PhD Position

Posted 06/10/2020 by Joan Rodríguez

PhD position (FPI) at the Institute of Neuroscience – University of Barcelona

We are now looking for a PhD student for our project “Event Structured Cognition (EVENT)” (ref: PID2019-111199GB-I00) funded by the Spanish Government at the Dynamics of Memory Formation group. Starting date for this full-time position is to be mutually agreed during the first semester 2021.

PROJECT SUMMARY

Everyone possesses an understanding of what it means to remember last summer vacation, or to find our way to come back home from a nearby park. Although these memory operations appear to effortlessly guide us through real life challenges, they rely upon a complex set of processes, from early sensory decoding to complex mental representations of the world. How can we, thus, generate discrete memory representations of our continuous day life experience? EVENT aims to provide experimental insights of the cognitive and neural mechanisms that underlie the ability to organize our experience into temporally segmented representations that can be accessed at long term. Drawing on our previous results, our central hypothesis is that hippocampal replay is a critical neurophysiological signature supporting the transformation of the unfolding experience into an organized set of discrete event-like memory representations, thereby guiding the structure of episodic memories and influence planning and decision making. The extent to which this critical neurophysiological mechanism in the hippocampus raises coordinated with other brain structures will be also investigated.

WORK DESCRIPTION AND REQUIREMENTS

Given the strong analytical approach of the project, we encourage applicants with a interest in human neuroscience, with an educational background in signal or biomedical engineering, biophysics, neuroscience, computer science, medicine, psychology, or related fields. Programming skills (e.g., Matlab, Python) and previous experience in human neuroimaging will be valued skills.

The successful applicant should have strong commitment, flexibility and teamwork. The PhD candidate will be responsible to coordinate, acquire, analyse behavioural and neuroimaging data from healthy and clinical population samples (fMRI and iEEG). The PhD candidate will disseminate results from the project to scientific and non-scientific audience and will have a promising research publication record. Proficiency in oral and written communication in English will be desirable.

RESEARCH GROUP

The Dynamics of Memory Formation Group (DMF) at the Institute of Neurosciences of the University of Barcelona wants to understand how experiences are initially encoded, undergo further
consolidation and are later retrieved. DMF belongs to the Cognition and Brain Plasticity Unit, which includes >20 young scientists with interests in many facets of cognitive neuroscience (e.g., language, neuroimaging, music, learning).

We aim to create a good work environment based on respect and consideration in our relation to each other. We strive to create an environment that promotes development and is stimulating to all employees.

ELIGIBILITY AND CONDITIONS

The PhD position is funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation under the program “Formación de Personal Investigador” (FPI). Eligible students are those who have completed courses of at least 300 ECTs. Students must be able to apply to the FPI scholarship program and be eligible to be admitted to a University of Barcelona Doctoral program (e.g., Brain, Cognition and Behaviour). This is a full-time funded position for three years + optional fourth. Gross annual salary will be 16.250€ (first two years), 17.410€ (third year) and 21.760€ (fourth year).

INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE APPLICATION

Interested candidates who fulfil all the criteria noted above should contact the IP (llfuentemilla@ub.edu) by October 12th (FPI call opens on October 13 and closes on October 27. The
application must contain a personal motivation letter, a CV and the contact information of at least two academic referees. Please provide the letter, CV and other documents in English.