• Position: Research Assistant (RA)
• Number of vacancies: 1
• Research groups: Educational neuroscience and developmental disorders research group
• Project/Founding source: ERC Consolidator Grant - BIBALANCE: Early bilingualism boosts the brain's resilience to dyslexia
• Location: Spain > Donostia-San Sebastián
• Research field: Cognitive neuroscience
• Type of contract/Duration of Contract: Temporary - 4 years
• Job Status: Part-time (28h/week)
• Hours per week: 28
• Starting date: 1st of September 2026
• Application deadline: 26th of June 2026

Information about the project

The Basque Center on Cognition, Brain and Language (BCBL) is offering a Research Assistant position within the BIBALANCE project, recently funded by the European Research Council (ERC). The project aims to investigate the impact of early bilingualism on the brain’s resilience to dyslexia. The research involves acquiring behavioural, MEG, and MRI data from young Basque-Spanish bilingual children (aged 5–12) with or without a familial risk of dyslexia.

Phonological development plays a key role in learning to read, but this process can be influenced by the environment, especially in bilinguals. In this context, the ERC-funded BIBALANCE project explores how early bilingualism, involving two phonological systems, affects the brain’s organisation and reading success. It focuses on the concept of hemispheric rebalance, where bilingualism reshapes brain dynamics by redistributing attentional resources between brain hemispheres. This reorganisation could help protect against dyslexia, which is a condition linked to poorly connected brain systems. By studying 500 Basque-Spanish bilingual children, BIBALANCE aims to uncover how bilingualism interacts with genetic risks to improve reading outcomes, offering new insights for education and dyslexia treatment.

Job description

• Coordinate participant recruitment through outreach activities in relevant educational and clinical institutions
• Collaborate on the finalization and implementation of experimental designs
• Collect behavioural and neuroimaging data from bilingual children with and without developmental dyslexia
• Preprocess both neuroimaging and behavioural data
• Participate in regular scientific meetings of the research group
• Contribute to the dissemination of research findings to the general public

PI and research group:

Marie Lallier, Ikerbasque Research Professor and leader of the Educational Neuroscience and Developmental Disorders group, will supervise the research assistant’s work and tasks. The successful candidate will join a dynamic and vibrant research team composed of research assistants and predoctoral, postdoctoral, and senior researchers collaborating on the BIBALANCE project.

The group has extensive experience in clinical and educational neurocognitive science research and employs a wide range of behavioural and neuroimaging techniques (e.g., EEG, MEG), as well as diverse experimental designs (e.g., longitudinal, training-based, and single-case studies) involving young populations with or without developmental language disorders.

The team is also strongly committed to the societal impact of science, actively engaging in the transfer of scientific knowledge to society by working closely with clinicians and educators and fostering dialogue between scientists and the broader community.

Required skills:

• Excellent written and oral communication skills in both Basque and Spanish
• Previous experience working with children and communicating with their families
• Strong organizational and interpersonal skills
• Proficiency in organizing and visualizing data (e.g., using Excel)

Desirable skills:

• Previous experience conducting neuropsychological assessments of language and reading disorders
• Experience with working with children with developmental disabilities
• Master’s degree in Psychology, Neuroscience, Cognitive Science, or a related field
• Previous involvement in research projects (e.g., data collection, analysis)
• Good written and oral communication skills in English
• Familiarity with statistical software such as RStudio

Salary: 15.360€ gross per annum (for part-time contract)

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Training opportunities and Career development plan:

Opportunity to develop professionally in a multicultural, young and dynamic environment.

The necessary technical training for this position will be offered by the centre.

BCBL seeks to foster an environment where all talents can flourish, regardless of gender, sex, sexual orientation, age, sociocultural background, nationality or impairments. We are proud to have in place both an LGTBIQ+ Plan and a Gender Equality Plan to actively promote inclusion and equal opportunities. If you have any questions relating to accessibility or support, please contact us.

Language policy

• The corporative language at the centre is English although, in the Educational Neuroscience and Developmental Disorders research group, Spanish or/and Basque is/are also used as the language of communication within the department.
• The interview may be in English although the level of Basque and Spanish will be assessed at the interview.

Submission of the application and documentation:

To submit your application, applying for “Research Assistant Position - ERC Consolidator Grant - BIBALANCE" and attach the following documentation by 26th June 2026:

• A curriculum vitae
• A statement outlining research interests and motivation to apply for the position
• Two letters of recommendation (submitted by the referees no later than the application deadline)

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Application process timetable:

Contact details for enquiries:

For technical problems with the calls platform please contact: hr@bcbl.eu

For inquiries or questions related to the content of the position and/or information about the project and the research group please contact Marie Lallier, who will be happy to have informal chats about the project and the position with prospective candidates: m.lallier@bcbl.eu