at the BCBL- Basque Center on Cognition Brain and Language (San Sebastián, Basque Country, Spain) www.bcbl.eu 
1. INFORMATION ABOUT THE POSITION
- Position: PhD student
- Researcher Profile: First Stage Researcher (R1- up to the point of PhD)
- Number of vacancies: 1
- Location: Spain > San Sebastian
- Research Field: Psychology > Cognition and Language
- Type of contract/Duration of Contract: Temporary 1+3 years (i.e., the duration of the grant and the labour contract will be one year and can be extendable for 3 more years; maximum 48 consecutive months)
- Job Status: Full-time
- Hours per week: 35
- Starting date: before 01/02/2026 (to be confirmed by official announcement)
- Application deadline: 27/07/2025
The Neurolinguistics and Aphasia group (https://www.bcbl.eu/en/research/research-groups/neurolinguistics-aphasia#show) at the Basque Center on Cognition, Brain and Language (San-Sebastián-Donostia, Spain) aims to sponsor a candidate for a Basque Government Predoctoral Fellowship (“Programa Predoctoral de Formación de Personal Investigador No Doctor”; a competitive call for predoctoral fellowships awarded by the Basque Government – see last year’s call here).
Project summary:
In a longitudinal study, we investigate the recovery of distinct language (e.g., syntax, semantics, phonology) and domain-general functions (e.g., reasoning, attention, memory) in acute, subacute and chronic stroke patients, to monitor the trajectory of their recovery and their potential interaction
Job description:
We seek a highly motivated candidate with a background in psycho-/neurolinguistics. They will be involved in (i) developing and conducting research projects on language comprehension and production and their recovery after stroke; (ii) analyzing data and (iii) disseminating the results in scientific conferences (oral presentations/posters) and peer-reviewed journals.
PI and research group:
The candidate will form part of the Neurolinguistics and Aphasia group under the direct supervision of Dr. Simona Mancini. The Neurolinguistics and Aphasia group uses various techniques (e.g., behavioral testing, eyetracking EEG/MEG, fMRI) and designs (cross-linguistic, cross-sectional, longitudinal) to investigate the mechanisms underlying language comprehension and production and their interaction with other cognitive domains, across distinct populations (speakers with and without language impairment) and contexts (e.g., recovery from stroke). The group also actively collaborates with clinicians to transfer the results of fundamental research into clinical settings, with the goal to improve detection, diagnosis and treatment of language impairment.
2. CANDIDATES’ PROFILE AND SELECTION CRITERIA
Eligibility:
- Certificate of Residence in the Basque Country (empadronamiento) at the time of application and, at least, since: 1st January 2025
- A university degree (Bachelor’s) in Psychology, Neuroscience, Linguistics, and/or neighboring areas obtained on June 2021 or later (extensions may apply, e.g., in the case of maternity)
- A Master’s (or equivalent) degree in Psychology, Neuroscience, Linguistics, Neuropsychology, Speech-Language Pathology and/or neighboring areas)
- A minimum of 300 ECTS, 60 of which should correspond to Master’s degree level.
Required skills:
- Native knowledge of Spanish and/or Basque
- Excellent written and oral communication skills in English
Desirable skills:
- Neuropsychology or speech-language pathology background
- Statistics skills (e.g., R, SPSS)
- Programming skills (e.g., Python, Matlab)
3. WORKING CONDITIONS
Salary: TBD (pending official announcement)
(Last year’s call can be found here [in Basque and Spanish], approximate gross salary was ~18.500 – 25.000€/year [depending on the year]. Additional amounts are provided to cover other costs, e.g., travel expenses.)
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
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 corporative language at the center is English
- Knowledge of Spanish and/or Basque will be an asset for this particular position, but it is not required
- The center provides initial level Spanish and Basque lessons to all the international staff members
- The interview will be conducted entirely in English
5. APPLICATION PROCESS:
Submission of the application and documentation:
Interested candidates are invited to send their CV and a brief research statement (1-2 pages) describing their research interests and previous experience (if any), as well as contact data of 1-2 referees to Dr. Simona Mancini (s.mancini@bcbl.eu) by 28/07/2025.
Application process timeline:
- Deadline for application: 28/07/2025
- Interviews: 16/07/2025 – 06/08/2025
- Final decision: 08/08/2025
- The selected candidate will be invited to apply for a Basque Government Predoctoral Fellowship (i.e., awarded by the Basque Government). The BCBL admin team will support the selected candidate within the application process.
Contact details for enquiries: hr@bcbl.eu
