Postdoc Position for 3 years (m/f/d) | Heart-Brain Interactions

The Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences in Leipzig (MPI CBS) is an internationally recognized research institute of the Max Planck Society and is dedicated to the study of human cognitive abilities and brain processes. The Department of Neurology offers a Postdoc position (m/f/d) for 3 years “Heart-Brain Interactions”.

The scientific focus of the position will be on the mechanisms of heart-brain interaction in humans using non-invasive approaches. Studies on basic mechanisms in healthy volunteers as well as in patients with cardiological or neurological diseases are possible. Projects could include neuroimaging studies combining neuroimaging (mainly advanced fMRI) with peripheral physiological measurements, but also data analyses of large databases (UK Biobank, German national cohort, LIFE study). The exact research topic will be adjusted according to the interests and/or specific qualifications of the applicant.

Your profile

Prerequisites are outstanding records (e.g., in form of accepted publications) in a relevant area of neuroimaging research. Educational background could be from cognitive (neuro-)science, psychology, medicine, neuroscience, computer science, physics, or mathematics. Excellent programming skills (Python, Matlab) are required. Previous experience should involve advanced (f)MRI data analysis ideally also on large data sets. We are looking for scientifically ambitious people contributing to a highly cooperative multi-disciplinary team.

Our offer

Candidates will be part of an enthusiastic team embedded in a world-leading research environment with outstanding facilities and research infrastructure (four 3T MR scanners, one of them in a clinical setting, a Siemens Connectom MR scanner, a 7T MR scanner, MEG, EEG, fNIRS, VR labs, eye tracking, and psychophysics labs). All facilities are supported by experienced IT and physics staff. In addition to strong cooperations within the Department of Neurology and with the Clinic of Cognitive Neurology at the University of Leipzig Medical Center, there are also strong interactions among the different departments and research groups at the Max Planck Institute.

Starting date is autumn 2024 or later (to be negotiated) and the duration of the position is three years (prolongable). Salary depends on experience and is based on regulations of the Max Planck Society. The Max Planck society is committed to increasing the number of individuals with disabilities in its workforce and therefore encourages applications from such qualified individuals. Furthermore, the Max Planck Society strives for gender equity and diversity and welcomes applications from all backgrounds.

Your application

We look forward to receiving your complete online application (reference number PD 12/24) at our application portal. The application should include a cover letter also describing your vision in heart-brain interaction research, your CV and list of publications, and contact details of two referees. There is no formal closing date for the applications, however, we will start screening applications from 15 October, 2024.

Further information with regard to the research in the Department of Neurology can be found here: https://www.cbs.mpg.de/departments/neurology or contact Sandra Zurborg, PhD (zurborg@cbs.mpg.de) or Prof. Dr. med. Arno Villringer (villringer@cbs.mpg.de).