Two vacancies for assistant professors in cognitive neuroscience

We are looking to attract two new tenure track assistant professors to the Department of Cognitive Neuroscience (CN), which is part of the Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience (FPN) at Maastricht University (UM).

Who we are
CN currently consists of 39 permanent staff members and about 60 temporary staff (PhD candidates and postdocs). We are a collaborative group that investigates the neural processes that underlie human cognitive functions, including auditory and visual perception, attention, emotion, memory, learning, language, and neurocognitive development.

CN takes a unique approach to this endeavor by combining psychophysics and behavioural measures with a variety of approaches to measure brain structure and activity at multiple spatial and temporal scales. These approaches include (ultra-high field) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), microscopy, encephalography (EEG), as well as electrocorticography (ECoG) and related techniques in patients. Further, CN is known for its expertise in manipulating brain activity and overt behaviour through non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) and neurofeedback. The department’s experimental work is complemented with methodological development and theoretical as well as computational perspectives. In addition to a fundamental approach, much of our research also links with applications, related to, e.g., the development of brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) for patients with severe motor disabilities, imaging diagnostics for neurodegenerative and neuroinflammatory diseases, the treatment of various neuropsychiatric disorders using non-invasive neuromodulation techniques (TMS, tDCS, tACS), as well as neurorehabilitation and the remediation of dyslexia. 

Job description 
We aim to attract two talented and enthusiastic assistant professors with an explicit vision for a new, growing research line that is well integrated with or complements one or more of our current research lines. In addition to bringing a fitting new research line, expertise in statistics and/or computational neuroscience modeling is highly valued. We expect that you are passionate about research, and enjoy collaborating with staff within and beyond our department. Ideally, you have already shown that you are able to gain research funding on individual or collaborative grants. 

We also expect that the new assistant professors coming to CN are enthusiastic teachers, as the time commitment of all CN staff members is 50% teaching and 50% research. Research time can be increased by labeling time on research grants, but a continuous enthusiastic commitment to teaching is expected. A significant part of your teaching will take place in the new BSc in Brain Science, starting in September 2024. In the BSc Brain Science, beyond contributions to content-oriented courses, you may be asked to help with aspects of mathematics and programming education. You can also teach in FPN’s Psychology bachelor, its various master programs, or occasionally in curricula outside FPN. Guiding students in writing their bachelor or master thesis, possibly in connection to your own research lines, will also be an important part of your educational work. Once you are settled in and have become familiar with the department’s and faculty’s organization, you will also be guided towards taking on institutional responsibilities and committee work, which also enables an increase in research time.

Our department is characterized by a friendly and collegial atmosphere, and by many collaborations across research lines. In terms of your working style, we therefore would like to see that you are a team player with an open and effective communication style. One or more colleagues will act as mentors to facilitate your integration into the department. 

Functie-eisen

• You have a PhD in (Cognitive) Psychology, (Computational) Neuroscience, Biomedical Sciences or Engineering, Artificial Intelligence or a related discipline;
• You are collegial and enjoy (interdisciplinary) team science. Excellent English communication skills are essential. 
• You have extensive experience as a Postdoc, early phase Faculty, or equivalent, during which you have demonstrated outstanding quality in research and compiled a competitive publication record;
• You show evidence of successful or high potential for grant acquisition and/or earning power;
• You will develop your own research program in a content domain and using methods that fit with the research in our department;
• You have strong expertise in the design and execution of advanced cognitive neuroscience experiments using methods including (ultra-high field) (f)MRI, fNIRS, EEG, ECoG, and NIBS, and in the statistical analysis of the resulting data;  
• Experience in computational neuroscience modeling complementing your content and methodological expertise is a plus; 
• You are an enthusiastic teacher in an academic context, and have documented teaching experience, as well as demonstrated ability in Master and/or PhD thesis supervision.

What we offer
As Two vacancies for assistant professors in cognitive neuroscience at 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 11 according to UFO profile Assistant Professor, with corresponding salary based on experience ranging from €4492,00 and €6148,00 gross per month (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 proven suitability, the employment contract will be converted to an indefinite contract.
• 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 position but still have questions? Feel free to contact Prof. Peter de Weerd via p.deweerd@maastrichtuniversity.nl for more information.

Applying?
Or are you already convinced and ready to become our new Two vacancies for assistant professors in cognitive neuroscience? Apply now, no later than September 22nd, 2024, for this position.
Please upload your CV, motivation letter, contact information of 2 referees, and a statement of research interest. 

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.