The Department for Sensory and Sensorimotor Systems of the Max-Planck-Institute for Biological Cybernetics studies the processing of sensory information (visual, auditory, tactile, olfactory) in the brain and the use of this information for directing body movements and making cognitive decisions. The research is highly interdisciplinary and uses theoretical and experimental approaches in humans. Our methodologies include visual psychophysics, eye tracking, fMRI, EEG, TMS in humans. For more information, please visit the department website: www.lizhaoping.org We are currently looking for a Lab Mechatronics / Programmer/ Research and Admin Assistant (m/f/d) 100% to join us at the next possible opportunity. The position: You will provide hardware, software, and managerial support for a diverse set of brain and neuroscience research activities. This includes: • Computer and IT support of Windows and Linux systems • Programming and debugging of computer code, especially at the stage of setting up new equipment or new experimental platforms • Provide technical, administrative, and operational support in the research data taking process. (The position holder should have the ability to quickly learn the data taking processes involved in the labs.) • Hardware repairs and troubleshooting • Equipment inventory and maintenance • Supervising and training of new equipment users • Setting up, updating and managing the database of knowledge and data from research projects, personnel and activities Our department is interdisciplinary, with research activities including human visual psychophysics, eye tracking, fMRI, EEG, TMS. We are looking for a person with a broad technical knowledge base, who loves working in a scientific environment and who is curious, open-minded, and able to adapt and learn new skills and solve new problems quickly. The set of skills that the individual should either already have or can quickly learn includes: MATLAB/Psychotoolbox, Python/OpenCV, Julia/OpenGL, Java, graphics and display technologies, EEG equipment and similar, eye tracking, optics, electronics/controllers/sensors, Arduino/Raspberry Pi, etc. We offer: We offer highly interesting, challenging and varied tasks; you will work closely and collaboratively with scientists, students, programmers, administrative staff, and central IT and mechanical/electronic workshop support to help achieve the scientific goals of the department. A dedicated team awaits you in an international environment with regular opportunities for further education and training. The salary is paid in accordance with the collective agreement for the public sector (TVöD Bund), based on qualification and experience and will include social security benefits and additional fringe benefits in accordance with public service provisions. This position is initially limited to two years, with the possibility of extensions and a permanent contract. The Max Planck Society seeks to employ more handicapped people and strongly encourages them to apply. Furthermore, we actively support the compatibility of work and family life. The Max Planck Society also seeks to increase the number of women in leadership positions and strongly encourages qualified women to apply. The Max Planck Society strives for gender equality and diversity. Your application: The position is available immediately and will be open until filled. Preference will be given to applications received by September 30th, 2022. We look forward to receiving your application that includes a cover letter, your curriculum vitae, relevant certificates, and three names and contacts for reference letters electronically by e-mail to jobs.li@tuebingen.mpg.de, where informal inquiries can also be addressed to. Please note that incomplete applications will not be considered. For further opportunities in our group, please visit http://www.lizhaoping.org/jobs.html

Postdoctoral position in Human Psychophysics with TMS and/or EEG (m/f/d) (TVöD-Bund E13, 100%) The Department of Sensory and Sensorimotor Systems (PI Prof. Li Zhaoping) at the Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics and at the University of Tübingen is currently looking for highly skilled and motivated individuals to work on projects aimed towards understanding visual attentional and perceptual processes using TMS and/or EEG methodologies. The framework and motivation of the projects can be found at http://www.lizhaoping.org/zhaoping/AGZL_HumanVisual.html.The projects can involve, for example, visual search tasks, stereo vision tasks, visual illusions, and will be discussed during the application process. TMS and/or EEG methodologies can be used in combination with fMRI/MRI, eye tracking, and other related methods as necessary. The postdoc will be working closely with the principal investigator and other members of Zhaoping's team when needed. Responsibilities: • Conduct and participate in research projects such as lab and equipment set up, data collection, data analysis, writing reports and papers, and presenting at scientific conferences. • Participate in routine laboratory operations, such as planning and preparations for experiments, lab maintenance and lab procedures. • Coordinate with the PI and other team members for strategies and project planning. • Coordinate with the PI and other team members for project planning, and in supervision of student projects or teaching assistance for university courses in our field. Who we are: We use a multidisciplinary approach to investigate sensory and sensory-motor transforms in the brain (www.lizhaoping.org). Our approaches consist of both theoretical and experimental techniques including human psychophysics, fMRI imaging, electrophysiology and computational modelling. One part of our group is located in the University, in the Centre for Integrative Neurosciences (CIN), and the other part is in the Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics as the Department for Sensory and Sensorimotor Systems. You will have the opportunity to learn other skills in our multidisciplinary group and benefit from interactions with our colleagues in the university as well as internationally. This job opening is for the CIN or the MPI working group. The position (salary level TVöD-Bund E13, 100%) is for a duration of two years, and renewable to additional years. We seek to raise the number of women in research and teaching and therefore urge qualified women to apply. Disabled persons will be preferred in case of equal qualification. Your application: The position is available immediately and will be open until filled. Preference will be given to applications received by June 5th, 2022. We look forward to receiving your application that includes a cover letter, your curriculum vitae, relevant certificates, and three names and contacts for reference letters) electronically through our job portal: https://jobs.tue.mpg.de/jobs/169. Informal inquiries can be addressed to jobs.li@tuebingen.mpg.de. Please note that incomplete applications will not be considered.

