The newly founded PROACTION laboratory (Laboratory for Perception and Recognition of Objects and Actions at the University of Coimbra, Portugal; http://gaius.fpce.uc.pt/pessoais/jorgealmeida/proaction_home.html) is inviting applications for a Postdoctoral Fellow to work with MRI (fMRI, DTI, Structural analysis, etc).
Jorge Almeida, the lab’s PI and Director, has developed a series of projects aimed at understanding how low-level visual pathways may have shaped the way in which we recognize objects from visual inspection and how our knowledge about objects is organized. Research in the laboratory involves the use of visual psychophysics and behavioral techniques (120Hz monitors, fast custom made button boxes and measurement computing PIO cards), eye tracking and motion tracking (Tobii eyetracker and a NDI Optotrak), TMS (Magstim and Stereotactic Image Guided TMS equipment), and fMRI (SIEMENS Trio Tim 3T MRI Scanner). The laboratory is currently funded by the Portuguese Science Foundation (Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia; http://www.fct.pt/index.phtml.en) and Fundação BIAL (http://www.bial.com/en/bial_foundation.11/foundation.15/bial_foundation.a36.html).
The postdoctoral fellow would be responsible for developing fMRI protocols on the projects undergoing in the lab. Moreover, the Fellow is also encouraged to develop her/his own projects. As such, the Fellow will have an exciting opportunity to pursue collaborative and self-directed projects.
Applicants should have (or be about to obtain) a PhD in psychology, cognitive science, neuroscience or a related field, have a proven record of fMRI research, desirably on Visual Psychophysics and/or semantic memory and (manipulable) object recognition. The applicants should be proficient in fMRI design and analysis, preferentially using BrainVoyager. They should also be proficient in programming in Matlab and Psychtoolbox, and be familiar with the BVQX toolbox for MATLAB. The use of ASF (“A Simple Framework”; Schwarzbach, 2011), as well as some experience with TMS, Eyetracking or Visual psychophysics would be a plus.
6-year (3 plus 3) Postdoctoral Fellowships are available from the Portuguese National Science Foundation (Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia) upon joint application. Applications open in the beginning of June and decisions are sent to the applicants mid November early December. Joint applications to Marie Curie Fellowships are also a possibility.
The lab is located in the lively and historical city of Coimbra, surrounded by beautiful landscape, thermal spas, bucolic mountains, rustic towns, and great beaches. The University of Coimbra is one of the oldest Universities in Europe (founded in 1290), and has a large international community (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Coimbra).
If you are interested in applying, please send an application with your CV, a letter of intent and at least two reference letters (or the referees’ contacts) to: jorgealmeida(AT)fpce.uc.pt . Informal enquiries are also welcome.
Closing date: 2013-07-10