진학프로석·박사 채용 접수 플랫폼

The Basque Center on Cognition, Brain and Language (BCBL) is offering a PhD position within the Cortical Tracking of Speech (CTS) project. The project aims to investigate how Cortical Tracking of Speech (CTS) changes over time as a function of second language (L2) learning, and whether these neural dynamics are influenced by language modality (spoken vs. signed). Over a two-year period, we will track the neural and behavioral development of adults learning a second language (either German or Spanish Sign Language – LSE), using a combination of behavioral assessments and neuroimaging techniques such as MEG and MRI.

Job description:

• Designing and implementing a longitudinal study in adult bilingual learners of a second language (spoken or signed), to investigate changes in Cortical Tracking of Speech (CTS) across time and modality
• Analysing functional and structural brain recordings
• Writing research papers under the supervision of the PIs, aiming to publish at top-tier journals
• Dissemination of results at international scientific conferences

PI and research group:

This PhD will be supervised by Dr Nicola Molinaro and Dr Brendan Costello. Both are highly involved in an ERC Advanced Grant project that aims to investigate the role of Cortical Tracking of Speech (CTS) in language and reading acquisition from multiple perspectives—including second language learning and literacy development.

Brain Rhythms and Cognition – Nicola Molinaro

Dr. Nicola Molinaro leads a research group focused on the neurocognitive mechanisms underlying language processing in bilingual populations. The group combines neuroimaging techniques (MEG, EEG, fMRI) with behavioral and computational methods to explore how the brain tracks and processes linguistic information across modalities (auditory and visual), time scales (phonological to syntactic), and languages (L1 and L2). A special emphasis is placed on neural oscillations and temporal dynamics in speech comprehension and language learning, particularly in multilingual contexts.

Neurobiology of language – Brendan Costello

Dr. Brendan Costello’s research centers on how language is processed across different sensory modalities, with a particular emphasis on signed languages. Using MEG, EEG, and eye-tracking, the group compares signed and spoken language processing, studying both bimodal bilinguals (fluent in a spoken and a signed language) and learners of Spanish Sign Language (LSE). The work examines how language learning and comprehension in the visual modality recruit and adapt cortical systems traditionally associated with spoken language, providing critical insight into the flexibility and constraints of the brain’s language networks.