**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 > Donostia-San Sebastián
- **Founding source**:La Caixa Inphinit
- **Research Field**:Psychology > Cognition and Language
- **Type of contract/Duration of Contract**:Temporary, maximum duration 4 years
- **Job Status**:Full-time
- **Hours per week**:35
- **Starting date**:Fall 2026 (specific dates to be confirmed by the official La Caixa announcement)
- **Application deadline**: 30/10/2025
**Project summary**:
Post‑stroke aphasia arises from brain injury due to either ischemic or hemorrhagic strokes. Although it’s usually linked to language‑specific deficits, many stroke survivors also experience problems with memory, attention, and executive functions. These broader cognitive issues can influence rehabilitation outcomes more strongly than language abilities alone. Yet, how language and cognitive impairments interact—and how that interaction changes during recovery—remains unclear.
We track how language recovers after a stroke and examine how this recovery relates to core domain‑general cognitive functions, using behavioral, neuroimaging techniques, as well as state-of-the-art natural language processing methods. The PhD student will have the opportunity to develop their own project within the broader scope of this research line.
**Job description**
**PI and research group**:
- **CANDIDATE PROFILE AND SELECTION CRITERIA**
**Elegibility**:
- INPhINIT Incoming Fellowships Programme:_
- Doctoral INPhINIT Retaining Fellowships Programme:_
**Required skills**:
- Excellent written and oral communication skills in English
- Degree in Psychology, Linguistics, Cognitive Sciences, Speech-Language pathology, Neurosciences and neighboring disciplines.
- A minimum of 300 ECTS, 60 of which corresponding to a Master’s degree level
- (Basic) statistics and programming skills (e.g., R, Python, Matlab)
**Desirable skills**:
- Native speaker of Spanish and/or Basque
- Previous experimental experience in language comprehension/production
- Neuropsychology or speech-language pathology background
- **WORKING CONDITIONS**
**Salary**:
- 25.000€ gross annual salary
- Additional 3.500€ are provided to cover other research costs such as conferences, courses, research stays and tuition fees to the doctoral program.
**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, sex, sexual orientation, age, sociocultural background, nationality or impairments. We are proud to have in place both an LGTBIQ+ Plan and a Gender Equality Plan to actively promote inclusion and equal opportunities. If you have any questions relating to accessibility or support, please contact us.
- **OTHER RELEVANT INFORMATION**
**Language policy**
- The corporative language at the center is English
- 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**
**Timeline**:
- Interviews: 10/10/2025 - 06/11/2025
- Final decision: 07/11/2025
**Contact details for enquiries**:
For inquiries or questions related to the content of the position and/or informati