Who we are
The department Cognitive Neuroscience (CN) is hosted at the Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience (FPN) at Maastricht University (UM), and currently consists of 33 permanent staff members and about 60 temporary staff (PhD candidates and postdocs). We are a collaborative group that investigates the neural processes that underlie human cognitive functions, including perception, attention, emotion, memory, learning, language and neurocognitive development. CN takes a unique approach to this endeavor by combining a variety of approaches to measure brain activity (e.g., using magnetic resonance imaging [MRI], electroencephalography [EEG], psychophysics) and to manipulate brain activity and overt behavior through non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) and neurofeedback. The department combines experimental skills with methodological development and theoretical or computational perspectives to investigate the neural correlates of cognitive processes at a range of spatial and temporal scales. In addition to a fundamental approach, much of the research also links with applications, related to, e.g., the development of BCIs to help locked-in patients, the treatment of depression, and the remediation of dyslexia. Some more information about the department can be found here.

Job description
We are looking for an assistant professor with broad mathematical, statistical, and computational expertise in the analysis and modelling of cognitive neuroscience data. Specifically, we are looking for a staff member who can apply analysis and modeling to various kinds of neurocognitive data, varying from (f)MRI data, over EEG data, to data from invasive recordings (e.g., obtained with ECoG or depth probes). In general, your research interests should fit within the broad array of fundamental and applied topics covered within CN.

We expect that you are passionate about research and enjoy collaborating with other staff within and beyond CN. In particular, we look for someone whose own research is focused on improving existing and developing novel statistical and computational models for advanced neuroimaging data analysis and statistical inference. Moreover, we look for someone who gets satisfaction from enriching the research of others by offering contributions in analysis and modeling. Note that the latter contributions to research in the department are now also explicitly recognized in the new Recognition and Reward HR policies instated at Maastricht University and are accepted as one of the means towards career development. In the staff member we hope to find, this open and helpful attitude is prioritized over building a specific individualized research line, and team science is prioritized over being individually successful in grant acquisition.

We also hope you are an enthusiastic teacher, as the time commitment on the advertised positions entails 50/50 teaching and research. In 2024, FPN (together with the Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences and the Faculty of Science and Engineering) launches a BSc in Brain Science, where the majority of your teaching will take place. In particular, your data science expertise will be in demand for teaching mathematics, statistics and programming courses, and for contributing that expertise to content courses that are still in development. We expect that you have had formal training in mathematics and have experience in teaching topics ranging from algebra and calculus, to machine learning or biophysical modeling. For students writing a bachelor or master thesis with a strong data science or modeling component, you may be asked to be an internship or thesis (co)supervisor.

You are also expected to be a team player with an open communication and effective management style. Once you are settled in, you should be ready to fulfil administrative roles or committee work in the faculty.

Requirements

• You have a PhD in Computational Neuroscience, Biomedical Sciences or Engineering, Artificial Intelligence, Data Science, Mathematics or Physics;
• You must have strong analytical/computational skills and be interested in human functional brain data; In particular, you should have experience in developing or applying computational models and/or advanced signal analysis techniques in cognitive neuroscience (i.e., applicable to human behavioural, neuroimaging, or neural data);
• You should have experience as a Postdoc, and possess a publication track record that shows aptitude in applying data science skills and/or computational modeling skills to human neuroscience or neuroimaging data;
• You display outstanding quality in research, and you enjoy and promote interdisciplinary team science. Excellent English communication skills are essential. Knowledge of Dutch is not required.
• You are an experienced and enthusiastic teacher and have demonstrated skill in teaching programming, statistics and mathematics courses.
• We expect that you are willing to help colleagues in the analysis or modeling of their empirical data, either within collaborative projects, or purely in a collegial manner.

What we offer

As an Assistant Professor at Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, you will be employed by the most international university in the Netherlands, located in the beautiful city of Maastricht. In addition, we offer you:

• Good employment conditions. The position is classified in pay scale 11 according to UFO profile Assistant Professor 2, with a corresponding salary based on experience between €4332,00 and €5929,00 gross per month (based on a full-time employment of 38 hours per week). In addition to the monthly salary, an 8.0% holiday allowance and an 8.3% year-end bonus apply.
• An employment contract for a period of 12 months with a scope of 1.0 FTE. Upon proven suitability, the employment contract will be converted to an indefinite contract. Your development goals will also allow you to grow further to the position of assistant professor level 1.
• At Maastricht University, the well-being of our employees is of utmost importance, we offer flexible working hours and the possibility to work partly from home if the nature of your position allows it. You will receive a monthly commuting and internet allowance for this. If you work full-time, you will be entitled to 29 vacation days and 4 additional public holidays per year, namely carnival Monday, carnival Tuesday, Good Friday, and Liberation Day. If you choose to accumulate compensation hours, an additional 12 days will be added. Furthermore, you can personalize your employment conditions through a collective labor agreement (CAO) choice model.
• As Maastricht University, we offer various other excellent secondary employment conditions. These include a good pension scheme with the ABP and the opportunity for UM employees to participate in company fitness and make use of the extensive sports facilities that we also offer to our students.
• Last but certainly not least, we provide the space and facilities for your personal and professional development. We facilitate this by offering a wide range of training programs and supporting various well-established initiatives such as 'acknowledge and appreciate'.

The terms of employment at Maastricht University are largely set out in the collective labor agreement of Dutch Universities. In addition, local provisions specific to UM apply.

Maastricht University

Why work at Maastricht University?

At Maastricht University (UM), everything revolves around the future. The future of our students, as we work to equip them with a solid, broad-based foundation for the rest of their lives. And the future of society, as we seek solutions through our research to issues from all around the world. Our six faculties combined provide a comprehensive package of study programmes and research.

In our teaching, we use the Problem-Based Learning (PBL) method. Students work in small groups, looking for solutions to problems themselves. By discussing issues and working together to draw conclusions, formulate answers and present them to their peers, students develop essential skills for their future careers.

With over 22,300 students and more than 5,000 employees from all over the world, UM is home to a vibrant and inspiring international community.

Are you drawn to an international setting focused on education, science and scholarship? Are you keen to contribute however your skills and qualities allow? Our door is open to you! As a young European university, we value your talent and look forward to creating the future together.

Click here for more information about UM.

Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience
The Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience (FPN) is an international faculty with students and staff from various cultural backgrounds, who are connected by their shared curiosity about human behaviour and our brains.

This curiosity inspires us to explore the wide field of psychology from different perspectives (such as a biological and cognitive viewpoint). By using small-scale and student-centred methods, such as problem-based learning and project-based learning, we encourage a similar kind of curiosity in our students, as we provide them with the tools to discover the world of the human brain.