Vacancy Postdoc 'Electrophysiology and stimulus discrimination'

Job description

Ever wanted to know what drives individual differences in environmental sensitivity? We are looking for a motivated postdoctoral researcher who wants to set up in-vivo electrophysiology in our department as part of a project funded by the Dutch Research Council. The aim of the project is to understand how individual variation in neuronal activity shapes individual variation in stimulus discrimination and attentional prioritization.

In this project, rats marked by different levels of serotonin will be exposed to operant boxes equipped with a touchscreen while brain-region-specific changes in local field potentials are recorded during various unique discrimination tasks.

As a postdoc you will develop, validate, and execute the above-mentioned animal studies. You will also be responsible for the processing and analysis of complex data sets. You will closely interact and collaborate with a recently hired PhD student combining similar touchscreen operant tasks with serotonin biosensing, as well as other relevant researchers and specialists in academia and/or industry (e.g. technical engineers, software developers and data analysts).

Your responsibilities may also include project management, mentoring (PhD, MSc and BSc students) and teaching-related tasks. At the end of the project, you are expected to participate in various (inter)national conferences and prepare a manuscript for publication. You will furthermore be encouraged to apply for funding for follow-up research.

Place of work

The project is embedded within the Department of Cognitive Neuroscience (CNS) at the Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Behaviour, which is a highly dynamic Dutch institute with a collaborative atmosphere, focusing on fundamental and applied neuroscience research at top level. The successful candidate will join both the Behavioural Neurogenetics, and the Behavioural Neuroscience groups led by Prof. Dr. J. Homberg and Prof. Dr. B. Roozendaal. For further information, please visit the following websites: Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour and Department of CNS.

Radboudumc
Welcome to Radboud university medical center (Radboudumc), where our research groups strive for innovative solutions that make impact on health and healthcare. We challenge the status quo to overcome current and future health challenges. Our goal is to shape the future of healthcare for generations to come. Our focus is on prevention, sustainability, and meaningful care, which we achieve through our in-depth understanding of disease mechanisms, clinical science, public health research, medical technology and data science. Our approach is centered on breakthroughs that can truly enhance personalized healthcare and public health. 

At Radboudumc, a comprehensive range of research programs provide the compass for our research efforts. Each program has a clear goal, where collaboration within and outside our organization is highly valued. We integrate care, education and research in partnership with our patients to ensure that our research programs have significant impact on health and healthcare. We invite you to join us in our mission to create a healthy future for all.

Profile

You have a PhD in (cognitive) neuroscience, (medical) biology, or related field and a track record in scientific research, as evidenced by publications in international peer-reviewed journals. Moreover you have: 

• Good command of oral and written English.
• Experience with electrophysiology and analysis of complex datasets.
• Experience with animal work, or a strong desire to learn.
• Technical insight and problem-solving skills.
• Good social, communicational, and organizational skills.
• Dutch (art 9) or European (FELASA) certificate to work with animals is a plus.

Employment conditions

Your performance will be evaluated after 10 months. Should the evaluation be positive, the contract will be extended by 24 months. 

At Radboud university medical center, you build on your future. We are committed to providing the best care, education, and research. And we are true to our word, because we help you develop and seize opportunities and give you the room to grow. As an employer, we believe that employees should feel vital and happy at work in all stages of life. We are also committed to creating a healthy and safe working environment. Our employment conditions contribute to that. What we offer:

• A gross monthly salary between € 3.493 and € 5.504 (scale 10) for full-time employment (36 hours per week). You will also receive an 8% holiday allowance, an 8.3% end-of-year bonus, and a 47% to 72% bonus for working unsocial hours.
• 172 vacation hours per year based on a 36-hour working week. (As of 1 January 2025, you will receive 176 vacation hours.) 
• An Employment Conditions Selection Model, allowing you to use part of your employment conditions to your choosing. For example, you can use your gross salary to purchase additional vacation hours or hours for providing informal caregiving. Or, for example, you can use your gross end-of-year bonus to purchase a bicycle, so you pay less tax.
• Plenty of opportunities for personal development. You can take a variety of courses in our online learning environment. 
• Your well-being and vitality are a priority. For example:
  • Save time for work-life balance leave. 
  • A 40% discount on a sports membership of the Radboud Sports Center.
  • Healthy Professionals program to help you manage your energy. 
  • Company Support Team and a personal coach if you are going through a life-changing event.
  • Financially beneficial working less through a Generation Scheme as you approach state pension age.
• Support in achieving a good work-life balance at every stage of your life. Examples:
  • Advice and courses on, for example, 'Millennial dilemmas' and 'Your Career After 57'.
  • Activities at our own mindfulness center.
  • Informal caregiving consultations if you have questions about juggling work and caregiving responsibilities at home.
• In addition to statutory pregnancy and maternity leave, Radboud university medical center offers 26 weeks of parental leave, nine of which are paid. In addition, as a partner you can take a maximum of five weeks of supplementary partner leave. During supplementary partner leave and parental leave, we supplement the UWV benefit up to 100% of your salary.
• Pension accrual at the ABP Pension Fund. Radboud university medical center pays 70% of the pension premium. 
• Discounts on supplementary packages of two group health insurances and ten other types of insurance, from home insurance to legal assistance.
• As of 1 October 2024: an allowance for your commuting costs of € 0.18 per km up to a maximum of 40 km one way. If you use public transport to commute, we will fully reimburse the public transport costs (2nd class). If you regularly work from home, you will receive a working from home allowance of € 2.35 per day.

Application procedure

Are you ready to think further for our patients and our care? We would like to receive your application before 23 September 2024. We will then contact you shortly. The job interviews takes place in week 40. We would appreciate it if you would take this into account.

Good to know

• This position requires a Certificate of Conduct (VOG).
• You can find more information about our application procedure and frequently asked questions on our website.
• Will you be our new colleague? Then you will be given the time and space to get to know your role, your workplace, and your colleagues. An induction day for all new colleagues is an integral part of your onboarding program. 

We are recruiting for this position ourselves. Unsolicited marketing is not appreciated, but do feel free to share the vacancy in your network!

Contact

Any questions? Or wondering what it is like to work at Radboudumc? Then call, send a message or email to Dr. Ing. Michel Verheij via +31 24 361 95 65. The selection commitee will also include Prof. Dr. J. Homberg and Prof Dr. Roozendaal. Use the Apply button to submit your application.