葡萄牙科英布拉大学招收神经科学博士后

PostDoctoral position in fMRI : Coimbra, Portugal

The PROACTION laboratory (Laboratory for Perception and Recognition of Objects and Actions at the University of Coimbra, Portugal; http://gaius.fpce.uc.pt/pessoais/jorgealmeida/proaction_home.html) is inviting applications for a Postdoctoral Fellow to work with MRI (fMRI, DTI).

Jorge Almeida, the lab’s PI, has developed a series of projects aimed at understanding how low-level visual pathways may have shaped the way in which we recognize objects from visual inspection and how our knowledge about objects is organized. Research in the laboratory involves the use of visual psychophysics and behavioral techniques, TMS and tDCS (Magstim and Stereotactic Image Guided TMS equipment), and fMRI (SIEMENS Trio Tim 3T MRI Scanner). The laboratory is currently funded by the Portuguese Science Foundation (http://www.fct.pt) and Fundação BIAL (http://www.bial.com).

The postdoctoral fellow would be responsible for developing fMRI protocols on the projects undergoing in the lab and would be expected to develop her/his own projects. As such, the Fellow will have an exciting opportunity to pursue collaborative and self-directed projects.

Applicants should have a PhD in psychology, cognitive science, neuroscience or a related field, have a proven record of fMRI research, desirably on Visual Psychophysics and/or semantic memory and (manipulable) object recognition. The applicants should be proficient in fMRI design and analysis, preferentially using BrainVoyager. They should also be proficient in programming in Matlab and Psychtoolbox, and be familiar with the BVQX toolbox for MATLAB. The use of ASF (“A Simple Framework”; Schwarzbach, 2011), as well as some experience with TMS, Eyetracking or Visual psychophysics would be a plus.

The applicant and the lab PI would apply for a joint Researcher grant with a 5 year contract. The call for applications will open soon and is sponsored by the Portuguese National Science Foundation (Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia). All researchers holding a PhD degree, of any nationality, and in any research or academic field may apply. We envision applying to the Starting Grant FCT investigator grant. This grant is aimed at researchers with more than 3 years and less than 8 years post-PhD experience at the time of application. Previous experience of scientific independence is not required. Salary is equated to the salary of an Assistant Professor.

The lab is located in the lively and historical city of Coimbra, surrounded by beautiful landscape, thermal spas, bucolic mountains, rustic towns, and great beaches. The University of Coimbra is one of the oldest Universities in Europe (founded in 1290), and has a large international community (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Coimbra).

Please send an application with your CV, a letter of intent and at least two reference letters to: jorgealmeida(AT)fpce.uc.pt . Informal enquiries are also welcome.