Center for Language and Brain

Postdoctoral research positions. Deadline: April 1, 2015

A full-time postdoctoral position in the area of neurolinguistics, psycholinguistics, and/or clinical linguistics is available at the Center for Language and Brain of the National Research University Higher School of Economics (HSE), Moscow, Russia. Center for Language and Brain is a rapidly developing multi-disciplinary unit within HSE with a diverse language research agenda and strong international connections and collaborations. Over the past few years the Laboratory has emerged as the leading unit on experimental language research in modern Russia. The candidate will join a team of internationally-trained researchers in investigating the neural and psychological underpinnings of language, with the focus on neuroimaging, clinical, and crosslinguistic evidence. We are looking for a candidate with solid experimental background: good knowledge of neuro- and psycholinguistic paradigms, hands-on expertise in using state-of-the-art neuroscientific experimental techniques and statistical analysis.  

The candidate will work under the direct supervision of Dr. Olga Dragoy, Director of the Center for Language and Brain, and in close contact with Dr. Nina Dronkers, the academic supervisor of the Laboratory.  Through partner research institutions and hospitals, Center for Language and Brainy of the HSE provides access to a large population of brain-impaired patients of various etiologies (stroke, TBI, epilepsy, brain tumors) in acute and chronic stages; a multilingual population is naturally available due to the multinational nature of the country. Equipment available to the Laboratory for research use includes a 126-channel EEG system, 1.5T and 3Т MRI scanners, a TMS system, two eye-trackers.  The candidate is encouraged to pursue his/her own neuro- and psycholinguistic research in parallel with contributing to the Laboratory’s research projects on the neural foundations of language.  The candidate is expected to participate in the intellectual life of the Laboratory and a broader interdisciplinary group of cognitive scientists at the HSE, which includes faculty, research fellows and students in Linguistics, Psychology, Computer Science and related disciplines.  Limited teaching as well as public presentations of the candidate’s own research throughout the year are strongly encouraged.

Requirements:

• Ph.D. in Linguistics, Psychology, Neuroscience, Speech and Language Sciences or related fields;
• fluent English (knowledge of Russian is an asset, but not required);
• advanced expertise in at least one of the modern experimental techniques (eye tracking, ERPs, fMRI, resting-state fMRI, TMS, VLSM, tractography, intraoperative brain mapping);
• knowledge of Matlab and statistical analysis;
• experience of working with clinical populations (aphasia, developmental disorders, TBI) is an asset;
• ability and motivation to conduct high-quality research publishable in reputable peer-reviewed journals.

The HSE is a young, dynamic, fast-growing Russian research university with an actively-developing block of cognitive sciences providing unique research opportunities. The University is situated in the heart of Moscow, a city of rich history, vibrant art and cultural life in modern Russia.

General conditions for Post-Doctoral Research positions can be found here. HSE offers a competitive salary and research-related travel support. Appointments will be normally made for one year starting September 1, 2015 with the possibility of further extension upon mutual agreement.

Please apply via online application form and attach you CV and research statement. Two letters of recommendations should be sent directly to fellowship@hse.ru by April 1, 2015.