Junior Postdoc Position in Multimodal Language, Attention and RIFT at Radboud University, Netherlands

Radboud University invites applications for a fully funded, 4-year Junior Postdoctoral Researcher position within the Faculty of Social Sciences. Based in The Communicative Brain lab, the successful candidate will conduct groundbreaking neuroscientific research investigating how the human brain processes and integrates speech with visual cues—such as hand gestures and lip movements—using advanced neuroimaging techniques including EEG, MEG, and Rapid Invisible Frequency Tagging (RIFT).

Job Overview & Key Details

Job Description

In everyday face-to-face conversation, speech is continuously paired with visual cues such as hand gestures, facial expressions, and lip movements. How the brain effortlessly binds these multi-timescale signals into coherent meaning remains a major unanswered question in the language sciences. As a postdoctoral fellow, you will help unravel the neural dynamics underlying multimodal language processing.

Key responsibilities and research duties include:

• Investigating how multi-timescale oscillatory dynamics support multimodal integration and weighting during speech perception.
• Designing, running, and analyzing EEG and MEG experiments measuring real-time signal processing in communicative settings.
• Employing Rapid Invisible Frequency Tagging (RIFT) to monitor how the brain attends to and tracks speech and accompanying visual gestures over time.
• Applying advanced computational and statistical analysis methods (such as Multivariate Pattern Analysis [MVPA] and multivariate Temporal Response Functions [mTRFs]) to naturalistic video materials.
• Developing novel empirical paradigms to provide causal evidence for the role of oscillatory mechanisms in multimodal language integration.
• Collaborating with an interdisciplinary team combining linguistics, artificial intelligence, cognitive neuroscience, and signal processing.

Eligibility & Qualifications

Applicants must meet the following criteria:

• Education: A completed PhD degree in neurolinguistics, cognitive neuroscience, or a closely related discipline (preferably focused on attentional trade-offs capturing speech planning during comprehension).
• Experimental Experience: Demonstrable experience in setting up and carrying out RIFT-EEG experiments in multimodal communication, alongside neuro- and psycholinguistic paradigms focusing on attention and speech planning.
• Technical & Computational Skills: Solid programming proficiency in Python, MATLAB, and/or R.
• Statistical Analysis: Proven background in statistical modeling (e.g., mixed-effects models, regression, MVPA, mTRFs) or a demonstrable eagerness to master advanced methods.
• Language Skills: Good command of the Dutch language, or an active willingness to learn it.
• Desirable Assets: Experience with naturalistic stimuli and computational tools for computer vision, motion, and speech analysis (e.g., OpenPose, OpenFace).

What Radboud University Offers

• A 4-year full-time appointment with a competitive salary ranging from €4,925 to €6,682 gross monthly (Scale 11).
• Generous leave policy: 30 to 41 days of annual leave (full-time) instead of the statutory 20.
• 8% holiday allowance and an 8.3% end-of-year allowance.
• Flexible working hours, home-working options, dedicated training schemes, and an excellent pension plan.
• Subsidized access to university sports facilities and cultural events.

How to Apply

Interested candidates should submit their application online through Radboud University’s official recruitment portal. Please address your application letter to Linda Drijvers and attach all required documentation (curriculum vitae, motivation letter, and relevant certificates) as indicated in the application form.

Note: First-round interviews are scheduled to take place on Friday, 30 October. The preferred start date for this position is 1 January 2027.

Application Deadline & Link

Last Date for Apply: 22 October 2026

Apply Now for the Postdoc Position