PhD-student/ Postdoc position Lower/higher visual brain regions in the monkey – Roelfsema lab

Location: Amsterdam
Max hours per week: 38
Max salary: PhD-sudent € 2.770-3.539, Postdoc € 3.226-5.090
Duration of agreement: PhD-student 4 years, Postdoc max 3 years (for both positions: first for 1 year, the contract will be extended in case of proper functioning)
Apply until: June 1, 2024

We have a vacancy for a PhD-student/ Postdoc in the Roelfsema laboratory at the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience in Amsterdam to better understand the interactions between lower and higher visual cortical areas in the monkey.

What you will be doing?

Theories of vision aim to explain how the visual brain transforms the image on the retina into neural codes that allow us to understand objects and to guide our behavior. In this project, we will use high-density electrophysiological recordings at various levels of the visual cortex of monkeys to improve our understanding of the interactions between neurons at several levels of the visual cortical processing hierarchy in monkeys. We relate the neuronal activity recorded in monkeys to AI models for object recognition and scene segmentation.

Who are we looking for?

We are looking for a highly motivated, self-driven candidate with a MSc degree (or equivalent) in neuroscience or a related discipline; or an MSc degree in a quantitative discipline (e.g. physics/biophysics, mathematics, engineering) with strong interest and experience in neuroscience. Post-doctoral candidates should have, or should soon expect to obtain, a PhD in a relevant field and should have experience in collecting and analyzing neurophysiological data from awake, behaving animals. A high level of written and spoken English and good programming skills are essential.

What do we offer?

We offer an exciting and fundamental project on how vision works. You will join the Vision & Cognition lab at the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, where state of the art experimental techniques are used in a very dynamic field of research. The position is for 1.0 fte (38 h/week). You will have ample opportunities for further development of knowledge and technical and personal skills through courses at the Academy and (inter)national conferences.

More information

Please contact Paolo Papale (p.papale@nin.knaw.nl). General information about the group can be found at https://nin.nl/research-groups/roelfsema/. For recent relevant publications from the Roelfsema lab, see:

Chen et al., Shape perception via a high-channel-count neuroprosthesis in monkey visual cortex. Science 2020.

Teeuwen et al., A neuronal basis of iconic memory in macaque primary visual cortex, Curr. Biol. 2021.

Roelfsema, Solving the binding problem: assemblies form when neurons enhance their firing rate – they don’t need to oscillate or synchronize. Neuron, 2023.

Papale et al., The representation of occluded image regions in area V1 of monkeys and humans, Curr. Biol. 2023.

How to apply?

Please submit your motivation letter, curriculum vitae and the names or letters of two or more references, via the button Apply now, before June 1st, 2024.

About the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience

The Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience is the country’s leading fundamental neuroscience research institute, in the international and progressive city of Amsterdam. It provides a critical mass of scientists (spanning more than 27 nationalities) and neuroscience facilities, in a highly interactive, dynamic, multi-cultural environment, with English as the working language.

Terms of employment

For the PhD-student position the salary range is € 2.770 to maximum € 3.539 (in the 4th year). For the Postdoc position the minimum salary depends on education and experience and is € 3.226 and maximum € 5.090 gross per month for a full-time appointment. PhD-student is scale P and the Postdoc position is scale 10 of the Collective Labour Agreement Dutch Universities/KNAW. The salary is exclusive 8% vacation allowance, 8.3% year-end bonus, travel allowance, internet allowance, home working allowance and pension accrual with ABP.

The KNAW offers its staff an excellent package of secondary benefits. A package that meets the different needs of employees depending on their stage of life, lifestyle or career ambitions. For example, by working an extra two hours a week, it is possible to increase the number of days off from 29 to 41 days a year (with full-time employment).

For a complete overview of the terms of employment, please refer to the web page: werken bij de KNAW.

Applying for a Certificate of Good Conduct can be part of the employment procedure.

Diversity & Inclusion

The KNAW considers a working environment in which everyone feels welcome and appreciated of great importance. A working environment in which attention is paid to individual quality and where development opportunities are paramount. Together we strive for an inclusive culture in which we embrace differences. We would therefore like to invite candidates who want to contribute to this through their background and experience. In the event of equal suitability, preference will be given to the candidate who thus enhances diversity within the Academy.

We will not respond to any supplier enquiries based on this job advertisement.