The Consciousness, Cognition & Computation Group of the Center for Research in Cognition & Neurosciences (crcn.ulb.ac.be/co3) at the Université libre de Bruxelles seeks applicants a post-doc position funded under the EXPERIENCE Advanced Grant from the European Research Council (ERC, Project number 101055060 — EXPERIENCE) awarded to Axel Cleeremans (axc.ulb.be).
The postdoctoral position opening is aimed at overseeing and developing the empirical aspects of EXPERIENCE with the PI and in coordination with the existing EXPERIENCE team, currently consisting of two post-docs and two Ph.D. students. This will involve a number of studies dedicated to (1) demonstrating that all conscious perception is valenced, (2) demonstrating that only conscious perception is valenced, (3) showing that motivation requires awareness, and (4) exploring the effects of subjective experience on performance. For further background on the ideas behind this project, applicants are invited to consult the following open-access article here.
The successful candidate will hold a Ph.D. in Psychology, Cognitive Science, Neuroscience or related disciplines. An interest in consciousness research, experience conducting behavioural research, including experimental design and data analysis skills, are essential. Because the project will appeal to computational methods such as Representational Similarity Analysis and to brain imaging, prior expertise with cognitive neuroscience computational methods and neuroimaging (i.e., RSA, PCA, MVPA, Bayesian modeling, ANNs) are strong advantages. Excellent knowledge of English and basic knowledge of French is expected. Successful applicants will be involved in the supervision of several Ph.D. students who will be in charge of developing the empirical aspects of EXPERIENCE. The relevant experiments will essentially be focused on exploring the idea that all conscious perception is valenced, on exploring the structure of the phenomenal space, and on testing the hypothesis that valuation requires awareness.
The Post-Doc position will be funded for up to three years, and are remunerated in line with Belgian salaries in comparable positions (approx. 31K € / year net, as well as social security benefits). Applicants cannot have resided or worked in Belgium for longer than 24 months during the 36 months preceding the start of the position, nor hold their PhD for more than 8 years at the start of their contract.
Applications will continue to be examined until the positions are filled. Starting dates can range from January 2024 to March 2024.
Informal enquiries accompanied by a CV and a short statement of interest may be sent to Axel Cleeremans (axel.cleeremans@ulb.be) with the following subject: ARE YOU EXPERIENCED?
About the Center for Research in Cognition & Neurosciences of the Université Libre de Bruxelles: Please visit crcn.ulb.ac.be.
The CRCN unites five teams active in these different domains: The Consciousness, Cognition & Computation Group (CO3, directed by Axel Cleeremans); the Neuropsychology and Functional Imaging Research Group (UR2NF, directed by Philippe Peigneux and Charline Urbain); the Laboratoire Cognition Langage et Développement (LCLD, directed by Fabienne Chetail); the Unité de Recherche en Neurosciences Cognitives (UNESCOG, directed by Régine Kolinsky) and the Action Bias & Control Group (AB&C, directed by Wim Gevers). Together, the five teams represent about 60 active members who collectively explore a wide range of research topics. The CRCN organises its activity in close collaboration with the ULB Neuroscience Institute (UNI, see uni.ulb.ac.be), of which it is a component. The research activity of the CRCN is focused on different domains of the cognitive neurosciences, in particular: The study of consciousness and of the differences between conscious and unconscious processing, the study of memory consolidation processes and of sleep, the study of learning mechanisms, in particular as they take place in spoken language and in reading, and the study of cognitive control. In many cases, our approach combines behavioural experimentation, imaging methods, and clinical research. The CRCN benefits from a state-of-the-art technical platform which, in addition to numerous individual or collective testing booths dedicated to behavioural experiments, includes (1) an electroencephalography (EEG) and electromyography (EMG) lab, (2) a Near Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS) platform, (3) a dedicated babylab, (4) an eye-tracking platform, and (5) a dedicated sleep lab (forthcoming in 2015). Thanks to the ULB Neuroscience Institute, the CRCN also enjoys privileged access to the imaging platform of the Laboratoire de Cartographie Fonctionnelle du Cerveau (LCFC) at the Erasme University Hospital. This includes a 3T fMRI scanner, a magnetoencephalography (MEG) platform, and a Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scanner.
