Come work with us at the CRCN, on work package 2 – Functional changes in the auditory pathway during adolescence of Axelle Calcus‘s ERC starting grant project SensationaHL.
Project – The main goal of SensationaHL is to investigate the development of complex auditory processing at adolescence. Specifically, the overarching hypothesis of this project is that adolescence might present a second sensitive period for complex auditory processing. Indeed, most measures of auditory perception in noise indicate a protracted development until (the end of) adolescence. Work package 2 (WP2) is dedicated to investigating the effect of childhood auditory experience (e.g., hearing loss, noise exposure, auditory expertise) on adolescent maturation of complex auditory processing, using a variety of methods (endocrinology, neuroimaging, physiology, audiological measures). This project is funded by the European Research Council.
Environment – SensationaHL will be conducted within the Center for Research in Cognition & Neurosciences (CRCN), Faculty of Psychology (ULB). The experimental work will take place at the Laboratoire de Neurophysiologie Sensorielle & Cognitive at Hopital Brugmann, which is equipped with audiological and auditory neurophysiological facilities. Neuroimaging projects will be conducted in collaboration with the Laboratoire de Neuroanatomie et Neuroimagerie Translationelles (LN2T), a multimodal functional neuroimaging platform (hôpital Erasme). The successful candidate will be working under the supervision of Dr Axelle Calcus.
Candidate – The successful candidate will hold a PhD in Neurosciences, Cognitive Sciences, Developmental Psychology, Hearing Sciences or any related discipline at the starting time of the project. Candidates will have excellent signal processing and statistical analyses skills (MATLAB, Python, R). They will have a strong background in auditory development and psychophysics. Expertise in neuroimaging techniques would be an asset. Candidates will demonstrate excellent communication skills (French and English), ability and willingness to work independently as well as in a larger team. Indeed, the successful candidate will be closely involved in the supervision of a PhD student working on a related topic. The postdoc position is funded for 3-years. The net salary will be in line with the Belgian legislation (~2600€/month, full time) and includes social and medical benefits. Women and minorities are strongly encouraged to apply. Note that only people who have not lived or worked in Belgium for more than 24 months over the last 3 years immediately preceding the start of the contract, and have defended their PhD since no longer than 8 years before the start of the position, are eligible for application.
Job description – The successful candidate is expected to participate in research, publication and communication activities within SensationaHL. As such, they will design experiments, collect, analyze and interpret data, and disseminate results as appropriate to the project. They will closely collaborate with members of the research team, and be involved in the supervision of a PhD student working on a related topic. They will establish and maintain collaborations with international experts in the field, as well as local clinicians (ENT, audiologists, SLT).
Application – To apply for this position, please send a CV, and a cover letter (in English) as well as the names and contact information of 2 referees to Dr Axelle Calcus (axelle.calcus@ulb.be).
Deadline to apply is 13th July 2023.
Interviews will be organized in July.
Ideal start date is 1st October 2023, although some flexibility can be allowed. Feel free to get in touch informally to discuss this position.