The Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Health, Aarhus University invites applications for a position as Postdoc in the field of Cognitive Neuroscience. The starting date is 1 November 2024 or as soon as possible thereafter. The position is a fixed-term full-time position for 2 years, with the possibility of an extension.

As a Postdoc at the Department of Clinical Medicine, you will be part of one of the largest health science research departments in Denmark. Our clinical research covers all medical specialities and takes place in close collaboration with Aarhus University Hospital and the regional hospitals in the Central Denmark Region. We are around 670 academic employees, 500 PhD students and 160 technical/administrative employees who are cooperating across disciplines. You will be working within the Center for Functionally Integrative Neuroscience (CFIN). You can read more about the department here and about the faculty here.

CFIN is an international, multidisciplinary research centre. Research at CFIN include fields such as cognitive neuroscience, neuroimaging, machine learning and biophysics. Investigators at CFIN are supported by state-of-the-art research facilities, including MRI, MEG, OPM-MEG, EEG, PET, TMS, eye-tracking and more. You can read more about the centre here. CFIN is part of the Danish Neuroscience Center (DNC) and the NeuroCampus Aarhus network alongside other leading neuroscience centres such as DANDRITE. You can read more about DNC here and about the network here.

The beautiful Aarhus University campus is located close to the downtown of Aarhus, the second largest city in Denmark with about 400,000 inhabitants. Aarhus has a lively and charming downtown close to the Aarhus Bay at the Baltic Sea and opportunities for outdoor activities are within easy reach. In Denmark, access to schools, higher education, and health care is free. Generous parental agreements are available. People moving to Denmark are also eligible for free Danish classes if desired.

About the position

The successful applicant will join the Deep Cognitive Neuroscience (DCN) lab, led by Dan Bang, at CFIN. The DCN lab applies a multi-modal, cognitive neuroscience-based approach to understanding decision-making, learning and mental representations. The DNC lab combines behavioural experiments and computational modelling with electrochemical (dopamine, serotonin, noradrenaline) and electrophysiological (spiking activity, LFPs) recordings from deep brain structures in awake neurosurgical patients. In addition, the DCN lab uses functional neuroimaging (fMRI/MEG) and online data collection in healthy participants.

The successful applicant will take a leading role in the design and execution of studies using recordings in neurosurgical patients. This work will include the development of tasks that probe decision-making, learning and mental representations; liaison with neurosurgeons, neurologists and other clinical staff; data collection in the operating room, typically in the context of the surgical implantation of deep brain stimulating (DBS) electrodes for the treatment of movement disorders (e.g., Parkinson’s disease, essential tremor); analysis and modelling of data; and the preparation of publications, conference presentations and other research outputs. The nature of the work means that travel and flexibility with working hours may occasionally be required (e.g., early start on surgery days). The successful applicant may also be involved in studies in healthy participants using cognitive neuroscience-based approaches as well as the supervision of students.

The position is suited for researchers who have finished or are about to finish their PhD in a relevant subject area, such as neuroscience, experimental psychology or cognitive science. The ideal applicant is proficient in programming, data analysis and visualisation using Matlab, R and/or Python. The ideal applicant also has experience with task development, the acquisition and analysis of behavioural and neural data as well as computational modelling. Prior experience with electrochemistry and/or electrophysiology is a strength but not required. The position may suit both applicants from human research and someone who wishes to move from animal to human research. The ideal candidate can demonstrate their experience with peer-reviewed articles and/or pre-prints, preferably with accompanying online repositories including data and code; draft articles may be uploaded to the application portal and links to sample repositories may be listed in the cover letter if relevant for demonstrating experience.

The position is funded by a Lundbeck Foundation Fellows award to Dan Bang for the project "Sub-second dopamine and serotonin signalling in the conscious human brain". The project is carried out in close collaboration with Andreas Nørgaard Glud at the Department of Neurosurgery, Aarhus University Hospital; Peter Dayan at the Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, Tübingen; and P. Read Montague at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC, Virginia Tech. The successful candidate will have the opportunity to visit and interact with international collaborators as relevant.

Denmark is home to multiple funding bodies offering attractive grants and fellowships, and the successful candidate will be offered mentorship and support to apply for their own funding.

Your responsibilities

As a Postdoc, your position is primarily research-based but may also involve teaching assignments.