The Department of Sensory and Sensorimotor Systems (PI Prof. Li Zhaoping) at the Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics and at the University of Tübingen is currently looking for highly skilled and motivated individuals to work on projects aimed towards understanding visual attentional and perceptual processes using TMS and/or EEG methodologies. The framework and motivation of the projects can be found at http://www.lizhaoping.org/zhaoping/AGZL_HumanVisual.html. The projects can involve, for example, visual search tasks, stereo vision tasks, visual illusions, and will be discussed during the application process. TMS and/or EEG methodologies can be used in combination with fMRI/MRI, eye tracking, and other related methods as necessary. Responsibilities: • Conduct and participate in research projects such as lab and equipment set up, data collection, data analysis, writing reports and papers, and presenting at scientific conferences. • Participate in routine laboratory operations, such as planning and preparations for experiments, lab maintenance and lab procedures. • Participate in teaching assistance duties for university courses in our field. Who we are: We use a multidisciplinary approach to investigate sensory and sensory-motor transforms in the brain (www.lizhaoping.org). Our approaches consist of both theoretical and experimental techniques including human psychophysics, fMRI imaging, electrophysiology and computational modelling. One part of our group is located in the University, in the Centre for Integrative Neurosciences (CIN), and the other part is in the Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics as the Department for Sensory and Sensorimotor Systems. You will have the opportunity to learn skills from other members of the group and benefit from multidisciplinary interactions, including with our collaborators locally and internationally. The PhD contract (TVöD-Bund E13, 65%) duration is for 3 years. We seek to raise the number of women in research and teaching and therefore urge qualified women to apply. Disabled persons will be preferred in case of equal qualification. Your application: The position is available immediately and will be open until filled. Preference will be given to applications received by June 5th, 2022. We look forward to receiving your application that includes a cover letter, your curriculum vitae, relevant certificates, and three names and contacts for reference letters) electronically through our job portal: https://jobs.tue.mpg.de/jobs/170 Informal inquiries can be addressed to jobs.li@tuebingen.mpg.de. Please note that incomplete applications will not be considered.

Postdoctoral position in Human Psychophysics with TMS and/or EEG (m/f/d) (TV-L E13, 100%) Faculty of Science, University of Tübingen and Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, working group of Prof. Li Zhaoping. We are looking for highly skilled and motivated individuals to work on projects aimed towards understanding visual attentional and perceptual processes using TMS and/or EEG methodologies. The framework and motivation of the projects can be found at http://www.lizhaoping.org/zhaoping/AGZL_HumanVisual.html . The projects can involve, for example, visual search tasks, stereo vision tasks, visual illusions, and will be discussed during the application process. TMS and/or EEG methodologies can be used in combination with fMRI/MRI, eye tracking, and other related methods as necessary. The postdoc will be working closely with the principal investigator and other members of Zhaoping's team when needed. We are currently hiring for a Postdoctoral position in Human Psychophysics with TMS and/or EEG (m/f/d) (TV-L E13, 100%) to join us at the next possible opportunity. Responsibilities: - Conduct and participate in research projects such as lab and equipment set up, data collection, data analysis, writing reports and papers, and presenting at scientific conferences. - Participate in routine laboratory operations, such as planning and preparations for experiments, lab maintenance and lab procedures. - Coordinate with the PI and other team members for strategies and project planning. - Coordinate with the PI and other team members for project planning, and in supervision of student projects or teaching assistance for university courses in our field. Your application: The position is available immediately and will be open until filled. Preference will be given to applications received by November 30, 2021. We look forward to receiving your application that includes a cover letter, your curriculum vitae, relevant certificates, and three names and contacts for reference letters) electronically only through this job portal (https://jobs.tue.mpg.de/jobs/148). Informal inquiries can be addressed to jobs.li@tuebingen.mpg.de. Please note that incomplete applications will not be considered.

