The ideal candidate will be a PhD student with a strong interest in animal/comparative cognition. The research will be mainly focused on studying the origins of the perceptual mechanisms involved in early language acquisition, comparing non-humans’ (rats) and humans’ abilities in similar tasks. Prior research experience with animal models (ideally rats) in the topics of cognitive and behavioral neuroscience would be highly valued. The candidate will have knowledge of statistical tests (e.g., ANOVA, ttests, regression) and basic knowledge of softwares for statistical analysis (e.g., R, MATLAB). The research will be mainly conducted at the animal facility of Sant Joan de Deu Hospital in Barcelona. Some studies with human participants will be conducted at the Center for Brain and Cognition (CBC) of the Universitat Pompeu Fabra in Barcelona.
Responsabilities:
During the course of the PhD program, the student is expected to learn to design experiments with Long-evans rats (Rattus norvegicus) using behavioral (conditioning) paradigms, including the preparation of the materials for the experiments (e.g., acoustic stimuli), under the PI’s supervision. The student is also expected to learn to design and conduct experiments with human adult participants, as counterpart of the animal research.
The student is expected to conduct the experiments with rats, and conduct the experiments with humans. The student is also expected to analyze data, interpret results, write scientific articles and present conference proceedings, under the PI’s supervision. Good English skills (written and spoken) will be necessary. The student will work along with the PI and the team, thus communication and organizational skills will be key.
We offer:
* The student will received a fellowship for 4 years.
* The position is full-time (37,5 hours per week).
* salary: 22.500 € b/a
* Annual training plan
* Flexible compensation plan
“This project has received funding from the European Research Council (ERC-Starting Grant) under the European Union’s Horizon 2024 research and innovation programme (grant agreement No 101115991 )” "Gates to Language" GALA
* hold a Master Degree/MSc in Neuroscience, Biology, Psychology or any related field
* minimum research experience with animal models and/or strong motivation to conduct research in the field of animal cognition
* have statistical analysis skills (e.g., ttest, ANOVAs, regression)
* have minimum knowledge of programming softwares (e.g., MATLAB, R)
* possess the certification for manipulation of laboratory animals (FELASA category C or B) along with clearance from the Generalitat de Cataluña or willingness to pursue it
Interested candidates should include CV and motivation letter.