Post-doctoral positions in Trinity College Dublin (Ireland)

THREE POST-DOCTORAL POSITIONS AVAILABLE IN HUMAN PERCEPTUAL NEUROSCIENCE

The closing date for all applications is Friday, 26th August, 2011.

Starting in Autumn 2011, three positions are available in the Institute of Neuroscience, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland, for talented and highly motivated post-doctoral researchers. The positions will be based in the Multisensory Cognition Group, under the direction of Prof. Fiona Newell. A brief description of the respective projects is provided below. The research involved in all projects is based on the general theme of elucidating the brain processes underlying high-level multisensory perception in humans.

Brief description of projects
1. Socialising virtual agents using principles of human multisensory perception:
The goal of this project is to investigate the multisensory features associated with social engagement and appeal in humans and to endow virtual avatars with these characteristics. This research will be conducted in collaboration with Carol O’Sullivan from the Graphics, Vision and Visualisation group, TCD, Disney Research, Pittsburgh USA and Intel Corp.

2. The role of ageing on multisensory processing in the brain:

The aim of this project is to investigate the effect of ageing on the underlying integrity of the sensory systems in the brain, using both functional and structural MRI. The research will be conducted in collaboration with Prof. Richard Reilly, Centre for BioEngineering, TCD, and the Intelligent Systems group in the University of Ulster, UK.

3. Preserving perceptual function in older adults using Virtual Environments:

The project will investigate the efficacy of populated, multisensory virtual environments as a tool to prevent and/or treat age-related conditions such as loss of balance, posture control and the onset of Parkinson’s Disease. This project involves a collaboration with a large consortium of researchers within the EU, spanning disciplines such as computer graphics, neuropsychology and virtual reality.

Requirements

All candidates must have a Ph.D. in Psychology, Neuroscience or a cognate discipline, and an interest in human perception. Experience in designing and conducting experiments using MRI and analysing data from functional (fMRI) and/or structural (VBM, DTI) MRI studies is also required. Good programming/mathematical skills (e.g. Matlab) are desirable.

All positions are funded for 2 years and include a starting annual gross salary of €37,750 per annum, commensurate with Irish Universities Association scale. Successful candidates are expected to take up their position in September 2011 (some flexibility on the start date may be given, depending on the project) and a two-year commitment to the project is expected.

To apply please send a CV, including the names and addresses of 2 academic referees, a list of publications and a cover letter outlining your research interests to fiona.newell@tcd.ie. In your cover letter, please indicate for which of the three positions you are applying. The closing date for all applications is Friday, 26th August, 2011.

Institute of Neuroscience,
Lloyd Building,
Trinity College,
Dublin 2,
Ireland