SPONSORSHIP FOR JUAN DE LA CIERVA POSTDOCTORAL FELLOWSHIP - SIGN LANGUAGE & DEAFNESS GROUP (B.C.) |

at the BCBL- Basque Center on Cognition Brain and Language (San Sebastián, Basque Country, Spain) www.bcbl.eu

INFORMATION ABOUT THE POSITION

Position: Postdoctoral researcher
Researcher Profile: Recognised Researcher (R2 - PhD holders or equivalent who are not yet fully independent)
Number of vacancies: 1
Location: Spain > Donostia-San Sebastián
Founding source: Ministry of Science, Innovation, and Universities, (MICIU) and the European Social Fund Plus (FSE+).
Research Field: Psychology > Cognition and Language / Linguistics
Type of contract/Duration of Contract: Temporary, 2 years
Job Status: Full-time
Hours per week: 35
Starting date: on or before September 1, 2027 (specific dates to be confirmed by the official AEI announcement)
Internal application deadline at the BCBL: November 5, 2025
Application deadline at the AEI: from November 25 to December 17, 2025

The Sign Language & Deafness research group (within the Neurobiology of Language Research Group) at the Basque Center on Cognition, Brain and Language (San-Sebastián-Donostia, Spain) aims to sponsor a candidate for an Juan de la Cierva Postdoctoral fellowship, a competitive call for postdoctoral fellowships awarded by the Ministry of Science, Innovation, and Universities (MICIU) and the European Social Fund Plus (FSE+) – see last year’s call here (only available in Spanish): https://www.aei.gob.es/convocatorias/buscador-convocatorias/ayudas-contratos-juan-cierva-2024.

The selected candidate will be invited to apply for a Juan de la Cierva Fellowship with the support of the PI and the BCBL admin team. If granted the fellowship, the candidate will have the opportunity to design and carry out their own postdoctoral research project, fitting within the group's research lines.

Project summary:

The group studies how sign language is structured and represented by the mind. Sign languages offer unique insight into how language can operate in a different modality and, more generally, how modality affects language structure and processing. Such work contributes to understanding the cognitive reality of deaf individuals’ language use and development, and also to broadening our understanding of language per se.

Potential projects include, but are not limited to, the following topics:

The structure of the sign language lexicon and the role of iconicity
Cortical tracking in sign language
Bimodal bilingualism
Sign language assessment and evaluation (as L1 or L2)
The impact of modality on language and the use of space in sign language

Job description

We are seeking a highly motivated researcher with a strong interest in psycholinguistics, neurcognition and experimental research on sign language processing. The successful candidate will receive training in psycholinguistic and neurocognitive approaches to sign language. The position involves designing and implementing experimental studies that align with the research lines of the group, as well as preparing research papers under the supervision of the PI, with the goal of publishing in high-impact international journals. The candidate will be encouraged to present research findings at international conferences and to actively contribute to the collaborative and interdisciplinary environment of the lab. The Basque Center on Cognition, Brain and Language (BCBL) offers a dynamic and stimulating research environment, with access to cutting-edge facilities and a wide range of techniques, including MEG and fMRI. More information about the BCBL can be found at https://www.bcbl.eu/en

PI and research group:

The candidate will form part of the Sign Language research group under the direct supervision of Dr. Brendan Costello.

CANDIDATE PROFILE AND SELECTION CRITERIA

Elegibility (based on last year’s call, subject to change):

PhD degree obtained between 01/01/2024 and 31/12/2025 for the general access shift and JDC-INIA-CCAA shift, extension due to: situations of temporary disability; maternity/paternity leave -1 year per child-; pregnancy sick; parental/family leave (“excedencia”) or reduction in working hours (“reducción de jornada”) for children/family care of at least 3 months in both cases; care-taking of dependent persons; or other sick-leave over 3 months, if any of these situations has happened between the PhD award date and application deadline. For those candidates who hold more than 1 PhD degree, the previous conditions apply to the 1st degree. Note: Please check art. 6.1 a) of the call text for more detailed information about the aforementioned situations.
Mobility criteria: having taken the predoctoral training in some research organization different from the one the candidate will join with the grant. Note: Please check art. 6.1 b) for further information.
To not have submitted an application for Ramón y Cajal 2025 Call (RyC 2025).
Not having obtained a “Juan de la Cierva”, “Formación Postdoctoral”, “Juan de la Cierva-Formación” or “Juan de la Cierva-Incorporación” grants before.
No restrictions regarding the nationality of the candidate.

Required skills:

PhD in Psychology, Linguistics, Cognitive Science, Neuroscience, or related field, obtained within the eligibility period specified for the Juan de la Cierva program
Strong analytic skills and ability for critical thinking
Solid research background in experimental methods
Excellent written and communication skills in English
Excellent time management skills
Commitment to and capacity for teamwork

Desirable skills:

Knowledge of Spanish Sign Language or any other signed language, or a strong willingness to learn
Data processing and analysis skills with relevant software (e.g. R, Python, ELAN)
Programming skills (e.g. PsychoPy, MATLAB, OpenSesame)
Evidence of high-quality scientific output, including publications in international peer-reviewed journals

WORKING CONDITIONS

Salary:

30.000€ gross annual salary
Additional 7.400€ are provided to cover the expenses directly related to the execution of their research activities.

Entitlements and other benefits: https://www.bcbl.eu/en/join-us/what-is-like-to-work-bcbl

Training opportunities and Career development plan:

Researchers at any stage of their career, regardless of their contractual situation, are given an opportunity for professional development and for improving their employability through access to a Personal Career Development Plan which includes

(1) Training through individually personalized research projects under senior supervision

(2) Exchanging knowledge with the scientific community and the general public

(3) Network-wide training in theory and methods

(4) Complementary training courses

(5) Involvement in proposal writing, task coordination

(6) Development of skills for the organization of training and scientific events

Postdoctoral researchers at the BCBL can acquire mentoring skills by co-supervising Master’s and PhD students. Additionally, there is the opportunity to gain teaching experience on the BCBL’s Master’s program in the cognitive neuroscience of language.

BCBL seeks to foster an environment where all talents can flourish, regardless of gender, sex, sexual orientation, age, sociocultural background, nationality or impairments. We are proud to have in place both an LGTBIQ+ Plan and a Gender Equality Plan to actively promote inclusion and equal opportunities. If you have any questions relating to accessibility or support, please contact us. We welcome applications from deaf candidates.

OTHER RELEVANT INFORMATION

Language policy

The corporate language at the center is English; the Sign Language Group uses English, Spanish and LSE (Spanish Sign Language) and various members have working knowledge of International Sign.
Knowledge of Spanish, Basque and/or LSE will be an asset for this position, but it is not required
The center offers initial level Spanish, Basque and LSE lessons to all international staff members
The interview will be conducted entirely in English or adapted to the communicative needs of deaf candidates

APPLICATION PROCESS

Submission of the application and documentation:

Interested candidates are invited to send their CV and a brief research statement describing their research interests and previous experience, as well as contact data of 1-2 referees to Dr. Brendan Costello (b.costello@bcbl.eu) by 5^th November, 2025.

Timeline:

Deadline for application: 5^th November, 2025
13-14^th November, 2025
17^th November, 2025
The selected candidate will be invited to apply for a Juan de la Cierva Postdoctoral Fellowship. The BCBL admin team will support the selected candidate within the application process.

Contact details for enquiries:

For technical problems please contact: hr@bcbl.eu

For inquiries or questions related to the content of the position and/or information about the research group please contact: b.costello@bcbl.eu