PhD position in the University Research Priority Program “Adaptive Brain Circuits during Learning and Development: AdaBD” 100%
PhD @University of Zurich posted 24 hours agoJob Description
A doctoral position is available as part of the ChildBrainCircuits+ (CBC+) project of the University Research Priority Program (URPP) AdaBD. The project is led by Prof. S. Brem and Dr. S. Di Pietro in collaboration with Prof. C. Ruff, Prof. N. Raschle, PD M. von Rhein and Prof. A. Rauch at the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Psychiatric University Hospital Zurich.
The efficient integration and processing of stimuli from different sensory modalities is fundamental for learning and the development of cognition, perception and, in particular, language. Deficits in learning and/or the processing of multisensory information impair children’s development. However, the neurobiological and genetic basis of multisensory learning in the brain and the changes in these learning processes in the brain of children with and without language disorders and children with autism during development have hardly been studied. In a first phase, the CBC project examined children between the ages of 5 and 12, both with and without language impairment, using comprehensive psychometric tests and functional and structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) during learning and the processing of multisensory information. As a doctoral student, you will be responsible for the second phase of the project. You will collect longitudinal behavioral and (f)MRI data from the cohort and analyze them, particularly using a computational modeling approach, for your publication-based dissertation. You will also recruit a group of children with autism, which will be compared with the previously assessed group of children.
Tasks
- Independent planning, development, implementation and evaluation of annual psychometric follow-up measurements as well as an MRI follow-up measurement within the framework of the CBC+ project
- Recruitment of a group of children with autism, followed by planning, implementation and evaluation of the measurements
- Evaluation of the data using computational models
- Scientific publications and presentations of the results
- Responsibility for recruitment and coordination of the study
- Support in the supervision of master’s students and interns and conducting courses
This is what we offer
- Close supervision by an interdisciplinary research team
- Networking and integration in the URPP with the possibility of lab rotations/visits to the different groups of the focus area and participation in activities of the URPP network
- An exciting, interdisciplinary project with relevance for the development of new scientific knowledge
- An excellent scientific education as an optimal basis for pursuing a scientific career
- Employment conditions according to the guidelines of the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF)
profile
- Master’s degree (or equivalent) in biomedicine, (human/neuro) biology, psychology with a neuroscientific focus, health sciences and technology, or a related field
- Enjoyment of contact with young children and their parents, as well as patience and empathy
- Very good knowledge of statistics and programming skills (e.g. MATLAB, Python, R), especially in the area of computational modeling
- Fluent German skills (including understanding of Swiss dialects) and good written and spoken English skills; applications without German skills will not be considered
- Enthusiasm for precise scientific work (MRI experience is an advantage) and scientific writing
- Very good communication and organizational skills and enthusiasm for working in an interdisciplinary team
Information on the application
Please send your application documents (CV, statement of research interest, references, certificates, if available, letters of support) as a cumulative pdf
