The Brainlab – Cognitive Neuroscience Research Group seeks candidates for a 3-year Early Stage Research PhD position (FI/FPU) commencing during the fall 2017. The PhD project focuses on the genetic determinants of subcortical speech encoding and is funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Knowledge (project icCOGNITION – Subcortical contributions to auditory cognition; PSI201-63664-P). (Principal Investigator: Prof. Dr. Carles Escera).
The successful candidate will join the PhD Program in Biomedicine of the University of Barcelona though a competitive and prestigious Spanish FPU or Catalan FI fellowship.
The PhD project departs from our recent discovery that the serotonin transporter-linked polymorphic region (5-HTTLPR) is involved in the accurate encoding of speech sounds in the subcortical auditory pathway (Selinger et al., 2016, Journal of Neuroscience, 36, 10782-10790; see Figure). The study took advantage of the Frequency-Following Response (FFR), an auditory brain potential derived from the EEG.
The PhD project aims at characterizing the functional consequences (sound, speech and music perception and production) of this efficient encoding, as well as the underlying neurocognitive mechanisms. It also relates to a broader project in our Brainlab that uses MEG, TMS, fMRI and the study of newborn populations to investigate the subcortical neural mechanisms of auditory perception.
Eligibility: 1] EU citizenship, 2] 300 ECTS completed (the Bachelor in any Spanish university and at least 60 ECTS in a Master degree), 3] high academic marks, 4] computer skills (e.g., Matlab)
Applicants should send 1) a letter of motivation, 2) CV, and 3) an official transcript of grades (in ECTS format) by email to Dr. Carles Escera at cescera@ub.edu [subject: FPU – Escera].
Applications will be processed until the position is filled [post data: May 17, 2017]
The estimated salary, before taxes, will be circa 16,000 EUR/year