Description:

The Behaviour and Brain Lab at the Faculty of Human Sciences, Julius-Maximilians-University (JMU) Würzburg, led by Prof. Dr. Mona Garvert, invites applications for a

PhD student (f/m/d)

in Cognitive Computational Neuroscience

TV-L 75%

This part-time position is part of an ERC-funded research project investigating the influence of emotional states on the representation and use of world models using cutting-edge neuroimaging and neurostimulation methods. The contract will start on February 1 ^st 2026 or later, and will be fixed term for an initial period of 3 years. Remuneration will be based on the Tarifvertrag für den öffentlichen Dienst der Länder (Collective Agreement for the Public Service of German Federal States, TV-L).

The successful applicant will be predominantly involved in the development and execution of independent research projects combining experimental work in cognitive computational neuroscience with advanced data analysis techniques. They will present their results at conferences and will prepare manuscripts for publication in international peer-reviewed scientific journals. There might be an opportunity to be involved in teaching.

The following qualifications are required:

• A university degree (Master’s) in psychology, cognitive/computational neuroscience or a related subject
• Prior experience with some of the relevant cognitive neuroscience techniques, e.g. (online) behavioural experiments, virtual reality, fMRI, EEG or computational neuroscience tools)
• A strong affinity to and ideally experience with coding (in Matlab, Python, R or Javascript) and statistics
• Excellent analytical, organizational and communication skills, very good English skills (German is a plus)
• Enjoys working in a team

We offer

The successful candidate will join the the Faculty of Human Sciences, University of Würzburg. The research group led by Prof. Dr. Mona Garvert aims to understand how we make flexible decisions based on knowledge about structure in the world in health and disease. To address this question, we combine the development of novel cognitive tasks with computational modeling and brain imaging methods such as functional magnetic resonance imaging. The University of Würzburg provides a strong and vibrant research environment with close collaborations between psychology, neuroscience and psychiatry, with state-of-the-art laboratories for eye tracking, autonomic psychophysiology and EEG. For MRI studies, several 3T systems (e.g., in cooperation with the Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits) and an ultra-high field 7T scanner at the Comprehensive Heart Failure Center Würzburg are available.

The University of Würzburg is an equal opportunity employer. As such, we explicitly encourage applications from qualified women. Severely handicapped applicants will be given preferential consideration in the case of broadly equal suitability, ability and professional achievements.

The closing date for applications is November 5th, 2025. Please send your application and supporting documents (including CV, certificates, brief description of qualifications and research interests, contact information for two referees) – preferably by email – to:

Prof. Dr. Mona Garvert

+49 931 31-85834

Please do not send any original documents to us; only send photocopies. As we need to save costs, we will not be able to return your documents to you. They will be shredded shortly after a hiring decision has been made. If you enclose a postage-paid return envelope, we will return your application documents to you three months after a hiring decision has been made.