Job ID: 123279

PhD Student

Position: Ph.D. Student

Deadline: 30 June 2025

Employment Start Date: 1 October 2025

City: Krakow

Country: Poland

Institution: Maj Institute of Pharmacology Polish Academy of Sciences

Department: Affective Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory

Description:

📢 PhD Position Available

Research title: Reinforcement sensitivity phenotypes as determinants of various motivational styles of alcohol drinking: craving for reward and searching for relief.

Where: Affective Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, Maj Institute of Pharmacology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Kraków, Poland

Duration: 4 years (starting October 1, 2025)

🔬 About the project

Why do some individuals drink alcohol for pleasure, while others drink to escape emotional pain? This interdisciplinary project investigates reinforcement sensitivity phenotypes as underlying mechanisms for motivational styles of alcohol consumption. We aim to understand how different emotional and physiological traits shape alcohol use behavior and responses to pharmacological treatment.

Using a translational approach — including animal models, online human studies, physiological and affective assessments, mathematical modeling, and longitudinal behavioral experiments — the project will provide novel insights into the personalized treatment of alcohol use disorders.

🧪 Who are we looking for

Minimum requirements:

  • Master’s degree in biology, neuroscience, psychology, or similar;
  • strong command of English (minimum B2 level);
  • ability to work with laboratory animals (rats).

Preferred qualifications:

  • knowledge of Polish (optional but helpful);
  • experience in working with lab animals;
  • proficiency in statistics and tools such as SPSS, R, or GraphPad Prism;
  • experience in conducting online behavioral studies;
  • basic skills in mathematical modeling;
  • confidence in presenting research (e.g., at national/international conferences).

 Passion matters more than perfection

  • You don’t need to be an expert in everything from the start.
    We’re seeking curious, motivated candidates who are eager to learn, grow, and make a meaningful contribution to science. If you want to work on research that truly matters, join us!

 

 

🧪 Role and responsibilities

The PhD student will be involved in:

  • conducting behavioral and pharmacological experiments in a rodent model,
  • performing online human studies,
  • analyzing data
  • manuscript preparation.

🎓 What we offer

  • competitive scholarship – available upon successful admission to the doctoral school
  • mentorship by a main supervisor and two co-supervisors — experts in animal behavior and online studies,
  • access to modern research infrastructure,
  • participation in national and international conferences,
  • a supportive, interdisciplinary, and collaborative research environment.

📄 How to apply

Send your application by June 30, 2025, including:

  • a CV (with relevant academic and research experience),
  • a brief motivation letter (max. 1 A4 page),
  • Reference letters.

 

📧 Submit your documents to:

rygula@gmail.com