Postdoctoral Researcher

We are seeking a creative, energetic postdoctoral researcher to join us
in investigating human auditory cognitive (neuro)science

Interested? Please send an email of inquiry with CV and
a brief statement of research experience, skills, and interests
to Professor Lori Holt, lori.holt@austin.utexas.edu

We seek a motivated, energetic team member at the postdoctoral level who will help us to arrive at a mechanistic understanding of the myriad processes that contribute to auditory behavior, with a special (but not exclusive) focus on speech. We welcome those with experience in other areas of perception, cognitive science, neuroscience, computation, communication sciences and disorders, etc. who would benefit from extending their expertise into the auditory and/or speech domain.

The specific direction of research is flexible. We encourage applicants who can envision connections with our ongoing research projects, which include federally- and state-funded projects regarding

·       Auditory selective attention, and its intersection with statistical learning

·       Speech perception, and its interaction with speech production

·       Mechanisms of auditory learning, adaptation, and categorization

·       Natural speech communication in real-world contexts

We encourage you to think big about how your research goals and interests might align with ours; we welcome new perspectives, skills, and ideas. The position will involve many opportunities for professional development and cross-lab training through our ongoing funded projects with University College London (Frederic Dick), Birkbeck College (Adam Tierney), University of Rochester (Ed Lalor), and University of Pittsburgh (Taylor Abel).

The position’s start date is flexible. Compensation will be aligned to the National Institutes of Health salary pay scale, according to experience. The initial appointment will be one year, with further funding possible for additional years upon satisfactory performance and continued availability of funding. The present expectation is for two years of funding.

 

Qualifications:

·       A PhD in neuroscience, psychology, engineering, or related

·       We are enthusiastic about recruiting a candidate with experience with electroencephalography (EEG).

·       One or more years of expertise in auditory cognitive (neuro)science or related field; prior experience with human electrophysiology and psychophysics is highly desirable

·       Broad experience with neuroscience or cognitive science literature; previous expertise with auditory cognitive neuroscience is advantageous

·       Fundamental curiosity about how the brain coordinates auditory behavior, and a willingness to engage in collaborative research in a workplace that values intellectual playfulness

·       Strong statistical and programming skills (e.g., Matlab, Python, R); experience with coding, data analysis, or computational modeling

·       Enjoyment of working with and teaching others; willingness to play a role in mentoring more junior researchers in the group

·       Fluency in speaking and writing in English

·       Demonstrated ability to write results for publication in the scientific literature

·       Flexibility, ability to learn quickly

·       The ability to work independently as well as part of a scientific team

 

Responsibilities
The broad responsibility is to advance the research and training mission of the laboratory, while advancing one’s own training and development. An approximate estimate of responsibilities, as follows:

·       Study conceptualization, synthesis of various literature (20%)

·       Study design, data collection (15%)

·       Data analysis (20%)

·       Manuscript/grant writing and presentation of scientific results (20%)

·       Student supervision (10%)

·       Laboratory support (troubleshooting, scheduling, assisting with ethics and management, 15%)

Consistently ranked as one of the best places to live and work in the US, Austin offers a mix of year-round outdoor activities, a vibrant live music scene, a foodie’s paradise, a thriving community of young professionals, dog-friendly venues, college sports, and a truly unique vibe (Keep Austin Weird). The laboratory is situated in the Seay Building, in the heart of a beautiful and walkable campus dotted with museums, interesting architecture, and recreational facilities. Campus is accessible to downtown and multiple livable neighborhoods. There is ample opportunity to cultivate good work-life balance while advancing your scientific and professional development. The university boasts an Office of Postdoctoral Affairs, dedicated to supporting postdoctoral researchers succeed in their careers, and an Office of Career and Life Design, available to support career exploration and skills development.

Great science requires many perspectives and backgrounds.
We welcome yours.

https://labs.la.utexas.edu/holtlab/
lori.holt@austin.utexas.edu