as statistics, computer science, engineering, computational / visual / cognitive neuroscience or other relevant field of study. You also have a proactive attitude, good written and oral communication skills, and you are able to work effectively in an interdisciplinary team.

Essential qualities:

• Experience with (advanced) neuroimaging data analysis techniques and software.
• Highly proficient in programming using e.g. Python, R, Matlab, shell scripting and/or C++.
• A strong academic track-record, including publications in international journals.

Desirable qualities:

• A strong interest in visual neuroscience, brain plasticity and neural degeneration.
• An interest in clinical applications of neuroimaging statistics and modeling.
• Experience with neuroimaging methods development.

Fixed-term contract: 3 years.

The position is for 36 months and would ideally begin March 2022. Working at Radboud university medical center means that you are ahead of the curve and working together on the healthcare of the future. And there is more. Our secondary terms of employment are impressive. These are fully tailored to you thanks to our Employment Conditions Selection Model. At Radboud university medical center, you will be given trust, and you will take the responsibility to handle everything together. We provide annual courses, both professional and personal.

• In addition to your monthly salary and an annual vacation allowance of 8%, you will receive an end-of-year bonus of 8.3%.
• If you work irregular hours, you will receive an allowance.
• As a full-time employee (36 hours per week), you are entitled to approximately 168 vacation hours (over 23 days) per year.
• Radboud university medical center pays 70% of the pension premium. You pay the rest of the premium with your gross salary.
• You get a discount on health insurance as well: you can take advantage of two group health insurance plans. UMC Zorgverzekering and CZ collectief.

In addition to our terms of employment, we also offer employees various other attractive facilities, such as childcare and sports facilities. Want to learn more? Take a look at the CAO UMC.

Radboudumc

The Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour is a world leading centre for cognitive neuroscience and offers a unique, multidisciplinary working and learning environment with opportunities for developing expertise in a diversity of research areas and techniques. The centre is equipped with three MRI scanners (3 x 3T) and access to a high field (7T) MR system plus a 275-channel MEG system, an EEG-TMS laboratory, several (MR-compatible) EEG systems, and high-performance computational facilities.

Radboudumc
Radboud university medical center is a university medical center for patient care, scientific research, and education in Nijmegen. Radboud university medical center strives to be at the forefront of shaping the healthcare of the future. We do this in a person-centered and innovative way, and in close collaboration with our network. We want to have a significant impact on healthcare. We want to improve with each passing day, continuously working towards better healthcare, research, and education. And gaining a better understanding of how diseases arise and how we can prevent, treat, and cure them, day in and day out. This way, every patient always receives the best healthcare, now and in the future. Because that is why we do what we do.

Read more about our strategy and what working at Radboud university medical center means. Our colleagues would be happy to tell you about it. #weareradboudumc