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About the Role

The Center for Affective and Autonomic Neuroscience (CAAN) at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development is seeking a Research Scientist with expertise in sleep physiology. This role will lead the integration of polysomnography into human research programs and analyze multimodal sleep data. The position is crucial for understanding the role of midlife autonomic changes in neurodegenerative disease, with a focus on the locus coeruleus, Alzheimer's biomarkers, and emotion-cognition interactions.

Responsibilities

Design and implement standard operating procedures for overnight ambulatory and/or in-lab polysomnography.
Lead vendor and device selection, validation, and integration of polysomnography data streams.
Establish quality assurance procedures for signal integrity, electrode application, and participant compliance.
Score sleep stages and arousals using manual and automated approaches and supervise quality control.
Develop and apply quantitative EEG analyses, including slow-wave activity, spindle detection, and spectral measures.
Analyze autonomic activity during sleep, including heart rate variability and changes in sympathetic/parasympathetic balance.
Link sleep metrics to primary outcomes such as LC structure and function, biomarkers, autonomic measures, and cognitive/affective outcomes.
Incorporate sleep variables into reproducible, BIDS-compliant analysis pipelines and longitudinal models.
Mentor and supervise postdocs, graduate students, and junior staff.
Shape the long-term scientific agenda for sleep research within CAAN.
Represent sleep research work at international conferences and in the broader research community.
Lead first-author and collaborative manuscripts on sleep findings.
Develop and lead independent grant applications as principal or co-investigator.
Cultivate international collaborations and partnerships in sleep, autonomic neuroscience, and neurodegeneration research.
Contribute to CAAN’s open-science efforts, including data sharing and code release.

Requirements

PhD (or equivalent doctoral degree) in neuroscience, sleep science, biomedical engineering, psychology, physiology, or a related field, completed within the last five years or expected before the start date.
Post-doctoral experience and demonstrated expertise in human sleep research.
Hands-on experience with overnight polysomnography (data collection, scoring, and analysis).
Strong programming skills in Python and/or MATLAB.
Experience with sleep- and EEG-relevant toolboxes (e.g., MNE-Python, YASA, EEGLAB, FieldTrip, or comparable).
Experience with quantitative EEG analysis (e.g., spectral methods, event detection for spindles and slow oscillations).
Substantial track record of peer-reviewed publications, including first-author papers in high-quality journals.
Experience with or demonstrated potential for independent grant writing.
Excellent written and spoken English.
Ability to work effectively in a multidisciplinary, collaborative environment.

Skills

Polysomnography
Sleep data analysis
Quantitative EEG analysis
Python
MATLAB
MNE-Python
YASA
EEGLAB
FieldTrip
Spectral methods
Event detection
Spindle detection
Slow oscillation detection
Heart rate variability analysis
Sympathetic/parasympathetic balance analysis
BIDS
Reproducible analysis pipelines
Grant writing
Scientific leadership
Mentoring
Dissemination
International collaboration

Location

Berlin

Work Type

Full-time
Fixed-term contract
Possibility to work remotely (up to 40%)

Experience Level

Post-doctoral experience
PhD completed within the last five years or expected before start date

Education Level

PhD or equivalent doctoral degree

Salary/Compensations

Up to EG 14 TVöD

Benefits

Access to rich multimodal datasets
Close collaboration with statisticians, data managers, imaging experts, and physiology experts
Support from a data collection staff team
Institutional resources and infrastructure to develop and pursue own research agenda
Support for grant development and international research partnerships
Stimulating, international work environment
Engaged, collegial team
Access to training programs offered by the Planck Academy of the MPG
Flexible working hours
Annual bonus payment in accordance with the TVöD
30 days of vacation
December 24 and 31 off
Daycare partnerships with dedicated places
Parent-child room at the institute
Excellent public transport connections
Jobticket
Institute canteen
Biodiverse institute garden
Various offers related to “health in the workplace” (e.g., fitness room, massage services, yoga classes)
Extensive support services (e.g., International Office, Disability Office, Gender Equality Office, mental health support)
Diversity-sensitive working environment

About the Company

The Max Planck Institute for Human Development studies how and why people develop differently over their lives, and how environmental aspects shape this process.
It fosters academic freedom, curiosity, and collaborative work across disciplines like psychology, neuroscience, computer science, economics, and sociology.
The institute combines interdisciplinary research infrastructures with local and international collaboration to generate knowledge that strengthens individuals and society.
Its vision is a healthy environment and an open society that allows individuals to realize their potential.
The to-be-established Center for Affective and Autonomic Neuroscience (CAAN) investigates the role of midlife autonomic changes in setting the stage for neurodegenerative disease.

Equal Opportunity

The Max Planck Society strives for gender equality and diversity.
Diversity, equity, and inclusion enrich our society and foster scientific excellence.
We are committed to increasing the number of women in areas in which they are underrepresented and employing more people with disabilities.
We welcome applications from people who belong to groups that are often underrepresented in the workplace due to, among other factors, age, disability/chronic illness, ethnicity, gender identity, and religion.
Information about commitment to diversity and accommodations is available on the website: www.mpib-berlin.mpg.de/diversity.