Predoctoral Employment Opportunities

Predoctoral fellowships in Auditory Cognitive Neuroscience
Cognitive Science Ph.D. program at Tufts University
Berlin School of Mind and Brain
NEW GRADUATE FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM IN PSYCHOLOGY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF DELAWARE
Cornell University introduces the 6-Year Dual PhD/JD Program in Developmental Psychology and Law


Predoctoral fellowships in Auditory Cognitive Neuroscience

Predoctoral fellowships in Auditory Cognitive Neuroscience: deadline January 20, 2012.

We are recruiting graduate students to participate in a fellowship training experience in Auditory Cognitive Neuroscience. Graduate applicants who will be enrolled in a full-time graduate program in Autumn 2012 in a natural science and engineering field at one of the host institutions, McGill University, McMaster University, and University of Montreal, are eligible to apply. Graduate Fellowships may be awarded for 1-2 years and will begin in September 2012. Awards include an annual stipend of $17,300 (Master's level) or $21,000 (Doctoral level) to students enrolled full-time at the home institution of one of the training grant mentors. Students are expected to conduct research relevant to the goals of the ACN training grant with one of the training grant supervisors, listed on the website www.acn-create.org. Citizens of any country are eligible. Full application details and information are available at www.acn-create.org.


Cognitive Science Ph.D. program at Tufts University

Tufts University is proud to announce the launch of a new multi- and interdisciplinary joint PhD program in cognitive science. Applications for the inaugural Fall 2012 class are accepted immediately. In recent years, Tufts has built up a world-renowned faculty in Cognitive Science, some of whom have been prominent since the beginnings of the field. The new joint Ph.D. program has particular interdisciplinary strength in the area of human language, including theoretical linguistics, psycho- and neurolinguistics, reading and dyslexia, and computational linguistics, and it offers considerable expertise as well in other traditional subareas of cognitive science including animal cognition, human memory, behavioral/cognitive/affective neuroscience, cognitive modeling, robotics, and human-computer interaction. The cognitive science faculty reflects the diversity of methods and research paradigms in the field and includes: Daniel Dennett, Ray Jackendoff, Maryanne Wolf, Calvin Gidney, Phillip Holcomb, Gina Kuperberg, Holly A. Taylor, Robert Cook, Ayanna Thomas, Rich Chechile, Ariel M. Goldberg, Heather Urry, Rob Jacob, Matthias Scheutz, David Hammer, Barbara Brizuela, and Christoph Borgers.

Interested students are encouraged to visit the Program's web page at http://cogsci.tufts.edu which provides detailed information about the application process as well as contact information for cognitive science faculty.


Berlin School of Mind and Brain

Doctoral Program in Transdisciplinary Mind and Brain Research - Applications are invited for the following research areas:

  • perception
  • decision-making
  • language
  • brain disorders and mental dysfunction
  • plasticity and lifespan
  • philosophy of mind and ethics
  • human sociality and the brain

Application Deadline: 15 January, 2012

The Berlin School of Mind and Brain is an international research school, located in the vibrant heart of Berlin. Founded in 2006 as part of Germany's Excellence Initiative, it offers a unique three-year interdisciplinary doctoral program in English in the mind/brain sciences.

Research within the School focuses on the interface between the humanities and the neurosciences. Of particular interest are research areas that fall on the borders between the mind sciences (e.g., philosophy, linguistics, behavioral and cognitive science, economics), and the brain sciences (e.g., neurophysiology, computational neuroscience, neurology, and neurobiology). Major topics of research within the program include: 'conscious and unconscious perception', 'decision-making', 'language', 'brain plasticity and lifespan ontogeny', 'mental disorders and brain dysfunction', 'human sociality and the brain', and the 'philosophy of mind'. However, research is not limited to these areas, and students are strongly encouraged to develop and work at their own initiative on any projects that are relevant to interdisciplinary questions relating to mind and brain.

The School is situated in the center of Berlin, on the grounds of the Charité, the largest medical campus in Europe. Each year we accept ten to fifteen doctoral candidates into our program. There are some excellent reasons why students might wish to be considered for one of these highly sought after positions at the Berlin School of Mind and Brain:

Excellence in Training and Research

  • The School has a faculty comprised of nearly 60 distinguished researchers, including five Max Planck directors, the Einstein Visiting Fellow (currently Raymond J. Dolan from University College London), and several associated research groups. Together they cover the gamut of research in the mind and brain sciences and enrich the scientific environment. Together with seven other neuroscience programs the School runs the research and education network "Neuroscience Berlin" in order to enhance the exchange and collaboration between neuroscience faculty and students across Berlin.

  • Research within the School is strongly embedded in the basic and clinical research conducted within the region allowing for strong synergistic research initiatives and opportunities. Hosted by the Humboldt University, the School's research program includes scientists from the Free University, the Technical University, the Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience, the Max Planck Institute for Human Development (Berlin), the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences (Leipzig), and the nearby universities of Potsdam, Leipzig, and Magdeburg.

  • Students acquire a strong foundation for interdisciplinary work by attending ten courses in eight weeks during the first half of their doctoral program, which cover all fields relevant for mind/brain-related research, and allow students to explore research methods and topics that they have not been previously exposed to. Each doctoral candidate is assigned two professorial advisors – one from the brain sciences, one from the mind sciences – in order to maximize the interdisciplinary impact of their work.

  • Students meet with leading international researchers via the School's Distinguished Lecture Series, by interacting with senior visiting faculty, and attending international workshops and meetings. As part of the School's commitment to maximizing students' research opportunities, the School also encourages and provides assistance to spend time studying and conducting research abroad during the course of their doctoral candidacy.

  • Extensive practical services to international doctoral candidates are available, including assistance with visa applications, matriculation, health insurance, local authorities, scientific soft skill courses, and language classes.

Finally, there are good financial reasons for studying at the Berlin School of Mind and Brain:

  • There are no tuition fees associated with the program

  • Administrative fees are very low. Administrative fees for attending the Humboldt University come to only approximately 200 Euro per semester.

  • The School offers generous scholarships to the best applicants. Students who were not successful in winning one of the school's own scholarships will receive support in obtaining alternative sources of funding (e.g. a research post within a university department or with one of the School's research groups, or help in finding alternative funding sources for a scholarship).

Recent progress in the neurosciences has opened up new and exciting avenues for research that raise challenging conceptual and ethical questions calling for an interdisciplinary approach. The Berlin School of Mind and Brain offers a unique research and training environment for doctoral candidates to work at this exciting interface between the sciences and the humanities. For further information please visit our website www.mind-and-brain.de or contact admissions@mind-and-brain.de.


NEW GRADUATE FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM IN PSYCHOLOGY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF DELAWARE

The Department of Psychology at the University of Delaware is undergoing a period of growth, inclusive of a new faculty hiring initiative that reflects the arrival of a new department chair, an emphasis on a neuroscience perspective, and cross-program, cross-disciplinary interaction. In connection with this forward momentum and anticipated growth, the department announces a new Department Research Fellowship Program that will fund several incoming students with up to five years of support, providing of four years of support as a Research Fellow and one year of support as a Teaching Fellow or Teaching Assistant.

Our department offers PhD programs in four training areas: Behavioral Neuroscience, Clinical Science, Cognitive Psychology, and Social Psychology. Department Research Fellowships are available to students entering any of the four graduate programs. Priority will be given to applicants whose research interests cut across the research programs of faculty members affiliated with at least two of the four training areas. Fellows will have a primary faculty advisor from one of the four areas and could have secondary research advisors from other areas, fostering interdisciplinary training and research. Fellows and their advisors will be encouraged to pursue predoctoral fellowship funding from NIH or NSF during the course of their graduate training.

Further information about the department, faculty research interests, and graduate training is available at http://www.psych.udel.edu/. Potential applicants should contact prospective faculty advisors to discuss their fit with the Department Research Fellowship Program. Applicants should indicate their interest in being considered as a Department Research Fellow in their personal statements. The statement should identify the faculty advisor(s) the student would be interesting in working with and should include a description of how the research interests of the applicant relate to those of the intended faculty advisor(s).


Cornell University introduces the 6-Year Dual PhD/JD Program in Developmental Psychology and Law

Beginning in the Fall semester of 2012, this rigorous program of study will produce the next generation of scholars who work on the interface between law, psychology and human development. The joint degree will prepare psychology students with legal training necessary for research and teaching in this field, and will provide law students with the research and training skills that are essential to practice and teach scientifically-based law.

Admission
To participate in the dual degree program, students must initially apply to and be accepted by both the Graduate Field of Human Development and the Law School. Admission to one program does not guarantee admission to the other. Note that applications to the PhD/JD program in Developmental Psychology/ Law will be reviewed continuously; however, it is strongly recommended that prospective students apply as early as possible to both schools. To facilitate review of applications, students who intend to apply for dual degree studies should contact the Law, Psychology, and Human Development Program Assistant (lphd@cornell.edu) in advance for further instructions.

Final Application Deadlines
Graduate School: January 1st
Law School: February 1st

Program information
http://www.human.cornell.edu/hd/dual-phd-jd/index.cfm

Contacts
Sadie Hays
Administrative Assistant
Law, Psychology, and Human Development Program
G 95 MVR Hall, Ithaca, NY 14853
Phone: 607.254.1613
Email: lphd@cornell.edu
Law School Admissions Office
226 Myron Taylor Hall, Ithaca, NY 14853
Phone: 607.255.5141
Email: lawadmit@lawschool.cornell.edu