20 May: fyi -- research positions, Aachen
Index of May 2009 | Index of year: 2009 | Full index
2 doctoral and 2 postdoctoral positions in gesture research project
HumTec (Human Technology Centre) is an interdisciplinary project house at
RWTH Aachen University, funded by the Excellence Initiative of German
federal and state governments. HumTec aims at fostering high-level
interdisciplinary research between the humanities/social sciences and the
engineering/natural sciences (www.humtec.rwth-aachen.de).
HumTec invites applications for several doctoral and post-doctoral
positions anchored in the newly-established, interdisciplinary research
program Natural Media & Engineering: Emotion-Cognition Interactions and
their Modification. The project explores the various functions natural
media serve in human face-to-face interaction and in human-computer
interaction. Of central interest is the interplay of speech, gestures, and
facial expressions.
The aim is to examine the semiotic foundations of multimodally
communicated cognitive-emotional processes, as they manifest themselves
under naturalistic, clinically impaired, and technologically modified
conditions. Combining methods from semiotics, linguistics, cognitive
psychology, clinical neuroscience, and computer science, investigations
will be carried out in three interrelated groups. The focus of each group
and the distribution of the advertised positions across these groups will
be as follows:
1) Mediality in Multimodal Communication aims at developing a
comprehensive, cognitive-semiotic framework for a theory of natural media
of human communication. Theory-building will be rooted in empirical studies
integrating experimental design and naturalistic usage data.
2 Ph.D. positions: Successful candidates will have an outstanding degree
and academic record demonstrating a strong theoretical background in
semiotics, linguistics, cognitive psychology, and/or psycholinguistics as
well as in experimental and/or empirical methods. Experience with coding
and analyzing multimodal data including co-speech gesture and/or facial
expressions is a plus.
2) Natural Media & Clinical Neuroscience will examine the neural substrate
underlying cognitive-emotional processes during verbal and non-verbal
communication in both normal and dysfunctional communicative patterns,
e.g., in aphasia, schizophrenia, and autism.
1 PostDoc position: Successful candidates will have an outstanding
doctoral degree in clinical neuroscience, cognitive neuroscience,
psycholinguistics, and/or medicine with a focus on brain correlates of
language and communication. They have a strong background in experimental
and/or empirical methods including statistics, models of normal and
impaired language processing (including sign language) and expertise in
modern brain imaging and stimulation techniques. Experience with project
management and conducting studies with neurological or psychiatric patients
is a definite plus.
3) Natural Media & Serious Gaming will investigate the role of natural
media in the design and use of cooperative computer games in ?serious
gaming? contexts.
1 PostDoc position: Successful candidates have accomplished a doctorate in
computer science or a closely related field. They have a strong background
in pervasive game technology and implementation, and/or in design and
evaluation methods for ?serious games? in domains such as engineering,
business, or medicine. Interest and experience in interdisciplinary
cooperation is a definite plus.
HumTec welcomes creative and team-minded young scholars with a genuine
interest in cross-disciplinary research. The successful candidates will
work closely with renowned experts in their fields and have access to
state-of-the-art facilities including neuroimaging technologies (e.g.,
PET-Scanner and 3T-MRI) housed at the university hospital
(www.ukaachen.de). No previous knowledge of German is required, but the
willingness to learn German is desirable. Aachen (Aix-la-Chapelle) is a
UNESCO heritage site located one hour West of Cologne, right on the borders
with Belgium and the Netherlands.
All four positions will be filled as soon as possible, and they are
available for 2 years (with an option of renewal). The PostDoc positions
are full-time positions; the Ph.D. positions are part-time positions.
Your application should include a CV, a cover letter, and a 3-page
statement of research interests. Please also provide the names and email
addresses of three referees.
The deadline for applications is June 30, 2009.
Please address inquiries and completed applications (by either email or
regular mail) to:
Human Technology Centre (HumTec)
Natural Media & Engineering
Prof. Irene Mittelberg
RWTH Aachen University
Theaterplatz 14
52062 Aachen
Germany
Tel. +49 (0) 241 80 25 486
mittelberg@humtec.rwth-aachen.de
For more information on the project, please visit www.humtec.rwth-aachen.de
Index of May 2009 | Index of year: 2009 | Full index