Date: 21 May 2025

Department: Cognitive Development Center

Full-time/Part-time: Full-time

Location: Vienna, AT, 1100

Application Deadline: open until filled

The CEU Causal Cognition Lab (https://ccl.ceu.edu) under the direction of Dr. Jonathan F. Kominsky invites applications for a postdoctoral researcher to join the Simons Collaboration for Ecological Neuroscience (SCENE; https://www.simonsfoundation.org/neuroscience/simons-collaboration-on-ecological-neuroscience/).

Duties and responsibilities

The successful candidate will work with the PI, graduate students, and research assistants in the conceptualization, design, and execution of developmental neuroscience studies with infants age 3 months to 18 months in the KinderKognition lab at CEU’s campus in Vienna, part of CEU’s Cognitive Development Center. The goal of the project is to understand how infants’ developing motor abilities change their representations of the world, and whether giving them early motor experience with assistive tools like Velcro-covered mittens and baby walkers quickly affects on their neural representations of the surrounding environment. The candidate will use state-of-the-art EEG and mobile fNIRS technology to record infants’ brain activity while they engage in tasks involving object manipulation and navigation, code the dynamics of infants’ movement during the task using machine learning tools, and collaborate with other members of the SCENE consortium to develop and refine computational models that relate behavior and neural activity over development. The successful candidate will also work closely with other members of the SCENE consortium at institutions all over the world to co-develop of tasks and computational models for comparisons across species, visit affiliated labs for trainings and collaborative projects, and join the PI at an annual workshop hosted at the Simons foundation headquarters in New York City.

Qualifications

Ph.D. in Cognitive Science, Neuroscience, Psychology, or a related field
Strong interest in understanding the development of infants’ ability to interact with the world
Track record of productivity and scientific outputs
Track record of success in collaborative environments
High proficiency in written and spoken English (C1 or better)
High proficiency with statistics and analysis tools such as R, Python, or MATLAB
Experience with EEG, fNIRS, or other neuroscience techniques

Preferred

Hands-on experience conducting research with infant populations, especially using EEG and/or fNIRS
Experience with computational modeling and/or machine learning
Previous interdisciplinary or comparative (multi-species) research experience
German language skills are not necessary but can be helpful
Willingness to commit to the position for at least two years (funding is guaranteed for at least five years)

How to Apply

To apply, please submit an updated CV, motivational letter, and the contact details of 3 references on our application portal.

What CEU offers

We offer a competitive remuneration of 69,600.00 yearly, including a pension plan and monthly Edenred meal vouchers.

To read more about our benefits, visit our Employee Benefits page on our website.

CEU is an equal opportunity employer and values geographical and gender diversity, thus encouraging applications from women and/or other underrepresented groups. Since CEU strives to increase the share of women in professorial positions, given equal qualifications, preference will be given to female applicants. CEU recognizes that personal and family circumstances shape the trajectory of one’s career and working patterns. As such, and in line with CEU’s promotion of Equal Opportunities, we encourage applicants to detail periods of leave, part-time work or other such situations in their applications so that the Search Committee is able to assess an applicant’s academic record fairly in the context of their circumstances. Any declaration of personal and family circumstances is voluntary and will be handled confidentially and only considered in so far as it impacts on the academic career of an applicant.

About CEU

One of the world’s most international universities, a unique founding mission positions Central European University as both an acclaimed center for the study of economic, historical, social and political challenges, and a source of support for building open and democratic societies that respect human rights and human dignity. CEU is accredited in the United States and Austria, and offers English-language bachelor's, master's and doctoral programs in the social sciences, the humanities, law, environmental sciences, management and public policy. CEU enrolls more than 1,400 students from over 100 countries, with faculty from over 50 countries.

In 2019, CEU relocated from Hungary to Austria as the Hungarian government revoked its ability to issue US-accredited degrees in the country. As a result, CEU offers all of its degree programs in Vienna, Austria; and retains a non-degree, research and civic engagement presence in Budapest, Hungary, through its CEU Democracy Institute, the Institute for Advanced Study, the CEU Summer University and The Vera and Donald Blinken Open Society Archives (OSA), and its Hungarian language public educational programs and public lectures.

For more information, please visit https://www.ceu.edu/.

Requisition ID: 838

Post-doctoral Researcher (f/m/d)