Technician position in the Clinical Research Group at the Barcelonaβeta Brain Research Center

Context

The Barcelonaβeta Brain Research Center (BBRC) is a research center dedicated to the prevention of
Alzheimer disease and the study of cognitive functions affected in healthy and pathological aging. It
was created in 2012 by the Pasqual Maragall Foundation, with the support of the Pompeu Fabra
University.
The mission of the BBRC is to provide innovative solutions to decipher and prevent biological changes
and cognitive dysfunction associated with neurodegenerative diseases. Due to the aging of the world
population, these diseases constitute a global challenge, since for example, dementia can reach epidemic
levels in 2050, with a forecast of more than 150 million people affected, if is not found a way to prevent
its appearance and development.
The BBRC received the HR Excellence in Research award (HRS4R) granted by the European Commission; a
recognition that shows its adherence to the principles of the European Charter for Researchers and the
Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Research Staff. The center offers a stimulating and favorable
working environment in accordance with the Charter and Code, which describe the rights and
responsibilities of researchers and their employers, and contributes to the creation of a transparent,
attractive and open ecosystem at international level.
Pasqual Maragall Foundation, Pompeu Fabra University and “la Caixa” Foundation are permanent
members of the BBRC Board. The center is affiliated and located in the Ciutadella Campus of the Pompeu
Fabra University of Barcelona, in a building inaugurated in 2016. The BBRC headquarters has excellent
technical facilities, including a 3TMR scanner dedicated to research, and spaces for conducting Clinical
Trials and EEG. State-of-the-art scientific facilities, effective management and continuous high-standard
peer-review evaluation are the BBRC core proceedings to ensure achieving world-class research results.
BBRC is also part of the Barcelona Biomedical Research Park (PRBB), a large research facility that hosts
other seven different research institutions related to biomedical research, including the Center for
Genomic Regulation (CRG), the Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute (IMIM), the Department of
Experimental and Health Sciences of the Pompeu Fabra University (CEXS-UPF), the Institute of
Evolutionary Biology (IBE CSIC-UPF), the Barcelona Institute of Global Health (ISGlobal) and the Barcelona
site of the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), among others, in a multidisciplinary,
collaborative and stimulating international environment in close contact with a clinical setting, thus
conducive to translational research.
For more information see: www.fpmaragall.org  and www.barcelonabeta.org 

About the job

The Barcelonaβeta Brain Research Center (BBRC) is seeking a PhD student with a background in
computational linguistics to conduct a doctoral project in the field of speech biomarkers and brain
underpinnings of language production in the continuum of Alzheimer’s disease, mainly in its preclinical
stage. This research will be carried out using data from the SpeechDX consortium and from the ALFA+
cohort, a deeply phenotyped group of individuals at increased risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.
The candidate will work within the Clinical Research and Risk Factors for Neurodegenerative Diseases
Group, led by Dr. Oriol Grau-Rivera and supervised by Dr. Gonzalo Sánchez-Benavides.

Main Responsibilities
The responsibilities for this position include:

• Analyses of speech derived features and development of biomarkers sensitive to AD pathology.
  Statistical analysis of multimodal data, including functional neuroimaging (MRI), fluid biomarkers
  (CSF and plasma), and clinical and cognitive data.
• Writing scientific articles under the supervision of PhD directors.
• Attending and presenting at national and international scientific meetings.
• Developing the PhD project with these results.
   

Qualifications and experience

•  Bachelor’s degree in fields such as neuroscience, data science or related biomedical disciplines.
• Master’s degree qualifying the candidate for enrollment in a PhD program.
• Master’s degree in computational linguistics or closely related.
• Experience in language and/or speech analyses using BERT, LangChain or similar tools is
  required.
• Prior experience in neurodegenerative or neuropsychiatric disorders is not required but will be
  positively valued.
   

Personal Skills
 

• Being a team player.
• Proactive attitude.
• Flexibility to work within a multidisciplinary team.
• Capacity to work independently and communicate efficiently.
• Interest in joining a non-profit organization with a mission of high social impact.

We offer
 

•  Starting date: ASAP
• Contract: Temporary
• Salary will depend on experience and will be in accordance to BBRC’s salary scales
• Full time position 38 hours/week with flexible working hours.
• Hybrid work model (on-site + teleworking) subject to the foundation’s regulations.

Application process
To apply, please submit a single PDF file containing the following:
1) Cover letter addressed describing research interests and relevant background
2) CV
3) The names of up to three individuals who could provide reference letters. All files or inquiries
should be submitted electronically to: talent@barcelonabeta.org

Subject: Phd Student in Neuroimaging