Duke University, Philosophy
Position ID:
Duke-Philosophy-PDR [#32104]
Position Title:
Postdoctoral Research
Position Type:
Postdoctoral
Position Location:
Durham, North Carolina 27708, United States of America
Subject Area:
Appl Deadline:
2026/06/02 23:59:59* (posted 2026/05/26, listed until 2026/06/02)
Position Description:
Today is the last day you can apply for this position; no new applications will be accepted after 2026/06/02 11:59PM.
Position Description
The Subjectivity Lab at Duke University, directed by Prof. Jorge Morales, is seeking to recruit a Postdoctoral Researcher. The candidate will perform research as part of a funded project on visual perception and mental imagery. This research uses advanced neuroimaging (fMRI), psychophysics, computational modeling, and machine learning to arbitrate among competing hypotheses about the neural mechanisms of conscious awareness. This project is part of an adversarial collaboration funded by the Templeton World Charity Foundation to empirically evaluate different higher-order theories of consciousness. You can read more about this project following these links: https://www.templetonworldcharity.org/projects-resources/project-database/22032 https://www.arc-ethos.org/ This is an exciting international scientific collaboration with teams across 10+ universities, 4 countries and 3 continents with their expertise spanning neuroscience, psychology and philosophy. The Postdoctoral Researcher will work under the supervision of PI Jorge Morales in conjunction with Co-PI Megan Peters (University College London) and their teams, to design, implement, and interpret one of the experiments that are part of the adversarial collaboration. This experiment is focused on understanding the vividness of perceptual and mental imagery experiences and their behavioral and neural profiles. The whole group will also include researchers at other sites including Boston University, University College London, Université Libre de Bruxelles and other national and international institutions as well. The Postdoctoral Researcher will receive direct mentorship from PI Morales and the other members of the team, and will have opportunities for professional development, mentoring, and attending conferences to present their work. There will also be opportunities for developing theoretical and empirical projects that are of mutual interest outside of this specific adversarial collaboration. Our laboratory is an advocate of Open Science best practices and modern statistical methods, and offers an enriching, collegial environment to further their scientific career while fostering healthy work/life balance. Compensation will be competitive and commensurate to experience. The initial appointment is for 12 months with potential for one extra annual reappointment for up to a total of 24 months, contingent on performance and funds availability. Start day is July 1, 2026. A PhD degree must be awarded by the time the position begins. Prior Postdoc experience preferred. Qualifications Required: Must possess a Ph.D. in Psychology or similar disciplines at the time of appointment. Candidates should have a record of published work. Proficiency in advanced fMRI neuroimaging and statistical analyses as well as programing skills. Strong analytic skills for designing experiments and for analyzing empirical and theoretical results. Skills for coding experiments in Python (PsychPy) and maintaining a general open-source pipeline for fMRI work (NeuroDesk, fMRI Prep, etc.) and managing analyzes on high-performance clusters (HPC) is crucial. Preferred: Proficiency with psychophysical methods, signal detection theory and understanding of the early visual cortex. Familiarity with higher order theories of consciousness. Experience working with children and fMRI for a parallel project is desirable. An interest in studying metacognition and consciousness from neuroimaging, behavioral, computational modeling, and philosophical perspectives is important. Key Responsibilities & Accountabilities Responsibility Percent of Time Research and develop experimental and theoretical ideas. 60% Prepare and write research papers, presentations, grant proposals, etc. 20% Participate in the academic life of the laboratory, the department (including helping graduate and undergraduate students, attending lab meetings, talks, etc.), and external collaborations 20%Duke is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to providing employment opportunity without regard to an individual's age, color, disability, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, ethnicity, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy and pregnancy related conditions), sexual orientation, or military status.
Duke aspires to create a community built on collaboration, innovation, creativity, and belonging. Our collective success depends on the robust exchange of ideas—an exchange that is best when the rich diversity of our perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences flourishes. To achieve this exchange, it is essential that all members of the community feel secure and welcome, that the contributions of all individuals are respected, and that all voices are heard. All members of our community have a responsibility to uphold these values.
Application Materials Required:
Submit the following items online at this website to complete your application:
- Cover letters (optional)
- Curriculum Vitae
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Further Info: