Current Vacancies

  • You will find below the current vacancies. Interested candidates can also contact us directly to learn more about individual grants provided by the FWO (Belgium) or apply with us to a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual fellowship (European Commission). Getting your own grants can be very important for your scientific career. It will ensure your independence as a researcher, as you will be able to work on your own research project while showing that you successfully received competitive grants.
  • The FWO offers to successful candidates either a 4-year (2+2) grant to Ph.D. students or a 3-year grant to postdoctoral researchers (there are two categories: junior and senior). Deadlines are typically around December 1st for postdoctoral researchers and around March 1st for Ph.D. students. Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual fellowship offers 2 or 3 year-grants.
  • More information can be found here: https://www.fwo.be/en/ or here https://ec.europa.eu/research/mariecurieactions/actions/postdoctoral-fellowships
  • Be aware that it usually takes a few months to write a research project that is competitive enough for those grants. Don’t hesitate to contact us in advance if you want to prepare such grant applications with us!

We are recruiting a 4-year PhD student in social and cognitive neuroscience

The project is a part of the ERC Starting Grant (DISOBEY) granted to Prof. dr. Emilie Caspar. The core goal of DISOBEY is to understand why some people are more likely to resist orders to hurt another person than others. The project is uniquely focused on developing a social neuroscience approach to understanding the neuro-cognitive mechanisms through which resistance to immoral orders may develop in a given situation. For this project, the PhD student will focus on a work package involving neuromodulation techniques in order to test a causal relationship between different neuro-cognitive processes and their link to resistance to immoral orders. The project seeks, based on these results, to develop interventions that could be implemented by partner NGOs whose aims are to prevent illegitimate violence on the ground of compliance to an authoritative figure.

Educational Degree / Diploma

Master’s degree in neuroscience, experimental psychology, or other relevant social science. The degree requirements need to be fulfilled at the start of your appointment. For diplomas awarded outside the European Union, a certificate of equivalence (NARIC) must be submitted.

Job description

  • A full-time 4-year PhD position in social and cognitive neuroscience is available at Ghent University. The position is funded by an ERC Starting Grant (DISOBEY). The research will be led by Prof. dr. Emilie A. Caspar and co-supervised by Prof. Md. Michael Nitsche.
  • The successful applicant will join the Moral & Social Brain Lab (https://moralsocialbrain.com/) and the Leibniz Research Centre for Working Environment and Human Factors.
  • In this project, the applicant conduct several studies using mostly neuromodulation techniques and electroencephalography to establish what key neuro-cognitive mechanisms could be linked to an increased resistance to orders to hurt another person, despite a monetary gain received.
  • The successful applicant will be responsible for conducting the studies, collection and analysis of data, publication and dissemination of the results, and can be involved in the supervision of MSc students.
  • Key tasks as a PhD fellow are:
    • To collect and analyze data for the project;
    • To manage and carry through your research project;
    • To write peer-reviewed articles in English and merge them into a PhD dissertation;
    • To disseminate your research results by presenting intermediate results at scientific conferences and publish findings in academic journals;
    • To participate in a PhD training program.
  • The main research group is located in Ghent University (Belgium), but the position implies to also visit the Leibniz Research Centre for Working Environment and Human Factors.
  • The successful applicant will also be invited to apply to his/her own grants (FWO doctoral fellowship, BOF doctoral grant)

We offer

  • We offer you a full-time PhD Fellowship (Dehousse-bursaal) of definite duration, consisting of an initial period of 12 months, which-upon positive evaluation-will be extended to a maximum of 48 months. Click here for more information about the PhD fellowship.
  • The contract will start on 1 October 2023 at the earliest. The exact starting date will be determined by mutual agreement.
  • On top of your salary, Ghent University also offers a number of social benefits, including 36 days of paid holiday leave (on an annual basis, for a full-time job) supplemented by annual fixed bridge days, hospitalization insurance, a wide range of training and education opportunities, access to university restaurants and university sports facilities. Click here for more information about our staff benefits.
  • It is possible to make arrangements for remote work and flexible office hours.
  • We strive to achieve a healthy work-life balance and nurture a healthy and rewarding work environment in which individual differences are welcomed and valued.

Job profile

We are looking for a highly-motivated candidate with:

  • An excellent profile and excellent grades during your master degree.
  • Having already conducted research projects in neuroscience or experimental psychology
  • Good English writing and communication skills are mandatory.
  • Previous experience in electroencephalography or neuromodulation will be considered as an asset
  • Using MATLAB/Pythhon/R or related software are also considered as an asset

How to apply

  • To apply, please send a motivation letter, detailed CV, copies of the grades of your master’s degree, and letters and contact information of minimum two academic referees as a single pdf to Emilie Caspar (Emilie.Caspar@ugent.be).
  • For further information on the project or details about the position, please also contact Emilie Caspar (Emilie.Caspar@UGent.be).
  • The recruitment will involve at least two steps. A selection on the first round will lead to an oral interview with the two co-supervisors. Based on the number of candidates, a second interview might be considered.
  • Closing date: 5 July 2023.