PhD position in cognitive neuroscience of motivation and perception University of Giessen, Germany

Applications are invited for a PhD position in the Psychology department at the University of Giessen, Germany. The position is available from 1 April 2014 through December 2017 and is funded by the project grant “The interaction of visual and motivational salience in natural-scene perception” as part of the Collaborative Research Centre SFB/TRR 135 under the umbrella theme “Cardinal mechanisms of perception: Prediction, valuation, categorization”. The position is on the TV-H E13 scale (65%) for public employees.

The project will investigate the influence of visual object properties on motivational learning and decision-making using fMRI. The department offers a research-dedicated 3T MRI scanner with eye-tracking and peripheral physiology equipment. The successful candidate will be responsible for collecting and analyzing fMRI data using computational models of learning and decision-making and for writing scientific papers. We encourage research visits in collaborating research groups abroad (NYU, Computational Neuroscience of Learning and Decision Making, PI: Nathaniel Daw).

We are looking for highly motivated candidates with a Master’s degree (or equivalent) in neuroscience, psychology, biology or a related field and with a strong interest in cognitive neuroscience and the ability to work independently. Excellent programming skills and proficiency in English are essential; prior experience in computational neuroscience and experience with fMRI are of advantage.

Please send your CV, transcripts or degree certificates, a brief statement of research interests and contact details of two referees by e-mail to bianca.wittmann@psychol.uni-giessen.de. Applications will be considered until the position is filled.