PhD position | Department of Cognitive Neuroscience

PhD position: Creating a probabilistic retinotopic laminar atlas of the LGN as a target for a visual prosthesis.

Are you interested to investigate the detailed organization of the human lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) using ultra-high field MRI? Do you want to contribute to the creation of a novel visual prosthesis for the late blind? Then join the ZonMw-funded project 'EVISIION'  as a PhD student.

JOB DESCRIPTION
While there is progress in developing visual prostheses for the blind in the visual pathways, especially in primary visual cortex, coverage of large parts of the visual field remains a challenge. The ZonMw project "EVISION: Electronic neuroprosthesis for VISION restoration " aims to overcome this issue by targeting the LGN, the deep brain structure that provides input to the visual cortex. The LGN has full coverage of the contralateral hemifield in a small volume (~120 mm3 ), making it a promising target for a visual prosthesis. Before implanting a visual LGN prosthesis in humans, high-resolution LGN data is needed to optimally guide the surgical placement of electrodes. EVISION consists of two parts: 1) the development of a high-resolution laminar retinotopic fMRI atlas of the human LGN headed by Prof. Rainer Goebel, and 2)  the development and implantation of the actual prosthesis in animals and later humans headed by Prof. Pieter Roelfsema (Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Amsterdam). The available position is for part 1. Your work in this sub-project involves mapping the laminar and retinotopic organization of the LGN in about 30 people using anatomical and functional 7 Tesla MRI. Your data will be used to create a probabilistic LGN atlas. Besides of its value for the neuroimaging community, the created porbabilistic atlas will serve as guidance for the implantation of a future LGN prosthesis in humans.

You will join the “Vision" lab (also known as the ‘computational architecture of visual processing streams’ section) led by Rainer Goebel, embedded in the Department of Cognitive Neuroscience at Maastricht University. You will work with a very open minded group of PhDs, postdocs and PI’s working in the spirit of team science, in a very cooperative, collegial, and interdisciplinary work climate. We value and actively engage in local, national and international collaborations. With our empirical, theoretical and computational expertise we aim to contribute to our understanding of the psychological and neural mechanisms of the mind.

You will have the following responsibilities:

• Become a certified user to run ultra-high field MRI experiments.
• Design anatomical and functional 7 Tesla MRI studies.
• Co-develop a pipeline to optimally analyse obtained 7 Tesla MRI data of the LGN.
• Co-develop optimal alignment tools to create a probabilistic laminar LGN atlas.
• Write scientific papers.
• Share the individual data and the generated atlas with the community.
• Teach in master and bachelor level courses.
• Contribute to a nice and open group atmosphere.

REQUIREMENTS
The ideal candidate has successfully completed a master’s degree (or equivalent) in cognitive neuroscience, biomedical engineering, cognitive psychology or related disciplines. You are enthusiastic to start a 4-year PhD journey investigating retinotopic representations in layers of the LGN using sub-millimetre fMRI and quantitative MRI.

Background:

• A master’s degree in a relevant field (e.g., cognitive neuroscience, biomedical engineering, cognitive psychology).
• You are excited about research and wish to pursue a career in science.
• You have experience with programming languages such as Python (preferred) or Matlab.
• You have basic experience with acquiring and analysing fMRI data; experience with ultra-high field imaging is a plus.
• You like working in a team and have good communication skills.
• You have an excellent command of written and spoken English.

What we offer
As a PhD at the Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, you will be employed by the most international university in the Netherlands, located in the beautiful city of Maastricht. In addition, we offer you:

• Good employment conditions. The position is graded in scale PhD according to UFO profile PhD, with corresponding salary based on experience ranging from €2770,00 in the first year and €3539,00 gross per month in the fourth year (based on a full-time employment of 38 hours per week). In addition to the monthly salary, an 8.0% holiday allowance and an 8.3% year-end bonus apply.
• An employment contract for a period of 12 months with a scope of 1.0 FTE. Upon a positive evaluation, an extension of 3 years will follow. 
• At Maastricht University, the well-being of our employees is of utmost importance, we offer flexible working hours and the possibility to work partly from home if the nature of your position allows it. You will receive a monthly commuting and internet allowance for this. If you work full-time, you will be entitled to 29 vacation days and 4 additional public holidays per year, namely carnival Monday, carnival Tuesday, Good Friday, and Liberation Day. If you choose to accumulate compensation hours, an additional 12 days will be added. Furthermore, you can personalize your employment conditions through a collective labor agreement (CAO) choice model. 
• As Maastricht University, we offer various other excellent secondary employment conditions. These include a good pension scheme with the ABP and the opportunity for UM employees to participate in company fitness and make use of the extensive sports facilities that we also offer to our students. 
• Last but certainly not least, we provide the space and facilities for your personal and professional development. We facilitate this by offering a wide range of training programs and supporting various well-established initiatives such as 'acknowledge and appreciate'. 

The terms of employment at Maastricht University are largely set out in the collective labor agreement of Dutch Universities. In addition, local provisions specific to UM apply. For more information, click here.

Maastricht University
Why work at Maastricht University?
At Maastricht University (UM), everything revolves around the future. The future of our students, as we work to equip them with a solid, broad-based foundation for the rest of their lives. And the future of society, as we seek solutions through our research to issues from all around the world. Our six faculties combined provide a comprehensive package of study programmes and research.

In our teaching, we use the Problem-Based Learning (PBL) method. Students work in small groups, looking for solutions to problems themselves. By discussing issues and working together to draw conclusions, formulate answers and present them to their peers, students develop essential skills for their future careers.

With over 22,300 students and more than 5,000 employees from all over the world, UM is home to a vibrant and inspiring international community.

Are you drawn to an international setting focused on education, science and scholarship? Are you keen to contribute however your skills and qualities allow? Our door is open to you! As a young European university, we value your talent and look forward to creating the future together.

Click here for more information about UM. 

Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience
The Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience (FPN) is an international faculty with students and staff from various cultural backgrounds, who are connected by their shared curiosity about human behaviour and our brains.   

This curiosity inspires us to explore the wide field of psychology from different perspectives (such as a biological and cognitive viewpoint). By using small-scale and student-centred methods, such as problem-based learning and project-based learning, we encourage a similar kind of curiosity in our students, as we provide them with the tools to discover the world of the human brain.  

 
Curious?
Are you interested in this exciting PhD position but still have questions? Feel free to contact Prof. Dr. Rainer Goebel via r.goebel@maastrichtuniversity.nl for more information.

Applying?

To apply, please submit your CV and a motivation letter before August 1, 2024. The preferred starting date of this position is between mid-August and October 2024, and will be determined in consultation with the successful candidate.

The vacancy is open for internal and external candidates. In case of equal qualifications, internal candidates will be prioritized.

Maastricht University is committed to promoting and nurturing a diverse and inclusive community. We believe that diversity in our staff and student population contributes to the quality of research and education at UM, and strive to enable this through inclusive policies and innovative projects led by teams of staff and students. We encourage you to apply for this position.