Postdoc Researcher in Music Cognition

The postdoc will, under the guidance of the project leader, contribute to Work Package 5 (WP5) “Towards an integrated theory of musicality and its origins” in which we will evaluate and integrate the most recent evidence from both cross-cultural and cross-species studies on the capacity for music, reaching out from music cognition to related fields like comparative musicology, evolutionary musicology, and cognitive biology. The overall aim will be to relate our findings to those of other fields, and to jointly explore the implications of the existing and novel findings for cognitive theories of the origins of musicality. Such a broader synthesis will also incorporate findings in other taxa (most notably primates, pinnipeds, and birds), considered crucial to researchers concerned with the biological basis of musicality. This comparison will further our insights in which features of musicality are exclusive to humans (or to other species) and which are shared between humans and non-human animals (see the full project description at the MCG website under the tab Research).

Your tasks and responsibilities:

• Contribute to the research as described in the project proposal, especially WP5 (see doi: 10.17605/OSF.IO/YXFV4)

• Participate in and contribute to the organisation of research activities and events at the ILLC, such as workshops and colloquia;

• To publish in a high level international journal, present at a leading conference and participate in the supervision of PhD and master students on related projects;

• Co-organize an international symposium on the origins of music/ality.

Your experience and profile

Candidates need to have the following qualifications:

• A PhD in cognitive science, biology, music cognition or related field;

• A strong scientific expertise in one or more of these areas: behavioural or evolutionary biology, music perception, developmental psychology and/or cognitive sciences of music;

• The ability and willingness to work in an interdisciplinary team, with regular exchanges with a team of experts and collaborators;

• Excellent English skills and ability to write and present scientific results.

Please note that knowledge of the Dutch language is not required for this position. However, if you wish, there are opportunities to attend Dutch language classes.
 

The Postdoc researcher will be appointed at the Department of Arts and Cultural Sciences of the Faculty of Humanities and will conduct the research in ILLC. The employment will be for 15 months. The employment contract is for 38 hours a week. The preferred starting date is 01 February 2025.

Your salary, depending on relevant experience on commencement of the employment contract, ranges between € 4,227  to € 5,331 (scale 10) gross per month on the basis of a full working week of 38 hours. This sum does not include the 8% holiday allowance and the 8,3% year-end allowance. Favourable tax agreements may apply to applicants moving from abroad. The Collective Labour Agreement of Dutch Universities is applicable.

What else do we offer?

• Excellent possibilities for further professional development and education;
• An enthusiastic and professional academic team;
• An inspiring academic and international work environment in the heart of Amsterdam;
• The opportunity to collaborate with leading researchers at research institutes that - partly as a result of their interdisciplinary approach - are world renowned.