10 Doctoral positions for students (m/f/d) in the Research Training Group PIMON (“Perceiving and interacting with materials and objects in natural environment”)
Founded in 1607, Justus Liebig University Giessen (JLU) is a research university rich in tradition. Inspired by curiosity about the unknown, we enable around 25,000 students and 5,800 employees to advance science for society. Join us in breaking new ground and writing success stories - your own and those of our university.
We offer
10 Doctoral positions for students (m/f/d)
in the Research Training Group PIMON (“Perceiving and interacting with materials and objects in natural environment”)
from 1.10.2026, in part-time (75%) and fixed term until 30.9.2030.
The 10 positions will be filled, all in the context of the DFG-funded Research Training Group PIMON ("Perceiving and interacting with materials and objects in natural environment"). The salary is in accordance with the collective labour agreement of the State of Hessen (E 13 TV-H). As long as the maximum permissible duration of a fixed-term contract is not exceeded, you will be employed for a period of 4 years.
With PIMON, we will break new grounds in understanding how we perceive materials and objects, and how we interact with them in everyday situations. We will further gain new insights into how these processes systematically differ across individuals, and how perception and action mature across early development and change during aging. Possible PhD projects will cover a broad set of approaches and methods, including eye and body tracking, virtual reality, neuroimaging (EEG, fMRI), neurostimulation (TMS), computational modelling, as well as developmental and lifespan approaches. We thus welcome applications from candidates with a range of backgrounds, including psychology, computer science, biomedical sciences, and related fields. The Research Training Group further offers a structured qualification program with excellent opportunities for training and networking, from introductory lectures to hands-on methods courses, and bespoke training on critical skills useful inside and outside of academia.
Individual projects will be supervised by principal investigators from Justus Liebig University Giessen, specialized in different areas relevant to the Research Training group, including:
- Dr. Jutta Billino (Experimental psychology – Neuropsychology of the lifespan)
- Dr. Benjamin de Haas (Experimental psychology – Individual differences in perception)
- Dr. Katja Dörschner-Boyaci (Experimental psychology – Material perception)
- Dr. Knut Drewing (Experimental psychology – Haptic perception)
- Dr. Katja Fiehler (Experimental psychology – Action and perception)
- Dr. Martin Hebart (Cognitive and computational neuroscience – Object perception)
- Dr. Mathias Hegele (Experimental psychology – Action and perception)
- Dr. Bianca Jovanovic (Developmental psychology – Action and perception)
- Dr. Daniel Kaiser (Cognitive and computational neuroscience – Object perception)
- Dr. Bianca van Kemenade (Cognitive neuroscience – Action and perception)
After a first round of interviews, the most suitable candidates will be invited for a “matchmaking” workshop in early summer 2026, where the candidates introduce themselves and where the principal investigators will present their research and planned projects. On the basis of this workshop, we will select the successful candidates and match them with their preferred supervisors (and vice versa).
Your tasks at a glance
- You will devise experimental routines, independently conduct experiments, analyze the resulting data, and disseminate the results at conferences and through journal publications
- Furthermore you will participate in the structured PhD education of the RTG, by attending lectures and workshops, and skills courses, visiting other national and international research groups, and contribute to collaborative projects across the RTG
Your qualifications and competences
- Completed Master’s or equivalent university degree in psychology, cognitive neuroscience, computer science, biomedical science, or a related discipline (or degree to be completed until the start date)
- Theoretical foundations in perception or interaction research and/or in cognitive neuroscience and/or in developmental science
- Experience in empirical research projects, preferably in cognitive science or neuroscience
- Good programming skills (in Matlab and/or Python)
- Excellent command of the written and spoken English language
- Ability to work reliably and independently, as well as within a team
Our offer to you
- A structured PhD program with excellent opportunities for theoretical and practical skill development and personal growth, all within a cohort of like-minded people in the RTG PIMON
- A varied job with flexible working hours
- Free use of local public transport (LandesTicket Hessen)
- More than 100 training seminars, workshops and e-learning opportunities per year for personal development, as well as a wide range of health and sports activities
- Remuneration according to TV-H, company pension scheme, child allowance and special payments
- Good compatibility of family and career (certificate "audit familiengerechte hochschule")
If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact Prof. Dr. Katja Fiehler (Katja.Fiehler@psychol.uni-giessen.de) or Prof. Dr. Daniel Kaiser (Daniel.Kaiser@math.uni-giessen.de) by e-mail.
JLU welcomes qualified applications regardless of biological and social gender, disability, nationality, ethnic and social origin, religion, ideology, age as well as sexual orientation and identity. The JLU aims for a higher proportion of women in accordance with the women's promotion plan. We therefore particularly encourage qualified female candidates to apply. JLU is certified as a family-friendly university. Applications from disabled people of equal aptitude will be given preference.
You want to break new ground with us?
Apply via our online form by April 9th, 2026, indicating reference number 159/06. Applications should include (1) a statement of purpose (in English, no longer than three pages), (2) curriculum vitae (in English), (3) two recent letters of reference (in English or German), and (4) copies of earned degrees including copy of higher education entrance qualification (in English or German). If the Master’s degree is not yet completed, please provide the latest transcript of records. We look forward to receiving your application.