Vacature Postdoctoral Researcher in Laminar fMRI of Natural Auditory Scene Processing

Postdoctoral Researcher in Laminar fMRI of Natural Auditory Scene Processing in Maastricht

Welcome to Maastricht University! Help us uncover how the brain makes sense of complex soundscapes by combining laminar fMRI with AI in a groundbreaking ERC Synergy project on real-world auditory scene perception.

Postdoctoral Researcher in Laminar fMRI of Natural Auditory Scene Processing

• Our goal: To understand how the brain transforms sound into meaning using laminar fMRI and AI.
• Your colleagues: An interdisciplinary team of neuroscientists, psychologists, bioengineers and AI researchers.

As a Postdoctoral Researcher, you will take the lead in investigating how the brain represents and transforms acoustic signals into semantic understanding using advanced neuroimaging techniques, specifically laminar fMRI. You will work at the intersection of MR physics and cognitive neuroscience, collecting and analyzing high-resolution fMRI data acquired during passive and active listening tasks. You will also help integrating fMRI data with data from other modalities (iEEG, MEG) and deep neural network (DNN) predictions, collected within the project.

In addition to your research, you will play a key supervisory role, guiding PhD students and contributing to the refinement of theoretical and computational models of auditory scene analysis. You will collaborate closely with experts in neuroimaging, AI and psychoacoustics. This position is embedded in the NASCE project, a ERC-Synergy funded project by prof. Elia Formisano (Maastricht University) and dr. Bruno Giordano (CNRS, Marseille). You will work in Maastricht at the ARCHIE lab, under the supervision of Prof. Elia Formisano. The position offers access to a cutting-edge 7T scanner and ample research resources.

What you do

• Designing, conducting and analyzing laminar fMRI experiments related to auditory scene perception
• Integrating neuroimaging results with predictions from AI models of sound scene analysis
• Coordinating research activities and mentoring PhD candidates
• Publishing research in leading journals and presenting at international conferences
• Collaborating with an interdisciplinary team across institutions
• Contributing to teaching activities in neuroscience or cognitive science (max. 0.1 FTE)

Are you ready to set the course for the years ahead? Then we’d love to meet you.

What you bring We’re not looking for checkboxes—we’re interested in who you are and what you bring. Do you recognize yourself in this?

• You hold a PhD in neuroimaging, neurophysics, biomedical engineering, or a related field.
• You have proven experience with ultra-high field or laminar fMRI, including acquisition and data analysis.
• You’re fluent in programming languages such as Python or MATLAB for advanced data analysis.
• You’re comfortable with model-based techniques such as RSA, encoding/decoding or connectivity models.
• You have a strong publication record and thrive in collaborative, international research environments.
• You bring a passion for auditory neuroscience, cognitive modelling or related domains.
• You’re a clear communicator, able to coordinate research activities and support PhD candidates.
• You’re fluent in English, both spoken and written.
• You are independent, well-organized and motivated to push boundaries in brain science.

What we offer

As a Postdoctoral Researcher at Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience , you will be employed by the most international university in the Netherlands, located in the beautiful city of Maastricht. In addition, we offer you:

• Good employment conditions. The position is graded in scale 10 according to UFO profile Researcher, with corresponding salary based on experience ranging from €3.546 and € 5.538 gross per month (based on a full-time employment of 38 hours per week). In addition to the monthly salary, an 8.0% holiday allowance and an 8.3% year-end bonus apply.
• An employment contract for a period of 24 months with a scope of 1.0 FTE. Upon a positive evaluation, an extension of 24 months will follow.
• At Maastricht University, the well-being of our employees is of utmost importance, we offer flexible working hours and the possibility to work partly from home if the nature of your position allows it. You will receive a monthly commuting and internet allowance for this. If you work full-time, you will be entitled to 29 vacation days and 4 additional public holidays per year, namely carnival Monday, carnival Tuesday, Good Friday, and Liberation Day. If you choose to accumulate compensation hours, an additional 12 days will be added. Furthermore, you can personalize your employment conditions through a collective labor agreement (CAO) choice model.
• As Maastricht University, we offer various other excellent secondary employment conditions. These include a good pension scheme with the ABP and the opportunity for UM employees to participate in company fitness and make use of the extensive sports facilities that we also offer to our students.
• Last but certainly not least, we provide the space and facilities for your personal and professional development. We facilitate this by offering a wide range of training programs and supporting various well-established initiatives such as 'acknowledge and appreciate'.

The terms of employment at Maastricht University are largely set out in the collective labor agreement of Dutch Universities. In addition, local provisions specific to UM apply. For more information, click here

Maastricht University

Why work at Maastricht University?

At Maastricht University (UM), everything revolves around the future. The future of our students, as we work to equip them with a solid, broad-based foundation for the rest of their lives. And the future of society, as we seek solutions through our research to issues from all around the world. Our six faculties combined provide a comprehensive package of study programmes and research.

In our teaching, we use the Problem-Based Learning (PBL) method. Students work in small groups, looking for solutions to problems themselves. By discussing issues and working together to draw conclusions, formulate answers and present them to their peers, students develop essential skills for their future careers.

With over 22,300 students and more than 5,000 employees from all over the world, UM is home to a vibrant and inspiring international community.

Are you drawn to an international setting focused on education, science and scholarship? Are you keen to contribute however your skills and qualities allow? Our door is open to you! As a young European university, we value your talent and look forward to creating the future together.

Click herefor more information about UM.

Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience

The Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience (FPN) is an international faculty with students and staff from various cultural backgrounds, who are connected by their shared curiosity about human behaviour and our brains.  

This curiosity inspires us to explore the wide field of psychology from different perspectives (such as a biological and cognitive viewpoint). By using small-scale and student-centred methods, such as problem-based learning and project-based learning, we encourage a similar kind of curiosity in our students, as we provide them with the tools to discover the world of the human brain. 

Cognitive Neuroscience You will be part of the

lab, affiliated with and embedded within the Auditory Perception and Cognition group at the

The lab combines neuroscience, AI, and cognitive psychology to study auditory perception in real-world contexts using state-of-the-art methods such as 7T fMRI, iEEG, and deep neural networks.

Curious? Are you interested in this exciting position but still have questions? Feel free to contact Prof. dr. Elia Formisano at [email protected] for more information.

Applying? Or are you already convinced and ready to become our new Postdoctoral Researcher in Laminar fMRI? Apply now, no later than September 7th, 2025 for this position.

Please upload your CV, motivation letter, contact information of 2 referees and publication list.

The first interviews preferably take place in the second half of September. The second interviews will preferably be held at the end of September/beginning of October.

An orientation day may be part of the application procedure.

A reference check will be part of the application procedure.

The vacancy is open for internal and external candidates. In case of equal qualifications, internal candidates will be prioritized.

Maastricht University is committed to promoting and nurturing a diverse and inclusive community. We believe that diversity in our staff and student population contributes to the quality of research and education at UM, and strive to enable this through inclusive policies and innovative projects led by teams of staff and students. We encourage you to apply for this position.