1 Feb
2015
1 Feb
'15
10:51 a.m.
Three Early Stage Researcher positions: Understanding and predicting
developmental language abilities and disorders in multilingual Europe
(PredictAble)
The Marie SkÅ?odowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Innovative Training Networks
(ITN) â??PredictAbleâ?? invites applications for three positions of
Early Stage Researchers (ESRs, PhD students), available from April 1st,
2015 (Berlin, Paris, Potsdam).
*The first position (ESR12) *
*Development of experimental tools and materials valid for
cross-linguistic research and for cross-linguistic diagnostic
assessments in infants and children***
*University of Potsdam, Germany *
Aim of this project it to compile diagnostic test instruments and
experimental settings that can be used in different languages to
evaluate linguistic competencies in infants and children. The successful
candidate will collect, test, and adapt language assessments that can be
used across the different languages in PredictAble (Catalan, Finish,
French, German, Hungarian, Spanish) in cooperation with all partners.
After completion of the language assessment tools, he/she will develop,
test, and adapt experimental designs which can be used in very young
children with the NIRS technology. The position is mainly located at the
University of Potsdam, Germany (Neurocognition of Language Lab,
http://www.uni-potsdam.de/nola) with exchanges to the partner institutions.
Applicants should hold an MSc/MA in language and cognition,
psycholinguistics, linguistics, developmental psychology, cognitive
psychology, or related fields. Demonstrated knowledge of and experience
with experimental research is especially desired (esp. in the field of
language acquisition), as well as knowledge and skills of imaging
methods and statistical analysis methods.
The University of Potsdam hosts leading institutions in the field of
language acquisition, linguistics, and (developmental) cognitive
neuroscience (http://www.uni-potsdam.de/en/humfak/ebkwenglisch.html).
The city of Potsdam is the historical residence of the German emperors,
and its palaces are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Potsdam is close to
Berlin, one of the most culturally vibrant cities in the world and home
to a lively start-up scene. Both cities have a high quality of life at
modest living costs.
*The second position (ESR13)*
*Development of a comprehensive analysis software for analysing NIRS
data acquired in very young children *
*NIRx Medizintechnik GmbH, Berlin, Germany*
The goal of this project is the development of novel algorithms for the
processing, analysis, and spatial mapping of Near-Infrared Spectroscopy
(NIRS, optical imaging) functional imaging data of brain activity in
very young children. While over the last decade NIRS has become a viable
research tool in many domains, because of its non-restricting nature it
has gained special appeal for the functional brain mapping of children.
The proposed work aims at addressing challenges that are particular to
this subject group and which at present still hamper its wider use, such
as the prevalence of fractured/segmented data, the high likelihood of
motion artifacts, and the specific measuring geometry/anatomy. The newly
developed tools are expected to be developed and applied within the
framework of NIRxâ?? existing open access NIRS analysis software in a
modular and expandable fashion. Besides features specific to small child
studies we also anticipate the development of more general neuroimaging
software functionality such as data integration with other modalities
(e.g., EEG, behavioral), data import/export capabilities, and a strong
focus on usability. The work is expected to adhere to best practices for
code development and documentation. The programming is expected to be
predominantly implemented in MATLABâ?¢.
The candidate should hold a Masterâ??s (or comparable) degree in the
Computer Sciences, Electrical Engineering, (Bio-) Physics or similar
disciplines with a strong background in data analysis and programming.
Ideally, the candidate has prior experience in bio-imaging data
processing/work flow and is familiar with the applicable industry
standards (e.g., DICOM). Experience or interest in experimental work in
bio-imaging and/or psychology, while not required, is regarded beneficial.
The location for this research will mainly be at NIRx Medizintechnik
GmbH in Berlin, Germany, with expected close collaboration and visits to
the partnering institutes, especially University of Potsdam, Germany and
Université Paris Descartes, France. NIRx (www.nirx.net
<http://www.nirx.net/>) is widely recognized as an industry leader and
key innovator in the field of functional NIRS imaging and maintains
close research collaborations with a number of international academic
institutions. The German branch is located in the heart of Berlin, one
of the most culturally vibrant cities in the world and home to a lively
start-up scene.
*The third position (ESR14) *
*Infant/child electrophysiology, implementation of signal processing tools*
*Paris Descartes University, Paris, France*
The mission of this ESR is to develop experimental designs and data
analysis tools for electrophysiological (EEG) measures, allowing the
early identification of language delay at the single participant level.
This is a particularly challenging task with young infants and children
who typically provide noisy EEG data due to movement and other
artifacts. The ESR will be expected to design and run experimental
paradigms that can achieve high quality data in individual participants,
and enable co-recording with eye-tracking and NIRS. The ESR will also be
required to adapt existing analysis tools (e.g. EEGLab) and to develop
new ones, e.g. using high-density EEG recordings (source localization,
time-frequency analysis) to provide the most suitable methods for group
as well as individual level data analysis, leading to the identification
of early neural predictors of language delay. Interfacing the EEG
analysis tools with NIRS, eye-tracking and other methods will also be
necessary. The programming is expected to be predominantly implemented
in MATLABâ?¢.
The ESR is expected to pursue a PhD degree within the program.
Therefore, prerequisite for the candidate is the academic merit to be
admitted into a PhD program. The candidate should hold a Masterâ??s (or
comparable) degree in Psychology, Neuroscience, Biomedical Engineering,
(Bio)Physics or similar disciplines with a strong background in data
analysis and programming. Experience with or interest in experimental
work in bio-imaging and/or psychology, as well as in experimentation
with infant/child populations, while not required, is regarded as
beneficial. The working language is English.
The location for this research will mainly be at the Laboratoire
Psychologie de la Perception, in Paris, France with expected close
collaboration and visits to the partnering institutes, especially
University of JyvaÌ?skyla, Finland.
The working language for all positions is English. The ESRs are expected
to pursue a PhD. The duration of the appointment is 36 months. There are
no tuition fees. Salary (living allowance and mobility allowance) is
given in accordance with Marie Curie European regulations.
Note that we can only hire early stage researchers (i.e., candidates who
are in the first four years of his/her research career and not have a
doctoral degree) and only candidates who not have resided in the country
where the research training activities take place for more than 12
months in the 3 years immediately prior to the recruitment date (and not
have carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in that country).
Please send your application including: (1) a statement of research
interests and motivation, (2) a full CV, (3) the names and e-mail
addresses of at least two referees, (4) academic transcript, (5) list of
publications/talks/posters, (6) a copy of the master's thesis, and (7) a
statement of residency in the past 3 years as a single PDF by February,
15, 2015, to Christine Goerting: goerting [-at-] uni-potsdam.de
<http://uni-potsdam.de>. Please clearly indicate in the subject line for
which of the three positions you apply (Marie Curie ESR12, ESR13, or ESR14).
---------------------
Judit Gervain
Laboratoire Psychologie de la Perception
UMR 8158 CNRS-Paris Descartes
45 rue des Saints-Pères, Paris, 75006, France
+33142862197 (office)
judit.gervain(a)parisdescartes.fr <mailto:judit.gervain@parisdescartes.fr>
https://sites.google.com/site/juditgervain/