Connectionists: Two Postdoctoral Researchers for the Language in Interaction Research Consortium

Fri Aug 30 07:31:21 EDT 2019

Two Postdoctoral Researchers for the Language in Interaction Research Consortium

  *   40 hours per week
  *   Maximum gross monthly salary: € 4,978
  *   Dutch Research Consortium 'Language in Interaction'
  *   Duration of the contract: 3 years
  *   Application deadline: 22 September 2019

We are looking for
We are looking for highly motivated candidates to enrich a unique Dutch consortium of researchers that aims to cross the boundaries of various disciplines to unravel the neurocognitive mechanisms of language and its interaction with other cognitive systems. This specific project aims to advance our understanding of the mechanisms of fast, flexible linguistic inference by leveraging recent major advances in our understanding of the representations and computations necessary for sequential model-based action planning.

Currently, our consortium advertises two Postdoctoral Researcher positions. These positions provide the opportunity for conducting world-class research as a member of an interdisciplinary team. Each position has its own requirements and profile<https://www.languageininteraction.nl/BQ5-2a.html>.

We ask
Each position has its own requirements and profile.
More information on: https://www.languageininteraction.nl/BQ5-2a.html

General requirements for all positions are:

  *   a degree in cognitive science, cognitive neuroscience, computational cognitive neuroscience, computer science, mathematics, mathematical psychology, formal linguistics, or a related field;
  *   affinity with quantitative analyses;
  *   strong motivation;
  *   excellent proficiency in written and spoken English.

Applications from excellent candidates with a less than ideal profile will also be considered.

We are
The Netherlands has an outstanding track record in the language sciences. The Language in Interaction research consortium, sponsored by a large grant from the Dutch Research Council (NWO), brings together many of the excellent research groups in the Netherlands with a research programme on the foundations of language. In addition to excellence in the domain of language and related relevant fields of cognition, our consortium provides state-of-the-art research facilities and a research team with ample experience in the complex research methods that will be invoked to address the scientific questions at the highest level of methodological sophistication. These include methods from genetics, neuroimaging, computational modelling, and patient-related research. This consortium realises both quality and critical mass for studying human language at a scale not easily found anywhere else.

We have identified five Big Questions (BQ) that are central to our understanding of the human language faculty. These questions are interrelated at multiple levels. Teams of researchers will collaborate to collectively address these key questions of our field.

Our five Big Questions<https://www.languageininteraction.nl/Bigquestions.html> are:
BQ1: The nature of the mental lexicon: How to bridge neurobiology and psycholinguistic theory by computational modelling?
BQ2: What are the characteristics and consequences of internal brain organization for language?
BQ3: Creating a shared cognitive space: How is language grounded in and shaped by communicative settings of interacting people?
BQ4: Variability in language processing and in language learning: Why does the ability to learn language change with age? How can we characterise and map individual language skills in relation to the population distribution?
BQ5: Inference for language and action planning: Common computations?

You will be appointed at the Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging<https://www.ru.nl/donders/>, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands. Both successful candidates will become members of our Big Question 5 team. The research is conducted in an international setting. English is the lingua franca.

Radboud University has seven faculties, which together cover the full range of academic disciplines. Its teaching and research staff hail from more than fifty countries. With several brand new buildings and state-of-the-art facilities, the leafy modern campus in Nijmegen provides an open and welcoming environment with a personal touch, encouraging the sharing of knowledge among academics, across disciplines, and within and between research institutes. Radboud University firmly believes that a broad perspective is essential for generating new insights and solutions in both science and society.

We offer

  *   Employment: 40 hours per week.
  *   A maximum gross monthly salary of € 4.978 based on a 38-hour working week (salary scale 11).
  *   The exact salary depends on the candidate's qualifications and amount of relevant professional experience. The Collective Labour Agreement (CAO) of Dutch Universities is applicable to this positions.
  *   In addition to the salary: an 8% holiday allowance and an 8.3% end-of-year bonus.
  *   Duration of the contract: you will be appointed for an initial period of 12 months, after which your performance will be evaluated. If the evaluation is positive, the contract will be extended by 24 months.
  *   Dutch Universities and the institute involved have regulations in place that enable their staff to create a good work-life balance.
  *   You will be able to make use of our Dual Career Service<https://www.ru.nl/english/working-at/why-work-at-radboud-university-0/our-way-working-personal-approach/dual-career-service/>: our Dual Career Officer will assist with family-related support, such as child care, and help your partner prepare for the local labour market and with finding an occupation.
  *   Are you interested in our excellent employment conditions<https://www.ru.nl/english/working-at/why-work-at-radboud-university-0/terms-employment>?

The institute involved is an equal opportunity employer, committed to building a culturally diverse intellectual community, and as such encourages applications from women and minorities.

Would you like more information?
Additional information can be obtained from the contacts for the different positions.

Position 1: Dr. Andrea E. Martin<http://www.andreaemartin.com>, Dr. Ashley Lewis<https://www.ru.nl/english/people/lewis-a/>, and Dr. Saskia Haegens<http://www.saskiahaegens.com/>
Position 2: Dr. Andrea E. Martin<http://www.andreaemartin.com> and Dr. Iris van Rooij <http://www.socsci.ru.nl/irisvr/>

Apply directly
Please address your application to Dr Andrea Martin and submit it, via apply directly<http://www.ru.nl/applyonline?tk=uk&recid=1059938>, no later than 22 September 2019, 23:59 Amsterdam Time Zone.
Your application should include the following attachments:

  *   A cover letter quoting at the top the number of the position you apply for.
  *   Your curriculum vitae, including a list of publications and the names of at least two persons who can provide references.

Please apply before September 22, 2019, 23:59 Amsterdam Time Zone

For more information on your application: +31 24 3611173.

No commercial propositions please.

Julia Verhoef
Secretary Language in Interaction consortium

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