The Department for Sensory and Sensorimotor Systems of the Max-Planck-Institute for Biological Cybernetics studies the processing of sensory information (visual, auditory, tactile, olfactory) in the brain and the use of this information for directing body movements and making cognitive decisions. The research is highly interdisciplinary, and uses theoretical and experimental approaches, including human psychophysics, eye tracking, fMRI, EEG, TMS and animal behavior, imaging, electrophysiology, and computational modelling. For more information, please see the department website: www.lizhaoping.org We are currently looking for a Lab Mechatronics / Programming Assistant (m/f/d) 100% to join us at the next possible opportunity. The position: You will provide hardware, software, and managerial support for a diverse set of brain and neuroscience research activities. This includes: Computer and IT support of Windows and Linux systems Programming and debugging of computer code, especially at the stage of setting up new equipment or new experimental platforms Hardware repairs and troubleshooting Equipment inventory and maintenance Supervising and training of new equipment users Setting up, updating and managing the database of knowledge and data from research projects, personnel and activities Setting up and managing the procedures for data entry and data query for lab members in this database Be part of a department administrative team for planning and implementing departmental policies and projects. Our department is interdisciplinary, with research activities including human visual psychophysics, eye tracking, fMRI, EEG, TMS and animal behavior, calcium imaging. We are looking for a person with a broad technical knowledge base, who loves working in a scientific environment and who is curious, open-minded, and able to adapt and learn new skills and solve new problems quickly. The set of skills that the individual should either already have or can quickly learn includes: MATLAB/Psychotoolbox, Python/OpenCV, Julia/OpenGL, Java, graphics and display technologies, EEG equipment and similar, eye tracking, microscope, laser, optics, electronics/controllers/sensors, Arduino/Raspberry Pi, etc. Your application: The position is available immediately and will be open until filled. Preference will be given to applications received by November 30, 2021. We look forward to receiving your application that includes a cover letter, your curriculum vitae, relevant certificates, and three names and contacts for reference letters) only through this job portal (https://jobs.tue.mpg.de/en/132). Informal inquiries can be addressed to jobs.li@tuebingen.mpg.de. Please note that incomplete applications will not be considered.

PhD position in Human Psychophysics with TMS and/or EEG (m/f/d) (TV-L E13, 65%) Faculty of Science, University of Tübingen and Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, working group of Prof. Li Zhaoping. We are looking for highly skilled and motivated individuals to work on projects aimed towards understanding visual attentional and perceptual processes using TMS and/or EEG methodologies. The framework and motivation of the projects can be found at http://www.lizhaoping.org/zhaoping/AGZL_HumanVisual.html . The projects can involve, for example, visual search tasks, stereo vision tasks, visual illusions, and will be discussed during the application process. TMS and/or EEG methodologies can be used in combination with fMRI/MRI, eye tracking, and other related methods as necessary. We are currently hiring for a PhD position in Human Psychophysics with TMS and/or EEG (TV-L E13) 65% to join us at the next possible opportunity. Responsibilities: - Conduct and participate in research projects such as lab and equipment set up, data collection, data analysis, writing reports and papers, and presenting at scientific conferences. - Participate in routine laboratory operations, such as planning and preparations for experiments, lab maintenance and lab procedures. - Participate in teaching assistance duties for university courses in our field. Your application: The position is available immediately and will be open until filled. Preference will be given to applications received by November 30, 2021. We look forward to receiving your application that includes a cover letter, your curriculum vitae, relevant certificates, and three names and contacts for reference letters) electronically only through this job portal (https://jobs.tue.mpg.de/jobs/147). Informal inquiries can be addressed to jobs.li@tuebingen.mpg.de. Please note that incomplete applications will not be considered.

