PhD Position: Computational Cognitive Neuroscience of Social Decision-Making

How do people make decisions in their social environment? How do they learn the implicit rules of a social group? Are moral decisions different from other decisions? Can people shift their moral boundaries easily? How are these decisions computed in our brains? If you are interested in solid, quantitative answers to these questions, we might be looking for you.

The Donders Centre for Cognition is seeking a talented PhD candidate to work on a new research line into moral decision-making. The project aims to develop a Bayesian computational model of moral decision-making to test various hypotheses about the interactions between morality and other factors in social decision-making using behavioural and neuroimaging techniques. You will be part of the Systems Approach to Maladaptive Behaviour and Antisociality (SAMBA) group headed by Inti Brazil and the Cognitive Neuroecology Lab headed by Rogier Mars. The project is funded by the NWO grant ‘Morality as a hyperparameter in decision making: A new approach to studying an age-old problem’. The project will benefit from ongoing collaborations with the University of Oxford (Rogier Mars), the University of Cambridge (Francesco Poli), the Dutch Institute for Forensic Psychiatry and Psychology (Maaike Kempes), and the University of Copenhagen (James Blair).

You will be working in a multidisciplinary research group to develop new experimental paradigms and computational models to study the behavioural and neural basis of moral decision-making. You will be responsible for developing and piloting the experimental task, acquiring and analysing behavioural and neuroimaging data, and reporting the data at conferences and peer-reviewed publications. You will interact with other researchers and collect data from adult participants. You will develop a computational model of moral decision-making, based on existing models in the lab. You will work in conjunction with other researchers in the lab and through international collaboration. Furthermore, you will contribute to academic life in the department, including taking on junior roles in administration, support jobs, and teaching.

Profile

• You have a Master’s degree in a relevant discipline, for example cognitive neuroscience, cognitive psychology, artificial intelligence, or computational linguistics.
• You are interested in quantitative approaches to understanding brain and behaviour.
• You have an affinity with coding and are willing to learn to code in Python, Matlab, or related languages.
• You have demonstrable experience with developing computational models of decision-making or other higher cognitive processes in human subjects.
• You possess excellent communication skills in written and spoken English (C1 level); knowledge of Dutch would be useful but is not required at the beginning of the project.
• You are able to work independently and flexibly, and to take initiative when needed.
• You are able to communicate and collaborate effectively in a team setting.
• You possess good organisational skills.
• You are able to work with colleagues in other departments and research teams, including remote working via Teams or similar platforms.
• You are goal-oriented, resilient, and a problem solver.

We are

The Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour is a world-class interfaculty research centre that houses more than 700 researchers devoted to understanding the mechanistic underpinnings of the human mind. Research at the Donders Institute is focused around four themes: 1. Language and communication, 2. Perception, action and control, 3. Plasticity and memory, 4. Neural computation and neurotechnology. Excellent, state-of-the-art research facilities are available for the broad range of neuroscience research that is being conducted at the Donders Institute. The Donders Institute has been assessed by an international evaluation committee as ‘excellent’ and recognised as a ‘very stimulating environment for top researchers, as well as for young talent’. The Donders Institute fosters a collaborative, multidisciplinary, supportive research environment with a diverse international staff. English is the lingua franca at the Institute.

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. We advocate for an inclusive community and welcome employees with diverse backgrounds, cultures, and perspectives. Will you also contribute to making the world a little better? You have a part to play.

We offer

• We will give you a temporary employment contract (1.0 FTE) of 1.5 years, after which your performance will be evaluated. If the evaluation is positive, your contract will be extended by 2.5 years (4-year contract).
• You will receive a starting salary of €2,901 gross per month based on a 38-hour working week, which will increase to €3,707 in the fourth year.
• You will receive an 8% holiday allowance and an 8.3% end-of-year bonus.
• We offer Dual Career Coaching. The Dual Career Coaching assists your partner via support, tools, and resources to improve their chances of independently finding employment in the Netherlands.
• 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.