Nomination Director MPI

The Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics invites nominations, including self-nominations, for a director who will lead a research department with a unique, innovative and long-term research program focused on the neurobiology of human language, i.e., the biological infrastructure that supports the uniquely human language faculty. The area of expertise is entirely open; for instance, it could be neuroimaging research of language learning, speech and language comprehension or production, or language disorders.

Max Planck directors need to have a record of successful leadership, the ability to devise a long-term visionary strategy for their research and the potential to make a substantial contribution to their institute’s mission and to develop collaborations with other departments at the institute and with other institutes within the Max Planck Society.

Research at the MPI for Psycholinguistics is focused on the interdisciplinary study of language (see www.mpi.nl). The institute’s mission is to understand how our minds and brains process language, how language interacts with other aspects of mind, how we can learn language, and what the underlying genetic and neurobiological infrastructures are. The institute has five departments, each led by a director. In the field of language sciences, an important area with major challenges is how the organization of the human brain enables cognitive functions as complex as language. For the research portfolio of the institute it is therefore crucial to have a department dedicated to the neurobiological underpinnings of language.

The institute offers outstanding facilities for studying language, including extensive onsite labs and access to state-of-the-art facilities at Radboud University. These include three MRI scanners at three Tesla, one MRI scanner at seven Tesla, an MEG system, five EEG labs, fNIRS and FUS facilities, two VR labs and multiple behavioral labs.

The institute is situated on the campus of the Radboud University in Nijmegen and has close collaborative links with the Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour and the Centre for Language Studies at Radboud University. Nijmegen is a thriving Dutch city close to the German border, and a popular place for students, postdoctoral researchers and young families (see https://en.visitnijmegen.com/). The working language of the institute is English.

The institute is part of the German Max Planck Society, an independent non-governmental association 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, promote equality and challenge discrimination. We therefore welcome applications from all suitably qualified candidates, irrespective of gender, disability, marital or parental status, racial, ethnic or social origin, colour, religion, belief, or sexual orientation (https://www.mpi.nl/page/equal-opportunities).

Nominations, including self-nominations, should be sent to Managing Director Antje Meyer at antje.meyer [at] mpi.nl (antje[dot]meyer[at]mpi[dot]nl). A nomination should only include:

•    The candidate’s name and current affiliation

•    A brief motivational statement (200 words max.) specifying why you nominate the candidate

Note that this call is part of the institute’s scouting procedure; its purpose is to inform the institute about possible candidates. The formal appointment procedure has not yet begun. A selection of (self-)nominated candidates will be invited for a visit to the institute in due time.

All nominations will be treated in the strictest confidence. We expect this call to remain open until midnight (CET) on Sunday 16 January 2022.

Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics

www.mpi.nl

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