Your main tasks will be:

• To conduct independent research of high international quality, including publications and other research outputs
• To perform the project described above
• To collaborate with lab members and other project participants as required
• To assist with the supervision of students as requested

You will report to Associate Professor Dan Bang.

Your qualifications

In order to be assessed as qualified for a Postdoc position, you must meet these academic criteria. Specific qualifications for the current position are listed below.

Essential

• Academic qualifications at PhD level within neuroscience, experimental psychology, cognitive science or a related subject area; the degree must have been awarded by the start date
• Proficiency in programming, data analysis and visualisation using Matlab, R and/or Python (ideally documented in a GitHub repository or similar)
• Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to work well within a multidisciplinary team
• Excellent communication skills in English, both written and oral
• Willingness to travel and flexibility with work scheduling
• Aptitude for learning (e.g., programming languages, methods)
• Meticulous organisational and project management skills
• Ability to work independently
• Highly self-motivated

Desirable

• Experience with task development (e.g., PsychoPy, Psychotoolbox)
• Experience acquiring and analysing behavioural data
• Experience acquiring and analysing electrochemical data
• Experience acquiring and analysing electrophysiological data (including M/EEG)
• Experience with computational approaches to brain and behaviour (e.g., reinforcement learning or Bayesian inference)
• Experience with other cognitive neuroscience-based approaches (e.g., fMRI, TMS, eye-tracking)
• Experience working with neurological/psychiatric patients
• Good record of peer-reviewed articles and/or pre-prints
• Good record of presentations at scientific meetings

Shortlisting will be used.

Questions about the position

If you have any questions about the position, please contact Dan Bang, danbang@cfin.au.dk.

Your place of work will be the Center of Functionally Integrative Neuroscience, Department of Clinical Medicine, which is located at (1) Aarhus University, Universitetsbyen 3, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark and (2) Aarhus University Hospital, Palle Juul-Jensens Boulevard 99, Entrance J, 8200 Aarhus N, Denmark.

We expect to conduct interviews in the first half of September 2024.
 

Terms of employment

• Appointment as a postdoc requires academic qualifications at PhD level.
• Further information on the appointment procedure can be found in the Ministerial Order on the Appointment of Academic Staff at Universities.
• The appointment is in accordance with the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations (Akademikerne).
• Remuneration is in accordance with the above, and the Salary agreement catalogue for staff at Health.
• The yearly base salary for a fulltime postdoc is between DKK 484.214,84 and DKK 538.720,20 depending on the years of working experience after achieved MSc degree. The base salary includes a position related supplement and pension (17.1 %). Additional supplement(s) for special qualifications can be negotiated. Authorisation supplemement(s) will be granted, if relevant for the position. Your local eligible trade union representative at Aarhus University negotiates your salary on your behalf.
• Researchers recruited from abroad are offered a special researcher tax scheme with a lower tax rate.
• Further information on qualification requirements and job description can be found in the Ministerial Order on Job Structure for Academic Staff

Application

Your application must include the following:

• Motivated application
• Curriculum Vitae
• Diploma
• Template for applicant - postdoc
• A list of publications
• A teaching portfolio. We refer to Guideline on the use of teaching portfolios
• A maximum of five of the publications of greatest relevance to the job may be submitted (optional)
• Research plan can be uploaded (optional)
• Coauthor statement(s) can be uploaded (optional)
• References/recommendations can be uploaded separately in the e-recruitment system (optional)

We refer to the faculty’s Guidelines for applicants.

Aarhus University’s ambition is to be an attractive and inspiring workplace for all and to foster a culture in which each individual has opportunities to thrive, achieve and develop. We view equality and diversity as assets, and we welcome all applicants.

Letter of reference

If you want a referee to upload a letter of reference on your behalf, please state the referee’s contact information when you submit your application. We strongly recommend that you make an agreement with the person in question before you enter the referee’s contact information, and that you ensure that the referee has enough time to write the letter of reference before the application deadline.
Unfortunately, it is not possible to ensure that letters of reference received after the application deadline will be taken into consideration.

International applicant?

Aarhus University offers a broad variety of services for international researchers and accompanying families, including assistance with relocation and career counselling to expat partners. Please find more information about the International Staff Office and the range of services here. Aarhus University also has a Junior Researcher Association and offers career development support. You can read more about these resources here.

The application must be submitted via Aarhus University’s recruitment system, which can be accessed under the job advertisement on Aarhus University's website.