Postdoctoral Research Associate

The Intelligent Performance and Adaptation Lab in the Department of Psychology is seeking a full-time postdoctoral researcher or more senior researcher to begin approximately October 15, 2023. The goal of this project is to study the representation and organization of skill in musical performance. Specifically, we aim to determine how the brain simultaneously organizes novel finger coordination patterns (i.e., chords), sequences (i.e., melodies), and maintains multiple levels of skill representations to be able to play note-for-note while also being able to improvise. Insight into the neuroanatomical substrates of this representation will be gained through behavioral studies and neuroimaging. The applicant should have a strong background in multivariate analysis methods for fMRI, such as representational similarity analysis, as well as research experience in music cognition.

This is a one-year term position with the possibility of renewal based on availability of funding and satisfactory performance. Please submit a CV, a transcript, and a cover letter describing academic and research goals, as well as technical and research experience. At the end of your cover letter, please include your earliest possible start date and the contact information for at least two references. Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled.

Responsibilities

The successful candidate will work closely with Professor Jordan Taylor (Dept. of Psychology) and Professor Elizabeth Margulis (Dept. of Music) to manage all aspects of the project, including:

• Performing sophisticated statistical analyses on both behavioral and neural data, such as multivariate pattern analysis, representational similarity analysis, multi-dimensional scaling, and dynamic hierarchical clustering analyses.
• Programming task software and equipment to conduct experiments.
• Conducting in-person behavioral studies of motor skill learning, which will consist of recruiting, scheduling, running participants.
• Manuscript and grant preparation.

Essential qualifications

• The applicant must have a Ph.D. in Psychology, Neuroscience, or a related field.
• Previous experience with dimensionality reduction and clustering analyses, especially performing individual difference multi-dimensional scaling (INDSCAL) on human behavioral data and representational similarity analyses (RSA) with fMRI data.
• General knowledge of cognitive psychology and neuroscience research methods, statistics, and experimental studies with human subjects. Prior research experience in the field of music psychology and/or motor control would be preferred.

This position is subject to the University's background check policy.

To apply please go to https://www.princeton.edu/acad-positions/position/30661 .