Postdoctoral position in Human Psychophysics with High field and/or 3T fMRI (TVöD-Bund E13, 100%) Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, department of Prof. Li Zhaoping (Dept of Sensory and Sensormotor systems), in collaboration with Prof. Klaus Scheffler (Dept of High-field magnetic resonance imaging), is looking for a highly skilled and motivated individual to work on projects to probe the hierarchical feedforward and feedback brain networks behind visual attentional and perceptual processes using human psychophysics techniques and High-field or 3T fMRI methodologies (e.g., laminar fMRI). The framework and motivation of the projects can be found at http://www.lizhaoping.org/zhaoping/AGZL_HumanVisual.html . The visual processes can involve, for example, visual search tasks, stereo vision tasks, visual illusions, and will be discussed during the application process. When needed, TMS and/or EEG, eye tracking, and other methodologies can be used in combination with fMRI/MRI. The postdoc will be working closely with the principal investigators and other members of their teams. We are currently hiring for a Postdoctoral position in Human Psychophysics with High field and/or 3T fMRI (m/f/d) (TV-L E13, 100%) to join us at the next opportunity. Responsibilities: - Conduct and participate in research projects such as lab and equipment set up, data collection, data analysis, writing reports and papers, and presenting at scientific conferences. - Participate in routine laboratory operations, such as planning and preparations for experiments, lab maintenance and lab procedures. - Coordinate with the PIs and other team members for strategies and project planning.- Participate in mentoring and supervision of student projects. Your application: The position is available immediately and will be open until filled. Preference will be given to applications received by November 30, 2021. We look forward to receiving your application that includes a cover letter, your curriculum vitae, relevant certificates, and three names and contacts for reference letters) electronically only through this job portal (https://jobs.tue.mpg.de/jobs/149). Informal inquiries can be addressed to jobs.li@tuebingen.mpg.de. Please note that incomplete applications will not be considered.

The project will be examining sensory processing in infants born prematurely and later trajectories of neurodevelopment, using a variety of neurocognitive methods. Infants were recruited as neonates and the postholder will be leading and conducting the follow up visits (when the infant is 18 months). The post would suit someone who is interested in infant development, neurodevelopmental conditions and has experience with infant/toddler EEG and eye tracking.

A postdoc position is available in the Visual Perception and Plasticity (VPP) lab, led by Dr. Tina Liu, in the Department of Neurology at Georgetown University Medical Center. The VPP lab studies neuroplasticity in both healthy and clinical populations across the lifespan, with a focus on vision. The postdoctoral researcher will play a key role in studies that integrate psychophysics/visual behavior, eye tracking, functional and structural MRI, transcranial electrical stimulation, and computational modeling.

In our daily lives, we perceive things as possessing a mind (e.g., people) or lacking one (e.g., shoes). Intriguingly, how much mind we attribute to people can vary, with real people perceived to have more mind than depictions of individuals, such as photographs. Drawing from a range of research methodologies, including naturalistic observation, mobile eye tracking, and surreptitious behavior monitoring, I discuss how various shades of mind influence human attention and behaviour. The findings suggest the novel concept that overt attention (where one looks) in real-life is fundamentally supported by covert attention (attending to someone out of the corner of one's eye).

A common result is that comparison settings (i.e., several stimuli introduced simultaneously) favor conceptualization and generalization. However still little is known of the solving strategies used by children to compare and generalize novel words. Understanding the temporal dynamics of children’s solving strategies may help assess which processes underlie generalization. We tested children in noun and relational noun generalization tasks and collected eye tracking data. To analyze and interpret the data we followed predictions made by existing models of analogical reasoning and generalization. The data reveals clear patterns of exploration in which participants compare learning items before searching for a solution. Analyses of the beginning of trials show that early comparisons favor generalization and that errors may be caused by a lake of early comparison. Children then pursue their search in different ways according to the task. In this presentation I will present the generalization strategies revealed by eye tracking, compare the strategies from both tasks and confront them to existing models.

Human vision relies on rapid eye movements (saccades) 2-3 times every second to bring peripheral targets to central foveal vision for high resolution inspection. This rapid sampling of the world defines the perception-action cycle of natural vision and profoundly impacts our perception. Marmosets have similar visual processing and eye movements as humans, including a fovea that supports high-acuity central vision. Here, I present a novel approach developed in my laboratory for investigating the neural mechanisms of visual processing using naturalistic free viewing and simple target foraging paradigms. First, we establish that it is possible to map receptive fields in the marmoset with high precision in visual areas V1 and MT without constraints on fixation of the eyes. Instead, we use an off-line correction for eye position during foraging combined with high resolution eye tracking. This approach allows us to simultaneously map receptive fields, even at the precision of foveal V1 neurons, while also assessing the impact of eye movements on the visual information encoded. We find that the visual information encoded by neurons varies dramatically across the saccade to fixation cycle, with most information localized to brief post-saccadic transients. In a second study we examined if target selection prior to saccades can predictively influence how foveal visual information is subsequently processed in post-saccadic transients. Because every saccade brings a target to the fovea for detailed inspection, we hypothesized that predictive mechanisms might prime foveal populations to process the target. Using neural decoding from laminar arrays placed in foveal regions of area MT, we find that the direction of motion for a fixated target can be predictively read out from foveal activity even before its post-saccadic arrival. These findings highlight the dynamic and predictive nature of visual processing during eye movements and the utility of the marmoset as a model of active vision. Funding sources: NIH EY030998 to JM, Life Sciences Fellowship to JY