Connectionists: Post doc position in intracranial EEG analysis - Prague, Czech Republic

[jiri.hammer at lfmotol.cuni.cz]

Title: Postdoc - neural dynamics during sensorimotor and cognitive tasks
from the perspective of intracranial EEG

Body:
There is a postdoc opening at the 2nd Faculty of Medicine, Charles
University in Prague, Czech Republic, in collaboration with the Department
of Cybernetics, Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Czech Technical
University in Prague.
Start: January 1st, 2024 or later
Funding: available for up to 5 years, salary around 54.000 CZK (ca 2.200
EUR) of net income.

The postdoc will be supervised by Dr. Jiri Hammer
(https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C5&q=jiri+hammer&btnG=)
whose expertise is in cognitive neuroscience and specifically in the
intracranial EEG recordings.

Intracranial EEG (iEEG) is a unique tool for cognitive research as it
allows monitoring of brain activity at high temporal (millisecond),
spectral (up to 200 Hz) and spatial (millimeter) resolution. iEEG is
recorded in patients with pharmacoresistant epilepsy. During their
video-iEEG monitoring period (1-2 weeks), various cognitive experiments
can be performed in agreement with the patient.  Unlike other imaging
methods, iEEG is much less sensitive to movement artifacts and can thus be
employed in paradigms with more ecological settings.

One project  “the interplay of movement and touch” will involve analysis
of iEEG dynamics during reaching to tactile stimuli on the body. Here, the
iEEE recordings will be complemented by motion capture and eventually by
embodied computational modeling using baby humanoid robots - through
collaboration with the humanoid, cognitive, and neurorobotics group
(https://cyber.felk.cvut.cz/research/groups-teams/humanoids/) coordinated
by Prof. Matej Hoffmann (https://sites.google.com/site/matejhof/).

Another project could be called “from simple to natural and ecologically
valid stimuli”. A classic way to investigate brain function is to present
a stimulus (e.g. visual, auditory) and observe the response. However, most
stimuli are static images or isolated sounds, strongly contrasting with
our everyday experience. In this task, we plan to delineate the brain
responses measured by iEEG among stimuli gradually ranging from the
simplest (screen flashes and beeps) to very complex (watching movies or
listening to music).

We are also open to new ideas of the applicant.

Research infrastructure
The group of Dr. Hammer at the 2nd Faculty of Medicine and Motol
University Hospital in Prague, Czech Republic, has a long-term experience
in recording the intracranial EEG (iEEG) data in epilepsy-surgery patients
during their video-iEEG monitoring. The experimental setup and the
cooperation with the staff of the Motol University Hospital is well
established.

The humanoids group has at its disposal several humanoid robots, including
the baby humanoid iCub with 4000 pressure-sensitive receptors on its body
surfaces. Additional infrastructure includes a 3D Motion Capture System.
The group has access to a high-performance computational cluster.

International collaborations
Dr. Hammer has a long-term collaboration with:
Prof. Tonio Ball, from the Neuromedical AI Lab, Medical Center –
University of Freiburg, Germany.
Prof. Julien Bastin from the Grenoble Institute of Neurosciences in France.

Prof. Hoffmann has long-standing collaborations with experts in
developmental psychology: Dr. Kevin O’Regan (CNRS, Paris), Prof. Jeffrey
J. Lockman (Tulane University, New Orleans)
cognitive psychology and neuroscience: Prof. Tobias Heed (Uni. Salzburg), 
Dr. Jean-Paul Noel (Center for Neural Science at New York University),
Prof. Matthew Longo (Birkbeck University, London)

We seek applicants with a background in cognitive neuroscience or
psychology. Prior experience with brain imaging methods (e.g., EEG, fMRI)
is a plus. Skills or interest in computational modeling is also an
advantage.

How to apply. The application should include:
- Motivation letter (max. 1 page)
- CV (including 2 reference persons)
- 1 Letter of recommendation (can be from 1 of the reference persons above)
Please send the application or inquiries to jiri.hammer at lfmotol.cuni.cz 
with (“postdoc application” in the subject). The position is open until
filled.

Best,
Jiri