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EURAXESS Researchers in motion

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The Human Resources Strategy for Researchers
15 May 2024

Job Information

Organisation/Company
Radboud University
Research Field
Physics
Researcher Profile
First Stage Researcher (R1)
Country
Netherlands
Application Deadline
Type of Contract
Temporary
Job Status
Not Applicable
Hours Per Week
38.0
Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme?
Not funded by a EU programme
Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure?
No

Offer Description

The last decade has witnessed a paradigm shift in how we view perception and cognition. Brains are increasingly thought of as prediction machines. Come and join us as a PhD candidate to work on this exciting hypothesis. In this research project, you will capitalise on recent advances in artificial intelligence (AI) for providing a richer and more computationally explicit test of predictive processing in perception.

Recent advances in the field of artificial intelligence and machine learning have put artificial neural networks firmly on the map as a promising approach to both model and understand biological brains. This PhD project aims to harness the recent progress in AI to build computationally explicit models (Artificial Neural Networks, ANNs) that embody the principles of predictive processing. The ultimate goal is to better understand the neural mechanisms underlying our remarkable perceptual abilities by comparing artificial and biological networks in terms of neural and behavioural representations during naturalistic conditions.

As a PhD candidate, you will use a computational approach to model and predict neural responses within the human visual system as well as behavioural performance, and test the neural and behavioural implications of different predictive neural architectures. The experimental and computational work will be conducted at the Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour at Radboud University (Nijmegen, Netherlands). You will join a team of computational and cognitive neuroscientists with complementary expertise, headed by Prof Floris de Lange. You will be an active team member of the Predictive Brain Lab, an internationally renowned, diverse and stimulating research group examining how the brain combines prior knowledge and incoming information to generate perception and cognition. You will not have a teaching task.

Requirements

Specific Requirements
  • You have an MSc in Cognitive Neuroscience, Artificial Intelligence, or a related field.
  • You have an affinity with programming and possess demonstrable experience using techniques for quantitative data analysis (e.g. in Matlab or Python).
  • You are highly motivated to conduct interdisciplinary empirical research at the intersection of AI/Machine Learning and Cognitive Neuroscience.
  • You have good collaborative and communication skills.

Additional Information

Benefits
  • We will give you a temporary employment contract (1.0 FTE) of 1,5 years, after which your performance will be evaluated. If the evaluation is positive, your contract will be extended by 2.5 years (4-year contract).
  • You will receive a starting salary of €2,770 gross per month based on a 38-hour working week, which will increase to €3,539 in the fourth year (salary scale P).
  • You will receive an 8% holiday allowance and an 8,3% end-of-year bonus.
  • You will be able to use our Dual Career and Family Support Service. The Dual Career Programme assists your partner via support, tools, and resources to improve their chances of independently finding employment in the Netherlands. Our Family Support Service helps you and your partner feel welcome and at home by providing customised assistance in navigating local facilities, schools, and amenities. Also take a look at our support for international staff page to discover all our services for international employees.
  • 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.


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.

Additional comments

Address your letter of application to prof. Floris de Lange In the application form, you will find which documents you need to include with your application.

The first interviews will take place on 1 July. Any second interview will take place on 8 July. You will preferably start your employment on 1 September 2024.

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.

Website for additional job details

Work Location(s)

Number of offers available
1
Company/Institute
Radboud Universiteit
Country
Netherlands
City
Nijmegen
Postal Code
6525XZ
Street
Houtlaan 4
Geofield

Contact

City
Nijmegen
Website
Street
Houtlaan 4
Postal Code
6525 XZ

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