Doctoral positions ; m​/f​/d Research Training Group PIMON (“Perceiving

Founded in 1607, Justus Liebig University Giessen (JLU) is a research university rich in tradition. Inspired by curiosity about the unknown, we enable around 25,000 students and 5,800 employees to advance science for society. Join us in breaking new ground and writing success stories - your own and those of our university.

We offer

from 1.10.2026, in part-time (75%) and fixed term until 30.9.2030.

The 10 positions will be filled, all in the context of the DFG-funded Research Training Group PIMON ("Perceiving and interacting with materials and objects in natural environment"). The salary is in accordance with the collective labour agreement of the State of Hessen (E 13 TV‑H). As long as the maximum permissible duration of a fixed‑term contract is not exceeded, you will be employed for a period of 4 years.

With PIMON, we will break new grounds in understanding how we perceive materials and objects, and how we interact with them in everyday situations. We will further gain new insights into how these processes systematically differ across individuals, and how perception and action mature across early development and change during aging. Possible PhD projects will cover a broad set of approaches and methods, including eye and body tracking, virtual reality, neuroimaging (EEG, fMRI), neurostimulation (TMS), computational modelling, as well as developmental and lifespan approaches.

We thus welcome applications from candidates with a range of backgrounds, including psychology, computer science, biomedical sciences, and related fields. The Research Training Group further offers a structured qualification program with excellent opportunities for training and networking, from introductory lectures to hands‑on methods courses, and bespoke training on critical skills useful inside and outside of academia.

Individual projects will be supervised by principal investigators from Justus Liebig University Giessen, specialized in different areas relevant to the Research Training group, including:

• Dr. Jutta Billino (Experimental psychology – Neuropsychology of the lifespan)
• Dr. Knut Drewing (Experimental psychology – Haptic perception)
• Dr. Katja Fiehler (Experimental psychology – Action and perception)
• Dr. Martin Hebart (Cognitive and computational neuroscience – Object perception)
• Dr. Mathias Hegele (Experimental psychology – Action and perception)
• Dr. Bianca Jovanovic (Developmental psychology – Action and perception)
• Dr. Daniel Kaiser (Cognitive and computational neuroscience – Object perception)
• Dr. Bianca van Kemenade (Cognitive neuroscience – Action and perception)

After a first round of interviews, the most suitable candidates will be invited for a "matchmaking" workshop in early summer 2026, where the candidates introduce themselves and where the principal investigators will present their research and planned projects. On the basis of this workshop, we will select the successful candidates and match them with their preferred supervisors (and vice versa).

• You will devise experimental routines, independently conduct experiments, analyze the resulting data, and disseminate the results at conferences and through journal publications.
• Furthermore you will participate in the structured PhD education of the RTG, by attending lectures and workshops, and skills courses, visiting other national and international research groups, and contribute to collaborative projects across the RTG.

• Completed Master’s or equivalent university degree in psychology, cognitive neuroscience, computer science, biomedical science, or a related discipline (or degree to be completed until the start date).
• Theoretical foundations in perception or interaction research and/or in cognitive neuroscience and/or in developmental science.
• Experience in empirical research projects, preferably in cognitive science or neuroscience.
• Good programming skills (in Matlab and/or Python).
• Excellent command of the written and spoken English language.
• Ability…