• Position: Postdoctoral Researcher
• Researcher Profile: Recognised Researcher (R2 - Ph D holders or equivalent who are not yet fully independent)
• Number of vacancies: 1
• Location: Spain > San Sebastian
• Research Field: Psychology > Cognition and Language
• Type of contract/Duration of Contract: Temporary - 2 years
• Job Status: Full-time
• Hours per week: 35
• Starting date: Fall 2025 (but flexible - no later than Sept. 2026)
• Application deadline: Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis

The Spoken Language research group (https://www.bcbl.eu/en/research/research-groups/spoken-language) at the Basque Center on Cognition, Brain and Language (San-Sebastián-Donostia, Spain) aims to sponsor a candidate for a Juan de la Cierva Postdoctoral Fellowship (a competitive call for a fellowship awarded by the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation, and Universities).
Our group studies how humans process the fundamental units of spoken language, focusing on speech sounds and words. For example, we investigate how words are decoded, how new words are learned, and how components of words (segments like consonants and vowels) are processed by listeners. We use behavioral, eye-tracking, and electrophysiological (EEG) paradigms, while our group also has access to state-of-the-art neuroimaging equipment (https://www.bcbl.eu/en/infrastructure-equipment).

Job description:

• The selected candidate will develop a research project under the guidance of the group PIs and will be invited to apply for a Juan de la Cierva Fellowship (i.e., awarded by the Spanish Ministry).
• As a Juan de la Cierva Postdoctoral Fellow, the selected candidate may also be appointed to teach within the BCBL Master in cognitive neuroscience of language (https://www.bcbl.eu/en/study-with-us/masters-cognitive-neuroscience-language), subject to further evaluation and approval by the department.

PI and research group: The candidate will form part of the Spoken Language group under the direct supervision of Dr. Efthymia Kapnoula.

The ideal candidate would be a recent Ph D graduate (in Psychology, Cognitive Neuroscience, Linguistics, Speech Pathology, or related) with a strong interest and relevant background in studying how humans process spoken language.
Required skills:

• A Ph D (in Psychology, Cognitive Neuroscience, Linguistics, Speech Pathology, or neighboring areas) obtained from January 2023 until December 2024 (extensions may apply, e.g., in the case of maternity).
• Excellent written and oral communication skills in English (knowledge of Spanish would be advantageous in daily life, but is not required for work).
• Previous experimental experience in psycholinguistic research.
• Statistics skills (R, SPSS, or other).

Desirable skills:

• Good publication record commensurate to the career stage.
• Programming skills.
• Previous experience with eye-tracking and/or EEG.

Eligibility: No nationality restrictions apply. Multiple applications to the Juan de la Cierva program by the same applicant are cause of automatic exclusion of the candidate.

Salary: TBD - see details in official announcement, expected to be announced in December 2024. Approximate gross salary 30.000€/year

Training opportunities and Career development plan:
Researchers at any stage of their career, regardless of their contractual situation, are given an opportunity for professional development and for improving their employability through access to a Personal Career Development Plan which includes
(1) Training through individually personalized research projects under senior supervision
(2) Exchanging knowledge with the scientific community and the general public
(3) Network-wide training in theory and methods
(4) Complementary training courses
(5) Involvement in proposal writing, task coordination
(6) Development of skills for the organization of training and scientific events
BCBL seeks to foster an environment where all talents can flourish, regardless of gender, age, cultural background, nationality or impairments. If you have any questions relating to accessibility or support contact us.

Language policy

• The corporative language at the Center is English
• Knowledge of Spanish and/or Basque will be an asset for this particular position, but it is not required
• The center provides initial level Spanish and Basque lessons to all the international staff members
• The interview will be conducted entirely in English

Submission of the application and documentation:
Interested candidates are invited to send their CV and a research statement, as well as contact data of 2-3 referees to Dr. Efthymia Kapnoula (e.kapnoula@bcbl.eu).
Pre-selection process: During the internal BCBL pre-selection process, the fit between each potential applicant and the research group will be evaluated. Shortlisted candidates will be invited to an interview by videoconference and/or in-person by the contact person. The selected candidate will be notified by January 2025 and will be invited to apply for a Juan de la Cierva fellowship, supported in the process by the BCBL admin team. The provisional results of the Juan de la Cierva call are expected to be announced by the Spanish Ministry in the summer of 2025.
Contact details for enquiries: e.kapnoula@bcbl.eu