Join Us
Talent pathway
Bring curiosity to brain research with real-world relevance.
The Clinical Brain Lab welcomes enquiries about PhD and graduate studies from people interested in exploration and discovery, while staying grounded in rigorous brain research that can translate to clinical, educational, community, or other applied settings.
Openings
Science of Learning in Emerging Skills
The Centre for Research and Development in Learning at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (CRADLE@NTU) seeks applicants with a Bachelor's or Master's degree in Psychology, Cognitive Neuroscience, or a related field from a university of good standing for a Research Assistant / Research Associate position.
The successful candidate will be an integral member of an interdisciplinary research team studying the Science of Learning of emerging skills, including literacy and numeracy. The role requires task orientation, excellent organizational skills, attention to detail and accuracy, flexibility in fluid situations, good interpersonal skills, and the ability to work independently. Experience with cognitive or neuropsychological testing and/or neuroimaging techniques, such as functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI), diffusion MRI (DTI, HARDI, DSI), is required.
Key Responsibilities
- Participant recruitment.
- Data collection using psychological and neuroimaging techniques, such as cognitive testing, fNIRS, and MRI.
- Perform data analyses and manage data analysis pipelines under the PI's supervision.
- Perform research-related administrative work, such as purchase of material or equipment for research.
- Liaise and work closely with stakeholders from external institutions, including schools, and project collaborators.
- Conduct literature reviews and prepare policy reports for stakeholders.
- Prepare presentations and manuscripts for dissemination of findings.
- Support systems administration, including maintenance of network servers and data security.
- Carry out any other duties as required by the Principal Investigator.
Job Requirements
- Excellent communication skills and a good command of English to perform literature reviews, write progress reports, and present research findings.
- Self-motivated and able to work independently to collect data, analyse data, and communicate findings.
- Proficiency in statistical analysis, such as SPSS or R, programming languages, such as Python or Matlab, and experience with neuroimaging software.
- Willingness to travel to testing sites for data collection.
- Excellent organizational skills and ability to work within tight deadlines.
- Self-directed learner who effectively picks up relevant skills as needed.
- Prior experience with cognitive neuroscience research, neuroimaging techniques, such as fNIRS or MRI, and academic publication processes.
Interested applicants should email a CV, a brief cover letter, and at least two letters of recommendation to annabelchen@ntu.edu.sg. We regret that only shortlisted candidates will be notified.
Graduate Studies
Enquiries about PhD and graduate studies are welcome if the applicant's interests connect clearly with the lab's current research themes and methods.
Strong candidates usually show disciplined learning, clear writing, care for participants and teammates, and interest in rigorous, reproducible analysis.
Clinically grounded questions
Interest in clinical brain research that can connect mechanisms to lived outcomes.
Method breadth
Comfort working across behavioural, cognitive, neuropsychological, MRI/fMRI, EEG, fNIRS, TMS, tDCS, or computational approaches.
Participant care
Respect for participants, families, schools, clinics, and community partners who make the science possible.
Warm precision
Desire to learn with talented peers in a lab culture that values precision, warmth, and follow-through.
Research Fit
We are interested in people who can bring a clear question, a willingness to learn across methods, and an appetite for work that matters beyond the lab. Your question might begin with cognition, learning, ageing, emotion, the cerebellum, rehabilitation, or brain stimulation; the important part is whether it can be shaped into careful, testable research with a path toward clinical or real-world relevance.
Before writing, review the lab's current themes, projects, and publications. The strongest notes connect your skills and questions to work already underway.
PhD Applicants
Develop a research direction that connects your interests to ongoing lab themes, methods, and outputs in clinical cognitive neuroscience, learning, ageing, cerebellum, or socioaffective neuroscience.
Research roles
Research assistant, postdoctoral, research fellow, and internship roles are advertised separately when funded positions are available.
Interdisciplinary Brain Science at NTU
NTU is a strong home for ambitious researchers who want to build rigorous science across disciplinary boundaries. Graduate studies can draw on a research-intensive environment spanning psychology, neuroscience, medicine, education, engineering, social sciences, and translational research.
Through the Cognitive Neuroimaging Centre (CoNiC), graduate researchers can work with advanced neuroimaging and neuromodulation facilities, including MRI, EEG, MEG, fNIRS, TMS, and tDCS. This ecosystem is well suited for people who want deep methodological training while developing research with clinical, educational, or community impact.
Application and scholarship routes
Get in touch
Please include a brief introduction to your academic and research background, the pathway you are considering, the lab research themes that interest you, and what you hope to learn or contribute. Attach an updated CV with your enquiry.
Email annabelchen@ntu.edu.sg