4-Year Funded PhD Position at the Faculty of Psychology, Universidad Complutense de Madrid

7 nov 2025 - 13:20 CET

We are offering a fully funded four-year PhD position at the Laboratory of Visual Psychophysics (Faculty of Psychology, UCM, https://www.ucm.es/serranopedrazalab/).  The position is part of the national program “Ayudas para contratos predoctorales para la formación de doctores 2025” and is directly associated with the research project “Figure-ground segregation in dynamic backgrounds: the effect of spatial suppression and cross-scale motion interaction” (PID2024-155243NB-I00, P.I. Ignacio Serrano-Pedraza).

The project investigates the role of motion-inhibitory mechanisms in figure-ground segregation, focusing on two well-known mechanisms: the center-surround antagonistic mechanism and the cross-scale motion interaction mechanism. The main goal of the project is to investigate how these two mechanisms affect figure-ground segregation, i.e., how moving stimuli are perceived and distinguished from static or dynamic backgrounds. We will use threshold-based tasks and continuous psychophysics using eye-tracking.

The candidates must hold a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Psychology or a related discipline. Excellent proficiency in English is essential.

The position has the possibility of converting the final year into a postdoctoral contract if the thesis is successfully completed within three years.

For applications go to this web: https://www.ucm.es/ct65-25

The completion and electronic submission of applications must be carried out exclusively through the UCM online platform enabled for this purpose: https://procesosselectivospas.ucm.es/

Applicants must hold a valid electronic certificate. You can obtain the FNMT certificate at the following link: https://www.sede.fnmt.gob.es/certificados/persona-fisica

Deadline for applications: 24-11-2025

Contact: If you have any questions, please contact Prof. Ignacio Serrano-Pedraza (iserrano@ucm.es).