Postdoc Position: A Model-Based Approach to Understanding Cognitive Development in Early Childhood

How do infants learn, and how does early learning influence later intelligence? Join our interdisciplinary research team to develop and empirically test innovative Bayesian cognitive models that reveal the hidden cognitive processes underlying early development.

Are you interested in applying advanced computational modelling to understand human cognitive development? In this position, you will contribute to the development of the next generation of computational models of infant cognition. By integrating Bayesian cognitive modelling with longitudinal developmental data, you will help to identify the cognitive signatures of infant learning and understand how they shape later intelligence.

You will join the BabyBRAIN (PIs: Hunnius & Meyer) and the Uncertainty in Complex Systems lab (PI: Hinne) as a junior postdoctoral researcher. You will develop, validate, and implement Bayesian cognitive models that capture latent cognitive processes in infancy and test them empirically in infants. In this role, you will work closely with Dr Sabine Hunnius and Dr Max Hinne.

Does this sound like you?

• You hold a PhD in cognitive science, developmental cognitive neuroscience, AI, or a related field.
• You have a strong motivation to conduct interdisciplinary empirical research at the intersection of cognitive science and developmental psychology.
• You have experience with computational modelling techniques and their application in cognitive science.
• You possess proven problem-solving skills and an ability to take a strong, positive and proactive approach to work. You are versatile, flexible and able to work in a team as well as independently.
• Experience with experimental developmental psychology is a plus.

What we offer you

• We will give you a temporary employment contract of 3 year(s).
• Your salary within salary scale 11 depends on your previous education and number of years of (relevant) work experience. The amounts in the scale are based on a 38-hour working week.
• You will receive an 8% holiday allowance and an 8.3% end-of-year bonus.
• You will receive extra days off. With full-time employment, you can choose between 30 or 41 days of annual leave instead of the statutory 20.

Additional employment conditions

Work and science require good employment practices. Radboud University's primary and secondary employment conditions reflect this. You can make arrangements for the best possible work-life balance with flexible working hours, various leave arrangements and working from home. You are also able to compose part of your employment conditions yourself. For example, exchange income for extra leave days and receive a reimbursement for your sports membership. In addition, you receive a 34% discount on the sports and cultural activities at Radboud University as an employee. And, of course, we offer a good pension plan. We also give you plenty of room and responsibility to develop your talents and realise your ambitions. Therefore, we provide various training and development schemes.

Where you will be working

You will work in an interdisciplinary team of developmental scientists, cognitive scientists and computer scientists at the Donders Institute. The Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour is a world-class interfaculty research centre devoted to understanding the mechanistic underpinnings of the human mind. Excellent, state-of-the-art research facilities are available. Research at the Donders Institute is focused around four themes:

1. Language and communication.
2. Perception, action and decision-making.
3. Development and lifelong plasticity.
4. Natural computing & neurotechnology.

The Baby and Child Research Center (BRC) at Radboud University is a leading cross-disciplinary research initiative on early development. BRC researchers study children's cognitive and social development as well as their language acquisition and health during the first six years of life. The BRC features state-of-the-art facilities, such as eye-tracking, motion-tracking and neuroimaging techniques. Both BRC and the Donders Institute foster a collaborative, multidisciplinary and supportive research environment with a diverse international staff. You will be an integral member of these lively research communities.

Faculty of Social Sciences

At the Faculty of Social Sciences, humanity and society are our focus; we study how people behave, think and feel. Within this context, we look at themes such as human behaviour and the human psyche, education and upbringing, communication, society and culture. The faculty provides education to 6,000 students and employs 700 staff. Education is organised into six programme clusters: Psychology; Artificial Intelligence; Pedagogical Sciences and Educational Sciences; Communication Science; Sociology; and Cultural Anthropology and Developmental Sociology, and the Radboud Centre Social Sciences as an institute for post-master education have been merged into the Social Sciences Education Institute. Our research is carried out within three research institutes: the Donders Centre for Cognition, the Behavioural Science Institute, and Radboud Social Cultural Research.

Radboud University

At Radboud University, we aim to make an impact through our work. We achieve this by conducting groundbreaking research, providing high-quality education, offering excellent support, and fostering collaborations within and outside the university. In doing so, we contribute indispensably to a healthy, free world with equal opportunities for all. To accomplish this, we need even more colleagues who, based on their expertise, are willing to search for answers.