Postdoctoral Researcher

Are you an early-career cognitive neuroscientist, looking to contribute to a new line of research? Birkbeck, University of London, is seeking a postdoctoral researcher to join Dr Daniel Yon’s Uncertainty Lab at the School of Psychological Sciences.

This post is attached to a four-year grant awarded to Dr Yon from the Leverhulme Trust entitled Public Communication and Private Confidence. Psychologists and neuroscientists know that metacognitive feelings of uncertainty play an important role in controlling our behaviour as individuals, and coordinating our behaviour in groups – but we don’t know how interaction with others changes our own metacognitive states of mind, and how these mental processes can vary and go awry.

This project aims to find out how social communication shapes private metacognition  – and it is a collaborative partnership between Daniel Yon and Chris Frith (Institute of Philosophy),  Cecilia Heyes (Oxford) and Phil Corlett (Yale).

In this role, you will lead neuroimaging (fMRI) and behavioural work at Birkbeck investigating how communication with others is integrated into the neural circuits involved in metacognition, uncertainty and perceptual awareness - pinpointing the mechanisms that support and enable ‘metacognitive social influence’.

You will join the project at its earliest stages, with ample opportunity to contribute to the design and direction of planned studies, and will work independently and in collaboration with other members of the Uncertainty Lab (including PhD students and research assistants). 

You will also join a thriving research community in Psychology at Birkbeck, and will be encouraged to build your own research networks within the department and at other institutions nearby.

As our Postdoctoral Researcher, you will:

• have experience in designing, running and analysing cognitive neuroimaging studies with human volunteers (specifically fMRI).
• be an early career cognitive neuroscientist - interested in connecting brain data to cognitive theories, and in trying to find connections between different topics in cognitive neuroscience (i.e., metacognition, prediction, learning, social cognition, perception) which are typically studied on their own.

A full list of essential and desirable criteria are available in the attached job description. Applicants’ track records in research (e.g., of published papers, preprints, presentations) will be evaluated relative to their career stage.

If you are interested in joining this exciting new project, apply with us today!

Salary and benefits:

£43,265 to £49,394 per annum, (rising to £43,636 - £49,683 from 03/2025), Grade 7 of the College's London Pay Scale which includes a consolidated Weighting/Allowance that applies only to staff whose normal contractual place of work is in the London area.

Birkbeck offers a competitive salary and generous pension scheme, 31 days paid leave, flexible working arrangements and some of the most generous benefits in the HE sector, all while being located right in the heart of Bloomsbury, Euston, London.

Contract:

Fixed-term 2 year contract (possible extension). Full-time (35 hours a week). Role is based on site, but flexibility offered. Please submit a CV for consideration. Closing date: Monday 25 November 2024, interview date: Monday 10 December 2024. This post is available for visa sponsorship. 

Enquiries:

If you would like to know more about the role, please contact Dr Daniel Yon, Reader in Cognitive Neuroscience at d.yon@bbk.ac.uk.

If you have difficulty using the recruitment portal, please contact jobs@bbk.ac.uk providing your name and the job reference number of the position. While we are happy to respond to all informal enquiries, only formal applications through the online system will be considered. www.birkbeck.ac.uk/jobs

We welcome applicants from all sections of the community. The College is committed to improving the gender and cultural diversity of its workforce, holding an Athena SWAN award and operating Disability Confident & Mindful Employer schemes.