Postdoctoral Position in Modeling Cognitive Fluctuations

Join us!

We are looking for a postdoctoral researcher to join our project entitled “Next-Generation Cognitive Testing: A Theory-Driven Approach to Multi-Scale Dynamics in Cognition”, funded by an ERC Consolidator grant awarded to Dora Matzke.

Few aspects of human performance are as salient and consequential as its variability. Fluctuations are evident in essentially all areas of cognition. For example, attention fluctuates with alertness modulated by circadian timing, while cognitive abilities change over longer time scales due to skill acquisition and forgetting. Given the critical role of cognition in nearly all aspects of human functioning, including safety-critical situations, these fluctuations have profound implications. Yet, the causes and temporal scales of cognitive fluctuations remain poorly understood. The project will develop a unified theoretical framework, for the first time synthetizing the dynamics of the diverse factors underlying fluctuations in cognitive abilities across multiple temporal scales. This interdisciplinary approach will create new opportunities for the emerging field of ecological momentary assessment (EMA) in cognitive testing, enhancing reliability and predictive power, and advancing understanding of cognitive dynamics in real-world contexts. The project includes two synergistic strands: (1) Theoretical work to create a dynamic quantitative modeling framework, linking accounts of short-term variability to longer-term adaptations in performance; (2) Empirical work using EMA to investigate how and why performance on a wide range of cognitive tasks fluctuates across time scales from sub-seconds to several weeks.

This postdoctoral project has three main objectives

• Contribute to the development of novel adaptive evidence-accumulation models for a range of cognitive tasks (e.g., stop-signal and Stroop tasks), providing theory-driven accounts of trial-to-trial fluctuations in cognitive performance.
• Integrate these models within a Bayesian hierarchical framework with formal models of learning and biological mathematical models of alertness, connecting accounts of short-term cognitive variability to longer-term adaptations in performance.
• Implement and maintain software for fitting and applying the developed models, making the new methods accessible for use in cognitive research.

What are you going to do

The postdoctoral researcher will be embedded in the Amsterdam Mathematical Psychology Laboratory ( https://www.ampl-psych.com/ ), within the Psychological Methods program group. Teaching is limited to 5% of the contracted hours, and consists of assisting in courses and supervising (bachelor) thesis students.

What do you have to offer

A strong candidate will have a clear affinity with mathematical psychology and Bayesian cognitive modeling. Given that the project sits at the intersection of psychology, cognitive science, and mathematics, we are looking for someone who is motivated to work in a multidisciplinary team and able to collaborate across fields.

Your experience and profile

• PhD in mathematical psychology, computational cognitive modeling, psychological methods or a related discipline
• Demonstrable experience with response time modeling, particularly evidence-accumulation models
• Demonstrable experience with Bayesian hierarchical methods
• Strong programming skills in R and experience developing reproducible research software
• A strong research track record, demonstrated through peer-reviewed publications and/or other relevant research outputs
• The ability to work independently and contribute creatively to the development of new models and methods
• Strong collaborative skills
• Excellent written and spoken English

What else do we offer you

The position concerns temporary employment of 38 hours per week. The employment is for two years.

For this position the University Job Classification profile 'onderzoeker 3/researcher 3' applies.

Your salary will be €4.925 gross per month in the first year and will increase to €6.682 in the second year, based on full-time employment and in keeping with the Collective Labour Agreement of Dutch Universities. We additionally offer an extensive package of secondary benefits, including 8% holiday allowance and a year-end bonus of 8.3%.

The UvA offers excellent possibilities for further professional development and education.

What else do we offer

• a position in which initiative and input are highly valued

• an enthusiastic and warm team that is open to new colleagues

• an inspiring academic and international working environment in the heart of Amsterdam.

In this department, you will work

You will join the Amsterdam Mathematical Psychology Laboratory, led by Dr. Dora Matzke and Dr. Andrew Heathcote, and be embedded in the Psychological Methods program group within the Department of Psychology.

To apply for this position, please submit in a single PDF

• a curriculum vitae (max. 3 pages), including a list of publications and highlighting up to three publications or other research outputs most relevant to the position;
• a motivation letter (max. 2 pages) describing your relevant expertise, your interest in the project, and how you would approach the research;
• the names and contact details of two academic references.

If you recognize yourself in this profile and are interested in the role, we look forward to receiving your motivation letter and CV. You can apply via the red button until November 3, 2026. Interviews will take place in the second week of November. In case of equal qualifications, internal candidates will be given preference over external candidates.

For questions about the vacancy, you can contact: Dora Matzke, d.matzke@uva.nl