Postdoc position in cognitive computational neuroscience

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A postdoc position in cognitive computational neuroscience is available at the Department of Psychology (Director: Christian Doeller) at the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences in Leipzig, Germany.

We are seeking highly talented candidates to contribute to our long-term goal to identify the fundamental neural coding principles underlying human thinking and behaviour. The successful candidate should have a strong background in computational neuroscience and should have experience in either developing or applying (or both) computational models in cognitive neuroscience (models applicable to human behavioural or neural data or both). Areas of expertise can for instance include reinforcement learning and cognitive maps, successor representations of state spaces, computational models of spatial navigation, computational approaches to assess neural geometry, or deep neural networks applied to cognitive neuroscience.

Within a general framework of ‘cognitive spaces’, the Department tests the overarching hypothesis that the spatial coding principles of the hippocampal-entorhinal system provide a geometric code for domain-general high-level cognition. This broad mission of our Department is reflected in a wide variety of research areas in cognitive neuroscience, including spatial navigation, memory, time processing, learning and decision making, knowledge acquisition, and perception; and translational research on population coding in the hippocampal-entorhinal system and Alzheimer’s disease. Our key research methods are fMRI (including high-field MRI at 7T), MEG, virtual reality (VR), a wide variety of cognitive tasks, psychophysics, machine learning and deep neural networks. Pursuing an integrative neuroscience approach, the Department has structural, long-term cooperative links to the Kavli Institute for Systems Neuroscience in Trondheim, Norway.

The candidate will be part of a highly collaborative, interdisciplinary and international team embedded in a unique world-leading research environment with outstanding facilities and research infrastructure (four 3T MR scanners including Siemens Connectom, one 7T MR scanner, MEG, EEG, VR labs, eye tracking and psychophysics labs, and access to neurological patients through the Day Clinic for Cognitive Neurology).

Applicants must have a PhD in (computational) cognitive (neuro)science, psychology, biology, computer science, physics or related disciplines. A strong interest in cognitive neuroscience concepts and methods and familiarity with high-level programming languages is important. The applicant should be able to demonstrate a consistently outstanding academic track record. We expect high ambition from our group members, along with excellent communication skills, being a team player and being driven by scientific curiosity. We offer cutting-edge cognitive neuroscience projects at the forefront of science with societal relevance, the opportunity to co-supervise PhD students from our competitive Graduate Schools, access to the best international scientific networks, long-term career support within and beyond academia and a pleasant, creative and dynamic work environment.

The position is available from October 2022 onwards, but the starting date is flexible. Positions are funded for three years initially, with the possibility of extension. Salary depends on experience and is based on regulations of the Max Planck Society. The Max Planck Society is committed to increasing the number of individuals with disabilities in its workforce and therefore encourages applications from such individuals. Furthermore, the Max Planck Society strives for gender equity and welcomes applications from all backgrounds.

To apply, please include all documents in one PDF-file (your name as file name) in the following order: a max. 2-page letter describing your personal qualifications, research interests and motivation, a max. 3-page CV, a page with contact information for 2-3 references, and copies of up to three of your publications. Please submit your application via our online system (the subject heading is “PD 19/22”). The deadline for application submission is 15 August 2022. Interviews of shortlisted candidates are planned in September.

Leipzig is a vibrant city that has been called “Germany’s new cultural hot spot” by the Guardian and listed as one of the 52 places to go in 2020 by the New York Times. It has a long-standing history of classical music, academic education, and —recently— modern arts. With its many parks, forests, canals and lakes, Leipzig is a perfect place for recreation, sports, and leisure time. It is located a one hour train ride south of Berlin.

Contact for informal enquiries regarding the post: Susanne Starke. For more information, see https://www.cbs.mpg.de/departments/psychology and https://doellerlab.com/.