How adults learn the grammar of a second language (L2) is not yet well understood and subject to debate. You will investigate the cognitive and neural mechanisms underlying L2 grammar learning. You will particularly test the hypothesis that there are qualitative individual differences, that is to say, different people use different cognitive mechanisms and brain systems when they acquire a new grammar.

It is still an unresolved question how we learn the grammar of a new language. Are the neural substrates and cognitive mechanisms involved in it the same as those involved in, for instance, word learning? Is grammatical knowledge based on abstract rules, or rather on analogy to earlier encountered utterances? Does it make a difference whether we learn a new language in a classroom or simply by exposure and immersion? These are only some of the questions that are intensively debated among researchers. Possibly, there is no such thing as a 'one size fits all' approach: different individuals may learn grammar in different ways, and different learning situations may evoke different learning principles as well.

In four separate experimental studies, you will make use of behavioural and electrophysiological (EEG) techniques to get to the bottom of how different learning systems are used for L2 grammar learning. We expect the results of the project to represent a big step towards a better understanding of individual and situational variability in statistical learning (i.e. not only in terms of language).

This position is part of the ERC Consolidator project 'MultiMemoryL2 - Multiple routes to memory for a second language' recently awarded to Dr Kristin Lemhöfer. You will work with the members of that project in a team. The supervisory team consists of Dr Kristin Lemhöfer, Prof. Herbert Schriefers, and Dr Vitória Piai.

PhD candidates at the Donders Institute are required to devote 10% of their time to teaching or other academic activities (e.g., lab management).

• You are enthusiastic about science and the topic, and hold a Master's degree in cognitive psychology, cognitive neuroscience, psycholinguistics, linguistics, or another relevant field.
• You have excellent analytic, statistical, methodological, and writing skills, experience in experimental research (ideally within psycholinguistics), and team spirit.
• Prior experience with EEG, behavioral laboratory research, programming skills, and Dutch (the participants' native language) would be an advantage.
• You have an excellent written and spoken command of English.
• Members of groups underrepresented in academia (e.g. in terms of gender or ethnicity) are especially encouraged to apply.

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 € 2,541 per month based on a 38-hour working week, and will increase to € 3,247 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 part of the Donders Graduate School for Cognitive Neuroscience, as well as (if desired) the International Max Planck Research School (IMPRS) for Languages Sciences.
• 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.

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 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. Research at the Donders Institute is focused around four themes: 1. Language and communication, 2. Perception, action and control, 3. Plasticity and memory, 4. Neural computation and neurotechnology. The position is embedded in Theme 1, but has close links also to Theme 3. Donders scientists work together with colleagues from affiliated institutes like the Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, the Behavioral Science Institute, and the Centre for Language Studies. 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 Donders Institute has been assessed by an international evaluation committee as ‘excellent’ and recognised as a ‘very stimulating environment for top researchers, as well as for young talent’. The Donders Institute fosters a collaborative, multi-disciplinary, supportive research environment with a diverse international staff. English is the lingua franca at the Institute.

This position is based at the Donders Centre for Cognition (DCC), one of the four centres of the Donders Institute. It is part of the Faculty for Social Sciences of Radboud University and is host to a vibrant community of PhD candidates.


Radboud University
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