Research Assistant at the Donders Centre for Cognition

1. Introduction

Are you passionate about scientific research? And do you want to help conduct cutting-edge research on the topic of somatosensory neuroscience? As a Research Assistant at the Donders Centre for Cognition, you will support researchers to investigate how the human brain interprets touch.

2. Job description

As a research assistant, you will be involved in the research projects of the Somatosensation and Gargalesis group. Research activities may include recruitment of participants and patients; scheduling appointments; informed consent procedure; explaining the experimental procedure and tasks to participants/patients; training, assisting in and/or conducting mostly behavioural studies; making MEG and/or MRI recordings; programming in Python and understanding scripts in Python. You will be responsible for collecting, checking and archiving all documents essential according to the guidelines within the study. Your responsibilities might also include data management as well data analyses under supervision and reporting.

3. Profile

• You should hold a Master's or Bachelor's degree in Cognitive Neuroscience, Psychology, Cognitive Science, or a related field.
• You know how to program in Python
• You have good organisational skills (scheduling appointments, managing datasets with information on participants).
• You must have a good command of English and Dutch.
• You have excellent social skills, a proactive attitude and team spirit.
• Preferably, you have experience in behavioural research.

4. We are

The Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour is a world-class interfaculty research centre, that houses more than 700 researchers devoted to understanding the mechanistic underpinnings of the human mind. Research at the Donders Institute is focused around four themes: 1. Language and communication, 2. Perception, action and decision-making, 3. Development and lifelong plasticity, 4. Natural computing and neurotechnology. Excellent, state-of-the-art research facilities are available for the broad range of neuroscience research that is being conducted at the Donders Institute. The Donders Institute has been assessed by an international evaluation committee as ‘excellent’ and recognised as a ‘very stimulating environment for top researchers, as well as for young talent’. The Donders Institute fosters a collaborative, multidisciplinary and supportive research environment with a diverse international staff. English is the lingua franca at the Institute.

5. We offer

• We will give you a temporary employment contract of 1 year.
• Your salary within salary scale 7 depends on your previous education and number of years of (relevant) work experience. The amounts in the scale are based on a 38-hour working week.
• You will receive an 8% holiday allowance and an 8,3% end-of-year bonus. 
• We offer Dual Career Coaching. The Dual Career Coaching assists your partner via support, tools, and resources to improve their chances of independently finding employment in the Netherlands. 
• You will receive extra days off. With full-time employment, you can choose between 30 or 41 days of annual leave instead of the statutory 20. 

6. Practical information and applying

You can apply only via the button below. Address your letter of application to Konstantina Kilteni. In the application form, you will find which documents you need to include with your application.

The first interviews will take place on Tuesday 24 June. You will preferably start your employment on 1 September 2025.

We can imagine you're curious about our application procedure. It describes what you can expect during the application procedure and how we handle your personal data and internal and external candidates. If you wish to apply for a non-scientific position with a non-EU nationality, please take notice of the following information.