Fully Funded 4-Year PhD Position In The NeuroAI of Language

Job description

Large language models are now our best tools for predicting brain responses to language – but their "black-box" representations obscure what drives this alignment, and hence what it can teach us about language processing in the human brain. This PhD project aims to dissect LLM-brain correspondence using AI interpretability tools, characterising precisely of LLMs and brain representations capture distinct aspects of language (syntax, semantics, world knowledge). The work combines AI interpretability with computational analysis of high-quality neuroimaging datasets and the design of targeted fMRI experiments, and sits at the intersection of cognitive neuroscience, NLP, and AI interpretability. The project will be supervised by dr. Micha Heilbron and co-supervised by prof. Marcel van Gerven. The successful candidate may also be expected to co-supervise bachelor and master students working on related projects, and will be co-affiliated with the Artificial Cognitive Systems group at the AI Department of Radboud University.

Requirements

Essential:

• A Master's degree in a relevant discipline (e.g., cognitive neuroscience, computer science, computational linguistics, AI, physics). Candidates expecting to complete their degree by summer 2026 are welcome to apply.
• Demonstratable experience working with deep learning models, particularly transformers and large language models.
• Demonstrable experience with neuroimaging data analysis (fMRI, M/EEG, or ECoG), including preprocessing, statistical modelling, and encoding or decoding approaches. Or alternatively other forms of medical imaging or signal processing.
• Aptitude for quantitative reasoning and comfort with linear algebra, probability, and statistics.
• Strong programming skills in Python; familiarity with standard ML frameworks (PyTorch, JAX, or similar).
• A keen interest in language: its structure (syntax, semantics, phonology) and how it is processed in the brain.
• Excellent written and spoken English.
• Ability to work independently while also collaborating effectively within an interdisciplinary team.
   

Desirable:

• Experience with brain encoding models and representational similarity analysis.
• Experience with AI interpretability methods (probing classifiers, concept erasure, sparse autoencoders, activation patching).
• Formal background in linguistics, psycholinguistics, or philosophy of language.
• Existing peer-reviewed publications or preprints.
• Commitment to open science practices (code sharing, preregistration, open data).

What we offer you

• Intended starting date is spring 2026. A later start date is negotiable but the
  candidate should be in place by September 2026.
• Full time PhD position (39 hours per week), fully funded for 4 years.
• Starting gross salary is approx. €3.185,72 per month (based on full-time employment, as
  determined according to the German TVöD (Tarifvertrag für den öffentlichen Dienst).
• 30 holidays per year, based on full-time employment; in addition, we honour both Dutch
  and German public holidays.
• Enrolment in a personal pension scheme to which both employer and employee pay a
  monthly contribution.
• Access to state-of-the art research and training facilities and a generous conference and
  travel budget.
• Educational training programme provided by the International Max Planck Research
  School for Language Sciences.
• Doctoral degree conferred by Radboud University, our partner university.

Application procedure

The deadline for applications is Friday, March 20th at 5 PM (CET).
*****DEADLINE HAS PASSED*****
For questions and informal enquiries, contact dr. Micha Heilbron (Micha.Heilbron [at] mpi.nl).

Applications should be in .pdf format and include

1. One-page statement describing your background, what draws you to this position, and how you would approach the research. Please include at least one specific question, direction, or methodological approach you'd be excited to pursue. This is meant to give us a sense of your thinking and research taste, not a comprehensive or binding proposal. (You may use the full page for content – no letter formatting needed.)
2. Brief summary (250 words) of your MSc/MA dissertation.
3. CV including education, relevant work experience, and publications if applicable.
4. Transcript or grade list for MSc education.
5. Names and contact details of two referees (contacted only if invited to interview).
6. Your availability for an online interview between April 29 and May 6th.

The employer

About our institute

The Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics is a world-leading research institute devoted to interdisciplinary studies of the science of language and communication, including departments on genetics, psychology, development, neurobiology and multimodality of these fundamental human abilities.
We investigate how children and adults acquire their language(s), how speaking and listening happen in real time, how the brain processes language, how the human genome contributes to building a language-ready brain, how multiple modalities (as in speech, gesture and sign) shape language and its use in diverse languages and how language is related to cognition and culture, and shaped by evolution.
We are part of the Max Planck Society, an independent non-governmental association of German-funded research institutes dedicated to fundamental research in the natural sciences, life sciences, social sciences, and the humanities.

The Max Planck Society is an equal opportunities employer. We recognise the positive value of diversity and inclusion, promote equity and challenge discrimination. We aim to provide a working environment with room for differences, where everyone feels a sense of belonging. Therefore, we welcome applications from all suitably qualified candidates.

Our institute is situated on the campus of the Radboud University and has close collaborative links with the Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour and the Centre for Language Studies at Radboud University. We also work closely with other child development researchers as part of the Baby & Child Research Center.
Staff and students at the MPI have access to state-of-the art research and training facilities.
 

About the Language and Predictive Computation (LPC) group 

How do we understand language? What does the brain actually do when we read or hear a sentence? And how is it that Large Language Models — trained on nothing but predicting the next word — have not only mastered language, but also turned out to be the most accurate models of human brain responses to language?

In the LPC Group, we use the tools of modern AI to model language in the human mind and brain. We also run the logic in reverse: drawing on what psychology and neuroscience teach us about human language processing, we build language models constrained by the human cognitive architecture.

Ultimately, we aim to understand how the human brain learns and represents language, and to build more cognitively faithful models of human language processing. 
 

About our graduate school

The International Max Planck Research School for Language Sciences is a joint initiative
of the Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics and two research institutes based at
Radboud University - the Centre for Language Studies and the Donders Institute for
Brain, Cognition and Behaviour. The graduate school serves to bring together
outstanding doctoral students from diverse disciplines in the language sciences on
campus, and offer them high-quality training in an environment that both broadens their
interdisciplinary experience and prepares them for fulfilling careers in the language
sciences. 

Our education and training program involves both core and individually chosen
coursework to complement the PhD research, and training in soft skills such as writing
and presentation. Learn more here.