We offer the opportunity to learn how to design, conduct, and analyze different types of experiments (collecting reaction times, eye tracking, or EEG data). Depending on the length of the internship, students typically carry out (parts) of a small project (such as background reading, designing a study, generating materials, testing adult participants or implementing computational models, analyzing results, reporting the results in writing and presenting them orally) in collaboration with one or more of our researchers.
Supervisors
At the moment, the supervisors of the internships are Constantijn van der Burght, Ruth Corps and Candice Frances.
Requirements
- These internships are intended for MA/MSc students and advanced BA students who wish to gain experience in experimental psycholinguistics.
- Applicants should have some prior training in experimental psychology or psycholinguistics, and good knowledge of English.
Conditions of employment
The duration of the internship is flexible, with a minimum of 8 weeks. Please note that we don’t accept starting dates in July and August. Also, the internship is unfortunately unpaid.
Accommodation
Please check our website (https://www.mpi.nl/page/visitors-newcomers, “Where to stay”), for accommodation options in/around Nijmegen. One of the options is the Vertoef guesthouse (https://www.guesthousevertoef.com/en/rooms/longstay/). Please note that the Radboud Guesthouse is not available for interns. You can also contact our secretary (Edith.Sjoerdsma@mpi.nl) for rental listings, or look at websites like Pararius (https://www.pararius.nl/huurwoningen/nijmegen).
Employer
The Max Planck Institute (MPI) for Psycholinguistics in Nijmegen is a research institute entirely devoted to the study of language. Our goal is to understand how our minds and brains process language, how language interacts with other aspects of mind, and how we can learn languages of quite different types. We are situated on the campus of the Radboud University, and have close collaborative links with the Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour and the Centre for Language Studies at Radboud University. We also work closely with other child development researchers as part of the Baby and Child Research Centre. Staff and students at the MPI have access to state-of-the art research and training facilities (including audio-visual equipment, EEG, fMRI, eye tracking, virtual reality labs, molecular biology labs and a child-friendly child development lab). We are part of the Max Planck Society, an independent non-governmental association of German-funded research institutes dedicated to fundamental research in the natural sciences, life sciences, social sciences, and the humanities. The Max Planck Society is an equal opportunities employer. We recognise the positive value of diversity, promote equality and challenge discrimination. We therefore welcome applications from all suitably qualified candidates, irrespective of gender, disability, marital or parental status, racial, ethnic or social origin, colour, religion, belief, or sexual orientation (https://www.mpi.nl/page/equal-opportunities).
Application procedure
To apply for an internship starting in September 2023 (or later), please use our application portal. The deadline for applications is June 1st, 2023. We will inform all candidates by the end of June. Our next “application round” (for internships starting in January 2024), will be in October.
Applications should be in .pdf format and should include:
- Your CV
- Name and contact details of two referees
- A motivation letter, in which you answer the following questions:
a. How long do you want to intern for?
b. Which months are you available?
c. Will you be applying for course credit (e.g., Master’s thesis or internship)?
d. Which is your experience with any of the following: programming, statistics, Praat, neuroimaging, and linguistics?
e. Which skills or experiences would you like to gain from this internship?
f. Which projects are you most interested in from our department? Or alternatively, who from our department are you most interested in working with? Feel free to include more than one name.
If you have questions about the post that you wish to discuss before you apply, please email the Research Project Coordinator of the Psychology of Language Department: annelies.vanwijngaarden@mpi.nl .