PhD Candidate in NeuroAI for Auditory Neuroscience

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PhD Candidate in NeuroAI for Auditory Neuroscience

Welcome to Maastricht University!

How does the human brain transform complex natural sounds into meaningful percepts, and can artificial neural networks help us understand this process? Join the NASCE project and combine advanced neuroimaging with AI to investigate the computational principles of real-world hearing.

PhD Candidate in NeuroAI for Auditory Neuroscience

Our goal: Understand how the human brain recognizes and interprets complex natural auditory scenes and to uncover computational principles shared by biological and artificial systems. The PhD project is part of NASCE (Natural Auditory SCEnes in Humans and Machines), an ERC Synergy project conducted in collaboration with Dr. Bruno Giordano (CNRS, Marseille). NASCE brings together cognitive neuroscience, advanced neuroimaging, behavioural research, and artificial intelligence to investigate natural sound perception in humans and machines.

Your colleagues: You will join the AuditoRy Cognition in Humans and MachInEs (ARCHIE) lab, an interdisciplinary and international research team led by Prof. Elia Formisano at the Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University. You will work closely with researchers with complementary expertise in auditory neuroscience, neuroimaging, and AI/NeuroAI.

In this role you will bridge human neuroimaging and computational modelling. You will collect and analyse neuroimaging data (7 Tesla fMRI) acquired during natural sound perception and use state-of-the-art AI models to investigate how the human brain transforms acoustic information into meaningful representations. By comparing representations in the brain and artificial neural networks, you will contribute to a better understanding of the computational principles underlying auditory intelligence in humans and machines.

What you do

As a PhD candidate, you will:

Acquire and analyse human neuroimaging data, with a primary focus on high-field fMRI of natural sound perception.

Develop and apply AI/NeuroAI models, including deep neural networks, to model auditory processing.

Relate representations learned by AI models to behavioural and brain data using multivariate and representational modelling approaches.

Contribute to the design and execution of neuroimaging and behavioural experiments.

Develop your expertise across neuroscience and AI, with intensive training in the field that is less familiar to you at the start of the PhD, while collaborating with researchers across the interdisciplinary NASCE consortium.

Present your findings at international conferences and publish them in peer-reviewed journals.

Contribute to open and reproducible research through well-documented analysis pipelines, models and data products.

Contribute up to 0.1 FTE to teaching or supervision at Maastricht University.

Are you excited to work at the interface of neuroscience and artificial intelligence while developing expertise across both fields? Then we’d love to meet you.

What you bring

We’re not looking for checkboxes; we’re interested in who you are and what you bring. Do you recognize yourself in this?

We are looking for a curious and analytically minded researcher who is driven to deepen our understanding of both biological and artificial intelligence. You are comfortable working independently, while also valuing collaboration and contributing actively within an interdisciplinary and international team. With a proactive and growth-oriented mindset, you are motivated to continuously develop new skills, expand your expertise, and explore new areas of knowledge.

Furthermore:

You hold a Master’s degree in cognitive or computational neuroscience, artificial intelligence, computer science, biomedical engineering, cogntitve sciences with a strong quantitative focus, data science, or a related field.

You have relevant experience in at least one of the two core areas: human neuroimaging or AI/machine learning/NeuroAI. For candidates with a neuroimaging background, this may include experience with data acquisition, preprocessing, and/or analysis; experience with fMRI is preferred, but candidates with experience in other neuroimaging techniques are also encouraged to apply. For candidates with an AI background, we expect practical experience in implementing, training, and evaluating machine-learning or deep-learning models. You are not expected to already be an expert in both areas,

You are genuinely motivated to develop expertise in the complementary field: If your background is in neuroimaging, you are willing to develop your expertise in AI and deep learning. If your background is in AI, you are eager to develop your knowledge of cognitive neuroscience, experimental design, and fMRI analysis.

You have a strong quantitative background, including a solid understanding of statistics and data analysis; prior experience with multivariate or computational modelling methods is an advantage. You have good programming skills, preferably in Python, and are able to independently write and adapt code for data processing, analysis, and visualization. Experience with deep learning and frameworks such as PyTorch, TensorFlow, or JAX is an advantage.

You have strong English language skills, with proficiency at a minimum of C1 level (CEFR).

What we offer

At Maastricht University, you’ll work in an international, open, and engaged environment. We offer:

A 12-month contract (1.0 FTE) with the prospect of an extension for the remaining PhD period following a positive evaluation.

A gross monthly salary between € 3.204 and € 4.051 (based on full-time employment of 38 hours per week). 8% holiday allowance and an 8.3% year-end bonus.

29 vacation days (based on full-time), four additional days off (Carnival Monday and Tuesday, Good Friday, and Liberation Day), and the possibility to accrue up to 12 extra days through compensation hours.

Flexible working hours, a home office allowance, and the option to work partially from home.

Freedom and space to shape your work independently and develop your ideas.

A close-knit community of colleagues to collaborate and grow with.

A solid pension plan via ABP, company fitness schemes, and access to various university sports facilities.

An inspiring work environment in the heart of Europe.

About the Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience (FPN)

At FPN, we share a curiosity about the human brain and behaviour. Together with our students, we explore how our brains function and learn why we do what we do. We connect perspectives and contribute to living together in society.

Interested?

Want to know more about this position or what it’s like to work at our university? Reach out to Prof. Elia Formisano at e.formisano@maastrichtuniversity.nl.

The deadline for submitting your application is 20 September 2026. The start date is flexible, but the position is expected to begin no later than 1 April 2027.

Please upload:

A curriculum vitae (CV).

A motivation letter explaining your interest in the project and how your current background and learning goals fit its combination of neuroimaging, AI/NeuroAI, and auditory cognition.

Contact details of two academic referees.

Apply now via the button below. We look forward to getting to know you!

About Maastricht University

At Maastricht University, we collaboratively seek solutions to help move the world forward. We do this with 23,300 students and 5,400 employees across 5 regional locations, 6 faculties, and more than 70 research institutes. We encourage you to push boundaries and discover new opportunities for yourself and the world around you. Together, we can find the answers for tomorrow.

The vacancy is open for internal and external candidates. In case of equal qualifications, internal candidates will be prioritized.

At Maastricht University, we prefer to contact potential candidates directly. We therefore kindly ask that no agencies or intermediaries submit offers or approaches.

Maastricht University is committed to promoting and nurturing a diverse and inclusive community. We believe that diversity in our staff and student population contributes to the quality of research and education at UM, and strive to enable this through inclusive policies and innovative projects led by teams of staff and students. We encourage you to apply for this position.

Job Type: Academic

Faculty/Service Center: Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience

Closing date: 20-09-2026

FTE min: 1,0

FTE max: 1,0

Salary min: €3204,00

Salary max: €4051,00

ID job: 3722

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Job Type: Academic

Faculty/Service Center: Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience

Closing date: 20-09-2026

FTE min: 1,0

FTE max: 1,0

Salary min: €3204,00

Salary max: €4051,00

ID job: 3722

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