Project: “Auditory spatial attention and eye movement guidance in blindness and its use for sight rehabilitation”
A post-doc position is available in the Visual and Cognitive Neuroscience Lab, headed by Prof. Petra Vetter at the Dept. of Psychology of the University of Fribourg in Switzerland. The position is funded by a project grant of the Swiss National Science Foundation that aims to study how spatial attention and eye movements are guided by audition in sighted and blind humans, how the associated brain mechanisms develop in blindness, and whether these insights can be used to improve sensory aids. The project will be conducted in close collaboration with Prof. Ella Striem-Amit at Georgetown University, Washington DC, USA, as well as Dr. Marzia de Lucia, University Hospital of Lausanne.
The project will involve designing auditory spatial attention experiments, recruitment and testing of blind and sighted adult participants, using fMRI and advanced fMRI analysis methods, eye-tracking and EEG/EOG, and the translation of research results into sensory aids. Funding for this post-doc position is available for at least 2 years (with a possibility to extend to up to 3 years), and there is the opportunity to carry out part of the research at Prof. Ella Striem-Amit’s lab at Georgetown University, Washington DC.
Information on past and current research in the lab can be found on the lab website: https://www.unifr.ch/psycho/en/research/vcnl/ and more specific information on the project can be provided by Petra Vetter and/or Ella Striem-Amit.
Required qualifications and skills:
– PhD in Cognitive Neuroscience or related field, e.g. Psychology, Neuroscience, Cognitive Science, Computer Science, Engineering or similar
– Programming proficiency, preferably in Python, R, or Matlab
– Excellent analytical and statistical skills
– Experience in designing, conducting and analysing fMRI experiments
– Excellent scientific writing and communication skills, documented by peer-reviewed publications
– Ability to work independently
– Ability to supervise junior students
Desired:
– Experience in advanced fMRI analysis methods, e.g. population receptive field modelling, multi-variate pattern analysis, representational similarity analysis, retinotopic mapping or machine-learning approaches.
– Experience with EEG/EOG and/or eye-tracking.
Supervision of Bachelor and Master students within the project is expected. Further teaching is not a requirement, but there is the opportunity to gain teaching experience if desired. The University of Fribourg is a bilingual university (French & German). Basic French or German language skills are an advantage but not a requirement.
Switzerland is multilingual and multicultural, offers a high standard of living and great opportunities for outdoor activities. Fribourg is a vibrant student city located between Bern and Lausanne, both lie within easy commuting distance. Zurich and Geneva are commutable, too. Salaries are in accordance with the guidelines of the Swiss National Science Foundation and the University of Fribourg. Start date is flexible but should be within 2026.
Informal enquiries and applications including CV, motivation letter and contact details of at least 2 referees should be sent to petra.vetter@unifr.ch. Applications deadline: 18th January 2026 (later applications may be considered if no suitable candidate has been found).
