Position: PhD student
Researcher Profile: First Stage Researcher (R1- up to the point of PhD)
Number of vacancies: 1
Project: Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness through the Plan Nacional RTI2018 093547 B I00 (LANGCONN)
Location:  Spain > Donostia-San Sebastian
Research Field: Neuroscience > Cognition and Language
Type of contract/Duration of Contract : Temporary >  4 years
Job Status: Full-time
Hours per week: 35
Starting date: 01/07/2021 (flexible)
Application deadline: 31/05/2021

Information about the project: The Basque Center on Cognition Brain and Language – BCBL- (Donostia-San Sebastián, Basque Country, Spain)

A predoctoral position to work on a translational research project is available in the Neurobiology of Language group, headed by Dr. Manuel Carreiras, at Basque Center on Cognition, Brain, and Language (BCBL).  The appointment is for four years. Starting date is flexible. The project is aimed at investigating to what extent the human brain connectome could be used to identify biomarkers of postsurgical cognitive recovery using presurgical neuro-anatomical and functional information in patients with diffuse low-grade glioma (DLGG).

Project summary: DLGG is a primary brain tumor affecting young individuals in full possession of his/her cognitive faculties. The slow growth of this type of lesion allows the brain to reorganize its structure and functions hampering the onset of the cognitive symptoms. However, DLGG unavoidably evolves to become a more invasive type of tumor, at the expense of both survival and cognitive functional prognosis. This translational project lies at the nexus of neurosurgery, neuroscience, biomedical imaging, computer science, and statistics. Its long-term goal is to build an accurate and reliable model capable of predicting patient’s postsurgical cognitive recovery. This is a primary need, for both clinicians and patients, promoting better outcomes for surgeries, longer life expectancy, and better quality of life for patients. The tools we are planning to develop will allow surgical teams to tailor interventions on a patient-by-patient basis, both before and after the surgery. By applying machine learning algorithms using a compendium of clinical, behavioral, structural, and connectomic features from a large sample of individuals with DLGG and healthy controls we will be able to investigate how the appearance of a brain lesion impacts brain network dynamics, and whether this network malleability represents an adaptive advantage for post-surgery brain recovery processes.

Job description: The selected candidate will participate in several studies that combine clinical parameters, behavioral and neuroimaging data. His/her work will be focused (though not exclusively) on the acquisition, processing, and analysis of functional and diffusion images (DTI) of pathological and healthy participants. The candidate will have the opportunity to be involved in a translational research project where clinical research groups, neuroimaging, and basic research collaborate and will be able to develop the doctoral thesis project in the field of neuroimaging and neuroplasticity. In addition, the selected candidate will have access to cutting-edge research facilities, including MEG, EEG, fMRI, eye-tracking, and psychophysics laboratories.

PI and research group: Dr. Manuel Carreiras - Neurobiology of Language group.

CANDIDATES’ PROFILE AND SELECTION CRITERIA
Required skills:

Possession of a Master degree in cognitive neuroscience, biomedical engineering, experimental psychology, or any other related area.
A strong level of written and spoken English and Spanish.
Programming skills in Matlab, Python, or R environments.
 

Desirable skills:

Research experience with MRI/fMRI
Knowledge of SPM and FSL.
A strong methodological and theoretical background in cognitive neuroscience, biomedical engineering, or related fields.
Previous experience of using machine learning.
Basic skills in statistics, sound processors and graphics.
 
WORKING CONDITIONS
Salary: 17.000 Euros per year (gross salary)

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


OTHER RELEVANT INFORMATION:
Language policy

The corporative language at the Center is English but the national language will be an asset for this particular position
The center provides initial level Spanish and Basque lessons to all the international staff members
The interview will be conducted entirely in English
 

APPLICATION PROCESS:
Submission of the application and documentation:

To submit your application, please follow this link:  applying for “PhD Manuel Carreiras (LANGCONN) 2021” and attach the following documentation:

A curriculum vitae
A statement outlining research interests and motivation to apply for the position
Two letters of recommendation
Application process timetable:

Deadline for application: 31/05/2021
Evaluation by committee: 01/06/2021-04/06/2021
Interviews: 07/06/2021-11/06/2021
Final decision: 14/06/2021
Feedback to all applicants: 15/06/2021
Work contract start date: 01/07/2021 (flexible)
Contact details for enquiries: [log in to unmask]

Ileana Quiñones
Staff Scientist
www.bcbl.eu
Legal disclaimer/Aviso legal/Lege-oharra: www.bcbl.eu/legal-disclaimer