2 PhD positions in sensorimotor neuroscience / cognitive psychology

2 PhD positions in Salzburg, Austria

I am looking for two PhD students for an FWF-funded research project in which we’ll port lab-based experiments to a more life-like, complex context, relying heavily on full-body motion tracking and mobile EEG. The project description is attached below. The funded positions are 1+3 years, with starting date Jan-Mar 2026.

My group is the Cognitive Psychology Group at the Psychology Department of the University of Salzburg in Salzburg, Austria. We’re also part of the university’s Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience, which pools together researchers from different departments and provides various neuroscience methods. My group’s research focuses on tactile processing and movement; you can find out more about us at https://ccns.plus.ac.at/labs/reachandtouch/.

You’re perfect for these positions if…

• you’ve finished an MSc Psychology or something similar
• you’re interested in sensorimotor processing and movement
• you’re attracted by, and have experience with, programming and complex data/statistical analysis (e.g. Matlab, Python, R)
• you’ve already gained some experience with motion tracking or EEG during your studies

If you’d like to apply, please send a letter that details why you’re a fit for the project, your CV, and either recommendation letters (if available) or at least the name/email address of one person I am allowed to contact about you. Please bind everything together into a single pdf and send it to tobias.heed@plus.ac.at. Please apply as soon as possible, no later than Oct. 30, 2025.

Project “Full-body signatures of sensorimotor decisions”

Wider research context
Cognitive neuroscience has recognized the limitations of highly controlled lab experiments for understanding real-world behavior. The proposal builds on the concepts of sensorimotor decision-making to develop an experimental reach-and-walk paradigm that bridges the gap between laboratory and naturalistic scenarios. Reaching and walking have been core paradigms in neuroscience for decades but have remained largely separate research domains—despite often occurring jointly in everyday behavior. Investigating each domain in isolation potentially ignores cognitive contextual factors and dynamics across time.

Research questions

We scrutinize the expression of sensorimotor decisions across the entire body in naturalistic movement contexts. Key hypotheses are: (1) averaging of multiple movement options under uncertainty—previously observed in reaching—may be a full-body phenomenon in naturalistic contexts, but may be replaced strategically by direct movements to single targets, e.g. when task demands increase. (2) distinct body regions and movement phases (e.g., approach vs. reach) may employ different decision strategies; (3) electrophysiological brain activity may reflect continuous, decision-related variables, such as body-target distance, and decisions themselves.

Approach

We combine movement tracking, mobile EEG, and real objects in setups that progress, step-by-step, from controlled to naturalistic paradigms across four studies, allowing a gradual transition in complexity while maintaining experimental rigor. Participants perform goal-directed actions—walking, reaching, grasping, and object placement—under varying levels of uncertainty. We employ advanced analysis techniques, including latent state and network ("kinectome") analyses of full-body movement data, and EEG methods such as temporal response functions and classification analysis.

Innovation

We establish a novel paradigm that unites two traditionally distinct research fields—reaching and walking—into an integrated framework. It leverages state-of-the-art methods and analysis techniques to enable transition from lab to real-world experimentation. The approach offers a scalable and flexible experimental architecture, contributing significantly to the shift toward ecologically valid cognitive neuroscience. By maintaining continuity with previous research while expanding methodological boundaries, the project offers a highly innovative contribution to the field.

Primary researchers involved

Tobias Heed (University of Salzburg) leads the project as principal investigator. Christopher Lindinger (Mozarteum University Salzburg) serves as associated research partner, providing motion tracking methodology for the grant. Daniel Marigold (Simon Fraser University, Canada) contributes expertise in sensorimotor decision making and visually guided walking as collaborator.