Job Announcement Postdoctoral Scholar, NSF-funded project on divergent thinking, ideation, and brain activity
Qualified individuals are invited to apply for a postdoctoral scholar position in the area of cognitive neuroscience and creativity. The fellowship is supported by a collaborative NSF-grant, awarded to a team of researchers at the Pennsylvania State University (PI: Dr. Janet van Hell; Dept. of Psychology) and the University of Oklahoma (PI: Dr. Zahed Siddique; Dept. of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering). The postdoctoral scholar will be stationed at the Pennsylvania State University.
We are looking for an innovative postdoctoral candidate with a strong neuroscience background (in particular electroencephalography, EEG) who will play a key role in this NSF-funded project that examines different interventions to enhance divergent thinking and ideation in engineering students. Specifically, the project combines EEG techniques (including analysis of task-related EEG power changes and analysis of Event-Related brain Potentials) in a pretest-posttest design to track changes in brain activity patterns associated with divergent thinking, in different types of engineering interventions.
Candidates must have a Ph.D in Neuroscience, Psychology, Neural engineering, or a related field, or have completed all of the requirements for a Ph.D by the time of appointment. Experience with EEG techniques is strongly preferred. The postdoctoral scholar will be expected to design and coordinate experiments, present data in national and international meetings, and write manuscripts. Extensive mentorship is available for these activities to help prepare for an independent research career. The postdoctoral scholar will have ample opportunities to interact with several vibrant research communities at Penn State University (including the Center for Language Science, http://cls.psu.edu; the Center for Brain, Behavior, and Cognition, http://cbbc.psu.edu; and the Social, Life, and Engineering Sciences Imaging Center, http://www.imaging.psu.edu). The initial appointment will be for one year, with the possibility of renewal for a second year. Salary and benefits are based on NSF guidelines, commensurate with experience and qualifications.
Interested candidates should upload a CV, a cover letter with a statement of research experience and interests, and 2-3 recent publications at https://psu.jobs/job/67501. Additionally, applicants should arrange for three letters of recommendation to be sent separately to Dr. Janet van Hell at jgv3@psu.edu. Review of applications will begin on December 15 and continue until the position is filled. The start date of the appointment is flexible, although an early 2017 date is preferable. For more information about this position, please contact Dr. Janet van Hell at 814-867-2337 or jgv3@psu.edu.