PhD Position / Doctoral researcher in the Translational Psychology Group
Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg
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Job summary
The Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg invites applications for a PhD position in the Translational Psychology Group. The successful candidate will design and conduct longitudinal EEG studies to investigate how brain responses to sounds reflect changing cognitive states, combining mobile EEG with naturalistic environments.
Responsibilities include data collection, analysis, statistical modelling, and contributing to publications and teaching activities.
Qualifications
- Completed university degree in psychology, neurocognitive psychology, cognitive neuroscience, or closely related field with substantial focus on human cognition and experimental neuroscience.
Responsibilities
- Design, implement, and conduct cognitive neuroscience experiments focusing on auditory perception and cognitive-state dynamics.
- Record and analyze EEG data in laboratory and naturalistic environments.
- Apply statistical and computational methods to EEG and long-duration physiological time series.
- Interpret results in light of perception and brain-state dynamics theories.
- Prepare manuscripts for publication and present findings at conferences.
- Collaborate with researchers and contribute to group development.
- Participate in teaching activities within the Department of Psychology (3 LVS / weekly hours).
Skills
Education
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Job description
Paygrade E13 TV-L Working Hours 75% Institution Department of Psychology (School VI of Medicine and Health Sciences) Location Oldenburg (Oldb) Application Deadline 24.11.2026 First day of work 01.01.2027 Limited for three years
The School VI of Medicine and Health Sciences comprises the fields of human medicine, medical physics and acoustics, neurosciences, psychology and health services research. Together with the four regional hospitals, School VI forms the University Medicine Oldenburg. Furthermore, the university cooperates closely with the University Medicine of the University of Groningen.
The Translational Psychology Group, led by Prof. Dr. Martin Bleichner, investigates how the human brain processes information in everyday life. Our research combines cognitive neuroscience, experimental psychology, and mobile neurophysiological methods, with a particular focus on auditory perception, attention, and the dynamics of cognitive states.
Our cognitive states are constantly changing. Throughout the day, we fluctuate in our levels of attention, cognitive engagement, and fatigue, influencing how we perceive and respond to our environment. Yet, much of what we know about the neural mechanisms of cognition comes from relatively short experiments conducted under highly controlled laboratory conditions. As a result, we know surprisingly little about how cognitive states evolve over extended periods of time and how these changes are reflected in ongoing brain activity. In this project, we want to address this gap by investigating whether the brain's responses to sounds can serve as indicators of changing cognitive states. Auditory stimuli are particularly promising because sounds are an integral part of everyday life, and their neural processing is influenced by attention, cognitive demands, and other internal and external factors. By measuring auditory brain responses repeatedly over several hours, we aim to determine whether their variability provides reliable and interpretable information about changes in cognitive state. The central challenge is to distinguish changes in neural processing that reflect the person's cognitive state from those caused by variations in the acoustic environment or other external factors. Building on our existing mobile EEG technology, we will combine controlled auditory stimulation with naturally occurring sounds to investigate how this approach can be extended from the laboratory to more naturalistic environments. The project will involve designing experimental studies, collecting and analyzing long-term EEG recordings, and developing analytical approaches to characterize changes in cognitive states. The successful candidate will contribute to establishing a methodological and conceptual foundation for studying the dynamics of cognition in everyday life, combining experimental cognitive neuroscience with longitudinal data analysis and potentially dynamical systems approaches.
- Designing, implementing, and conducting experimental studies in cognitive neuroscience, with a focus on auditory perception and cognitive-state dynamics.
- Recording and analyzing EEG data in laboratory and naturalistic environments.
- Developing and applying statistical and computational methods for the analysis of EEG and long-duration physiological time series.
- Interpreting experimental findings in relation to current theories of perception, cognition, and brain-state dynamics.
- Preparing scientific manuscripts for publication in international peer-reviewed journals and presenting findings at scientific conferences.
- Collaborating with other researchers and contributing to the scientific development of the research group.
- Participating in teaching activities within the Department of Psychology (3 LVS / three teaching hours per week during the semester).
- Completed university degree (Master/ (Diploma (Uni)) in psychology, neurocognitive psychology, cognitive neuroscience, or a closely related discipline with a substantial focus on human cognition and experimental neuroscience.
- Demonstrable hands-on experience with EEG data acquisition, obtained through a research assistant position, Bachelor's or Master's thesis, research project, or comparable research activity. Experience limited to coursework, theoretical knowledge, or the analysis of previously recorded EEG data is not sufficient.
- Practical experience in conducting experimental research with human participants, acquired through a thesis, research project, or comparable research activity.
- Practical experience with the statistical analysis of empirical research data.
- Practical programming experience in MATLAB, Python, R, or comparable programming languages for experimental research or data analysis.
- Very good written and spoken English, demonstrated through academic writing and oral communication.
- Practical experience with EEG data preprocessing and analysis, including event-related potentials, time-frequency analysis, or comparable approaches.
- Demonstrated familiarity with sound and its properties, gained through training in acoustics, psychoacoustics, or auditory perception, musical training or experience, or other relevant practical activities.
- Experience analyzing longitudinal data, time series, or large physiological datasets.
- Knowledge of dynamical systems theory or its application to cognitive or neural processes.
- Experience with advanced statistical methods, such as regression, mixed-effects models, or multivariate analysis.
- Demonstrated ability to develop scientific arguments and communicate research findings in writing, evidenced by a thesis, research report, manuscript, or publication.
- Experience with reproducible research practices, version control, or open science workflows.
- The opportunity to pursue a doctorate within an established research programme in neurocognitive psychology.
- A friendly, collaborative, and intellectually stimulating research environment that values curiosity, open discussion, and shared scientific discovery.
- A research culture that encourages exploring new ideas, questioning assumptions, and learning from mistakes, while emphasizing scientific rigor, transparency, and responsible research practices.
- Close collaboration within a research group consisting of a postdoctoral researcher, research assistants, and Master's students, with regular lab meetings, journal clubs, and scientific discussions.
- The opportunity to take ownership of your research project, develop scientific independence, and contribute to the shared goals of the research group.
- Access to mobile and laboratory EEG systems and established experimental infrastructure.
- Opportunities to present findings at international conferences, publish scientific papers, and develop professionally.
- Opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration, including connections to a startup working on acoustic event detection and sound classification.
The University of Oldenburg is dedicated to increase the percentage of female employees in the field of science. Therefore, female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply. In accordance to
- 21 Section 3 NHG, female candidates with equal qualifications will be preferentially considered. Applicants with disabilities will be given preference in case of equal qualification.
The position offers the opportunity for personal scientific qualification (doctorate).
Prof. Dr. Martin Bleichner
Translational Psychology Group
Department of Psychology
University of Oldenburg
Martin.bleichner@uol.de
+49(0)441 798 2940.
Applications will be evaluated through a structured, criteria-based selection process. All required qualifications are mandatory and must be clearly documented in the application. Applicants who do not meet these requirements cannot be considered for further selection. Preferred qualifications will be taken into account when evaluating eligible candidates.
Applications must comply with the specified submission and formatting requirements. Applications that do not follow these requirements cannot be considered.
You don't know Oldenburg yet? The following link will provide with you first impressions: https://www.moin-in-oldenburg.de.
- 30 days vacation
- Secure remuneration according to collective agreement
- Company Pension Scheme
- Further education opportunities
- Flexible working hours
- Health management
- Remote working
- Compatibility of career and family
- Support with childcare
- University Sports Centre
- Certificate Bicycle-friendly employer
- Corporate Benefits
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