Principal Researcher in Cognitive Neuroscience and Psychology

Do you want to contribute to top quality medical research?

Help shape the future understanding of how the brain creates our sense of self! At the Division of Psychology, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, at Karolinska Institutet, we conduct groundbreaking research in cognitive neuroscience and perception. As a Principal Researcher in our team, you will have the opportunity to lead innovative projects and collaborate with world-leading experts to uncover the computational and neural mechanisms behind consciousness and perception. Join our dynamic research environment and contribute to scientific breakthroughs that can transform our understanding of human cognition.

Description of the subject area

Cognitive neuroscience and experimental psychology is a subject area that focuses on research on consciousness and perception, psychophysics, electroencephalography, psychophysiology and computational modeling.

Your mission

As a Principal Researcher, you will play a central role in the development and execution of advanced studies in cognitive neuroscience, with a particular focus on consciousness and visual perception, face perception, emotion processing, and metacognition. Experience in research with other perceptual modalities such as bodily self-perception and multisensory perception and with altered states of consciousness is desirable.

You will lead and coordinate experimental studies that integrate psychophysics, visual perception paradigms, electroencephalography (EEG), psychophysiology, and computational modelling to investigate how the brain processes visual perception and conscious awareness. Your work will involve developing and carrying out new experimental paradigms in perception and consciousness science, and supervise and train students. Experience in methods to experimentally manipulate and quantify conscious and unconscious processes, including masking and interocular suppression techniques is desirable.

Additionally, you will analyze EEG data to identify neural signatures and networks underlying perceptual processing and conscious awareness using event-related potentials (ERP), time-frequency analysis, functional connectivity, source analysis, and multivariate pattern analysis (MVPA). Moreover, you will apply information-theoretic methods to examine neural communication between sensory and cognitive areas of the brain.

Furthermore, the position includes supervising PhD and master’s students, publishing scientific findings in international journals, and preparing research grant applications to secure long-term project funding. The role also involves active collaboration with international research groups and presenting research findings at conferences and seminars. Experience in international collaboration and in establishing international networks is desirable.

Eligibility requirements

Eligibility requirements for the position include a doctoral degree in psychology or cognitive neuroscience, documented scientific production in psychophysics and perception research, as well as technical competence in designing and analysing complex psychophysical and EEG data using advanced computational methods.

To be eligible for employment as a Principal Researcher, in addition to holding a Degree of Doctor, PhD, or having a foreign degree deemed equivalent to a Swedish doctoral degree, the applicant must have demonstrated research expertise. The applicant must also be a Research Leader and have established their own line of research. The applicant should furthermore have shown documented, high-quality scientific production, particularly in the last six years and have the potential to energetically drive their research forward as well as be recognized nationally and internationally. The applicant should also have obtained good, long-term and preferably external funding and have the potential to obtain further external funding. The applicant should have shown teaching and supervision experience and demonstrated good leadership qualities.

Assessment criteria

It is meritorious that the applicant has shown

• Knowledge and technical expertise in perception research, psychophysics, metacognitive modeling of consciousness, masking and interocular suppression, and advanced EEG analysis methods.
• Experience in research in perceptual modalities such as bodily self-perception and multisensory perception and altered states of consciousness research.
• Experience in methods to experimentally manipulate and quantify conscious and unconscious processes.
• Review and evaluation of the scientific work of others.

After an overall assessment of the expertise and merits of the applicants in relation to the subject area, Karolinska Institutet will determine which of them has the best potential to contribute to a positive development of the activities at KI.

What do we offer?

A creative and inspiring environment with wide-ranging expertise and interests. Karolinska Institutet is one of the world's leading medical universities. Here, we conduct successful medical research and hold the largest range of medical education in Sweden. At KI, you get to meet researchers working with a wide range of specialisms and methods, giving you ample opportunity to exchange knowledge and experience with the various scientific fields within medicine and health. It is the crossover collaborations, which have pushed KI to where it is today, at the forefront of global research. Several of the people you meet in healthcare are educated at KI. A close relationship with the health care providers is important for creating groundbreaking top quality education and research. Karolinska Institutet is also a state university, which entitles you to several benefits through our collective agreement.

Location: Solna

Read more about the Division of Psychology

Application

We prefer that Your application is written in English, but You can also apply in Swedish. An application must contain the following documents: PhD certificate, resumé, qualifications and description of planned research, presented in accordance with Karolinska Institutet's qualifications portfolio.

Welcome to apply at the latest May 7, 2025.

The applications will be reviewed by external reviewers.

The application must be submitted through the Varbi recruitment system.

For permanent employment, Karolinska Institutet applies a 6-month probationary period.

Want to make a difference? Join us and contribute to better health for all!