FUNDED RESEARCH ASSISTANT POSITION -SIGN LANGUAGE AND READING IN THE BRAIN

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

1. INFORMATION ABOUT THE POSITION

Position: Research Assistant
Researcher Profile: First Stage Researcher (R1- up to the point of PhD)

Number of vacancies: 1
Project: Sign language and reading in the brain
Location: Spain > San Sebastian
Research Field: Cognitive Neuroscience
Type of contract/Duration of Contract: Temporary: 6 months
Job Status: Full-time
Hours per week: 35
Starting date: 1st of March 2025
Application deadline: 7th February 2025

Information about the project:

The Basque Center on Cognition, Brain and Language (BCBL) is offering a research assistant position aimed at investigating the neural circuitry involved in reading. The research will entail acquiring new MRI data, utilize already acquired data and conducting analyses on functional and structural MRI data.

Job description:

Collaborating on finalizing experimental designs, implementing them, and collecting data
Analysing neuroimaging and behavioral data
Identifying improvements or proposing new analysis pipelines.
Writing research papers under the supervision of the Principal Investigators (PI), with the aim of publishing in top-tier journals.
Disseminating results at international scientific conferences.

PI and research group:

PIs Garikoitz Lerma-Usabiaga, Brendan Costello and Kepa Paz-Alonso will supervise the research assistant work on the research project. They are members of the Language and Memory Control and Neurobiology of Language research groups at BCBL, where they are developing new experimental and MRI protocols to further understand the reading circuitry and low-level visual processes associated with reading. Their work combines advanced functional and structural MRI brain imaging techniques, and state-of-the-art computational methods.

2. CANDIDATES’ PROFILE AND SELECTION CRITERIA

Required skills:

Background in cognitive neuroscience
Master's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Psychology, Neuroscience, or a related field
Excellent computational skills in Python
Excellent written and oral communication skills in English

Desirable skills:

Experience with state-of-the-art neuroimaging techniques and analysis
Experience using machine learning tools and/or computational models.
Previous experience in participating in research projects (e.g., data collection, analysis

We welcome applications from deaf candidates.

3. WORKING CONDITIONS

Salary: 19,200€/year

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 opportunities 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

BCBL seeks to foster an environment where all talents can flourish, regardless of gender, age, cultural background, nationality or impairments. If you have any questions relating to accessibility or support contact us.

4. OTHER RELEVANT INFORMATION:

Language policy

The corporate language at the Center is English
The center offers initial level Spanish, Basque and Spanish Sign Language lessons to all international staff members
The interview will be conducted entirely in English

5. APPLICATION PROCESS:

Submission of the application and documentation:

To submit your application, please follow this link: applying for “RA - Sign language and reading in the brain” and attach the following documentation:

A curriculum vitae
A statement outlining research interests and motivation to apply for the position
Transcript of records for the completed master's and bachelor's degrees
Two letters of recommendation

Learn more about the BCBL’s OTM-R policy

Application process timetable: