Research Assistant/Associate - 2 PhD positions in two cognitive psychology research projects (f/m/d)

Weitere Informationen

The successful candidate will be employed under a regular employment contract.
The position is to be filled at the earliest possible date and offered for a fixed term for 4 years.
The fixed-term employment is possible as it constitutes one of the fixed-term options of the Wissenschaftszeitvertragsgesetz (German Act on Fixed-term Scientific Contracts).
This is a part-time position (75 % of the standard weekly hours for full-time employees).
The successful candidate has the opportunity to pursue a doctoral degree in this position.
The salary is based on the German public service salary scale (TV-L).
The position corresponds to a pay grade of EG 13 TV-L.

Unser Profil

The Chair of Psychology I (Cognitive and Experimental Psychology) conducts research in the field of general psychology and the cognitive foundations of attention, language and action. The teaching is in the field of general psychology and research methods.

We are an intercultural and open-minded team of around 15 employees. Our team is very well-funded by third-party funding, so that several DFG projects are continuously being carried out at the chair at the same time.

Ihr Profil

All applicants must have a university degree (master's degree or equivalent) in Psychology, Psycholinguistics, or Cognitive Science, and a very strong background in experimental psychology as well as very good knowledge of English.

Knowledge of German would be helpful, but is not mandatory. Experience with programming experiments (e.g. in PsychoPy, SR Experiment Builder, or Gorilla Experiment Builder) is useful. Knowledge of R would also be of advantage.

Ihre Aufgaben

Two positions for PhD candidates (f/m/d) are available as part of two DFG( Deutsche Forschungsgesellschaft)-funded projects at the Chair of Psychology I (Cognitive and Experimental Psychology). The two projects are part of the Research Unit “Bilingual Flexibility – The Psychology of Language Control”. Expected start date would be January 1, 2026, or soon after.

Project 1 (Language Switching): This project will be led by Dr. Andrea Philipp. The project title is “Bilingual flexibility: Item- and language-specific situational language balance”. The goal of the project is to better understand the cognitive mechanisms underlying bilinguals’ ability to flexibly switch between using one language versus another.

Project 2 (Word Learning): This project will be led by Dr. Tanja Roembke. The Co-Pi will be Prof. Dr. Iring Koch. The project title is “Bilingual flexibility: The impact of dispositional and situational language balance on bilinguals’ word learning of a third language”. The goal of the project is to better understand the cognitive mechanisms underlying bilinguals’ ability to learn flexibly via their first or their second language. One proposed experiment in this project will involve the measurement of eye-movements. Thus, previous experience with an eye-tracker would be advantageous but is not necessary.

In both projects, tasks of the successful candidate include the planning and implementation of experimental studies in adults as well as their international publication. Candidates’ training will be complemented by the Research Unit’s regular meetings and workshops.

Contact persons for further questions:

Project 1 on Language Switching: Dr. Andrea Philipp

Project 2 on Word Learning: Dr. Tanja Roembke

Your application materials should include:
- A cover letter that explains why you are interested in/well-suited to the job (please also indicate here if you would like to be considered for Project 1 (Language Switching), Project 2 (Word Learning), or both)
- A CV
- Copies of your Bachelor’s and Master’s transcripts and diplomas
- Name of a potential reference that we could contact

Please send your complete application materials preferably as one pdf-document to: sekretariat-psychologie1@psych.rwth-aachen.de

Über uns

RWTH is a certified family-friendly University. We support our employees in maintaining a good work-life balance with a wide range of health, advising, and prevention services, for example university sports. Employees who are covered by collective bargaining agreements and civil servants have access to an extensive range of further training courses and the opportunity to purchase a job ticket.
RWTH is an equal opportunities employer. We therefore welcome and encourage applications from all suitably qualified candidates, particularly from groups that are underrepresented at the University. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment and will not be discriminated against on the basis of national or ethnic origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, disability or age. RWTH is strongly committed to encouraging women in their careers. Female applicants are given preference if they are equally suitable, competent, and professionally qualified, unless a fellow candidate is favored for a specific reason.
As RWTH is committed to equality of opportunity, we ask you not to include a photo in your application.
You can find information on the personal data we collect from applicants in accordance with Articles 13 and 14 of the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) at http://www.rwth-aachen.de/dsgvo-information-bewerbung.

Besoldung / Entgelt

EG 13 TV-L